Best MacBook for DJing You Can Currently Get
The world of DJing in the modern era is a far cry from the analog setups that once dominated events and venues back in the day!
Today, DJs need a quality bulletproof laptop that can withstand the tests of live performance. It’s no coincidence that Macbooks tend to dominate the top spots amongst laptop lists and they certainly fit the bill pretty perfectly for DJing.
Laptops aren’t just essential for performance alongside DJ software like Serato DJ, RekordBox DJ, Traktor and Virtual DJ, they’re essential for storing databases of tunes securely. They just make everything easier and better in general really, and when you factor in that won’t need a shed load of vinyl or CDs to mix, the costs look a little friendlier.
| Name | Processor | Display | RAM/Storage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple MacBook 12″ | 1.4 GHz Intel Core i7 Dual-Core | 12″ 2304 x 1440 IPS Display | 16GB of 1866MHz LPDDR3 RAM | 512GB SSD | PRICING |
| MacBook Air Late 2018 | 1.6 GHz Intel Core i5 Dual-Core | 13.3″ 2560 x 1600 Retina IPS Display | 16GB of Onboard RAM | 512GB SSD | PRICING |
| 2018 Apple 15.4″ MacBook Pro | 2.6 GHz Intel Core i7 Six-Core | 15.4" 2880 x 1800 Retina Display | 16GB of 2400 MHz RAM | 512GB SSD | PRICING |
| Apple 13.3″ MacBook Air (Mid 2017, Silver) | 2.2 GHz Intel Core i7 Dual-Core | 13.3" 1440 x 900 Glossy Display | 8GB of 1600 MHz LPDDR3 RAM | 512GB SSD | PRICING |
Macbooks, The Way Forward?
MacBooks are designed for multimedia work – they’re the most widely used computers in music studios, design and art studios and amongst creative professionals of many kinds.
MacBooks aren’t just an image thing, they’ve earned their place through rigorous testing, tweaking, and optimization for workflow and performance.
MacBooks are characterized through their hard metal exteriors, superb build quality throughout, awesome layouts, optimised OS and quality specs right through from graphics and processors to screens and batteries.
Yep, they’re expensive and that’s their downside but they last for a long, long time, probably long than a Windows PC in the vast majority of situations!
Even older MacBooks hold their own today and they’re cheaper than you might think. Obviously, though, once we get towards the high end things get very expensive very quickly but that is the nature of modern high spec tech.
MacBooks – What are the Advantages?
Right so we all understand that MacBooks are the flagbearer when it comes to audio and DJing, but why?
Build quality
Macs are rock solid and they can survive a few more knocks than your average laptop – you wouldn’t want to put it to the test but many say they dropped their MacBook in the past without causing internal damage!
Build quality isn’t just about resilience to drops and knocks though, it’s about how long the parts last in the long term. Mac keyboards are hardwearing and don’t tend to lose any spring over time. The hinges on the screen are strong and won’t snap after a couple of years. The trackpad doesn’t tend to fail either and everything is designed to be scratch proof to some degree.
MacBooks are designed without build quality flaws and that prolongs their life considerably.
Screen Quality
The general standard of laptop screens is pretty high right now but MacBooks still take the crown.
MacBook screens are bright, sharp and viewable in high sunlight or when there’s lots of lights flashing around you (say in a club venue).
Macbook screens are also energy efficient increasing battery life.
Battery Life
MacBooks feature awesome battery life across every model. The battery doesn’t wear quickly over time either, meaning your MacBook should still pack factory-level battery life even after years of use. MacBook Airs can last for 12 hours!
Spec Options
MacBooks are available in all sorts of shapes, sizes and specs to suit any user. For DJs, this means you have the choice to fork out on a top spec machine which will serve DJing duties and more for years to come, or you can save and opt for a very capable but reasonably priced machine.
Don’t need a graphics card? You don’t need to grab a MacBook which has one.
Don’t want to spend $$$ on a top processor? You don’t need to.
SSD a priority? No problem!
1. Apple MacBook 12″ (Mid 2017)
This small MacBook is a perfectly capable machine and it excels in portability. It’s pretty small but it’s big enough to display DJ information clearly. This is a sleek and stylish machine for traveling DJs – it’ll easily power a standard DJ setup.
This smaller MacBook doesn’t sacrifice much for its small footprint. It’s simple, tough and minimalistic in design and it’s available in a range of options regarding processors. One thing to note is that it only has 1 USB-C port, so you’ll need an adapter or dongle. The base model comes with an Intel M3 processor which probably isn’t up to the task of DJing but there’s i5 versions available which are more than powerful enough for DJing.
Apple MacBook 12″ Highlights
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2. MacBook Air (Late 2018)
Apple’s newest MacBook Air is slightly confusing as it adds mostly hardware upgrades to the original 2015 model whilst overlooking some tech spec improvements. That said, it’s excellent value and it sports an amazing build quality with top quality screen and some ridiculous battery life of up to 12 hours!
The newest MacBook Air is a quality machine for portable or touring DJs. You could probably say it’s not quite powerful enough for those who want to dabble in a bit of music production alongside their DJ duties, though. This MacBook Air has been built with build quality and battery life in mind – it’s not meant to be a power packed machine but it’s an awesome laptop nonetheless. The key thing to note is that this laptop is actually reasonably priced around the $1000 mark.
Apple MacBook Air 2018 Highlights
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3. MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2018)
The MacBook Pro has always remained a top choice for DJs amongst other creative professionals – they’re stellar machines that won’t let you down – it’s as simple as that. The MacBook Pro has delivered laptops that suit DJs since 2012 and beyond. Even that 2012 model with the 2.4GHZ i5 and 16GB or RAM is easily usable today. Going beyond that, MacBooks have evolved into better machines culminating in the 2018 MacBook Pro.
This MacBook Pro is very capable of processing nearly any task across music production and DJing. The benefit of having a machine this powerful is that you don’t need to worry – you can let it work all night long without issues – no overheating, no crashes, just stability throughout. This MacBook Pro also comes with a TouchBar. It’s pretty useful and with some tinkering it can be mapped to software DJ functions.
It’s worth noting that the latest generation of MacBook Pros come in many different forms.
You have 13 and 15-inch versions with or without TouchBars and these are available in a huge range of specs. You can opt for a lower powered MacBook Pro (still easily powerful enough for DJing) or fork out for a machine that can crunch through any computing task.
Apple MacBook Pro Highlights
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4. MacBook Air (2017)
The MacBook Air was the original ultrabook and it fills the gap for those looks for a more full-size machine which is also super light and portable. MacBook Air’s are well known for their graceful form and chassis, they’re incredibly well designed. Super cool and super sleek, MacBook Airs don’t skimp out in the spec department either.
The 2015 MacBook Air is affordable these days and it packs quality specs that won’t struggle at all with any modern DJ software. Packing quality processors and a range of storage options, the only slight area of improvement is the RAM which is limited to 8GB. 8GB is still easily enough for current DJ software.
Apple MacBook Air 13″ Highlights
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MacBook Shootout
All of these MacBooks are pretty evenly matched in some areas but they’re distinctly different in others. If you’re stuck for choice, check this MacBook shootout to help you decide which is best for you:
Best MacBook Overall
This is an easy choice. The 2018 MacBook Pro is a beast in every respect. It’s Apple’s flagship MacBook coming in all sorts of different spec tiers from the cheapest 13 inch $1300 model to the top of the range 15 inch $4000 beast.
The top-spec $4000 MacBook Pro is a world-beater. It has an extremely powerful 2.9GHZ i9 processor, 32GB of RAM and SSD options up to 2TB! Throw in a 4GB dedicated graphics card and a whole host of other premium options and you have a laptop worthy of top spot in any list.
Best Portable MacBook
The MacBook 12” Notebook is small, sleek and stylish and it doesn’t skimp out on specs. The i5 processor of better models will crunch DJ tasks with ease. Excellent battery life means you won’t be fully reliant on your charger at gigs. It’s also reasonably priced.
The only downside to this laptop in the tech department is the 8GB of RAM. That’s easily enough to run DJ software (4GB minimum requirements) but if you want to use it for some music production or some extremely advanced DJ tasks (like running Ableton link) then it might not make the grade.
Best Value Macbook
The MacBook Air 2018 is pretty good value! Throwing $4000 at a laptop is a luxury not many of us can afford. MacBooks aren’t cheap in general, though, so calling the best value is pretty tricky. Despite that, the most recent MacBook Air is kind of a value entry by Apple providing a quality machine at a price that doesn’t break the bank.
It’s not up to the grade of the MacBook Pro but it’s a different machine. It’s portable, the build quality is excellent (weights less than 1.5kg) and it’s powerful enough to run DJ software with ease. It’s very similarly matched with the high spec MacBook 12”.
Summary
MacBooks – they’re difficult to beat. They combine the best bits into one uniform and well-built machine.
There are MacBooks to fit the bill for any DJ. It’s a tough choice that’ll be dictated largely by budget but in spec terms, every single one of these machines can support DJ software with relative ease.
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