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Revisiting the M2 MacBook Pro for Music Production in 2025: Still Worth It? My Honest Thoughts After 2 Years

  • Writer: Sunwarper
    Sunwarper
  • Aug 2
  • 4 min read

Two years ago, I bought the M2 MacBook Pro to overhaul my entire music production workflow, right as I was about to become a parent. Given the circumstances, it needed to be powerful, portable, and future-proof. Fast forward to 2025, and after hundreds of projects, videos, and livestreams, here’s how it’s held up and where it fits into my setup today.


1. Still a Powerhouse for Music Production

Despite newer chips hitting the market, the M2 Pro still handles everything I throw at it. 80+ track sessions are no problem for it. Massive plug-in chains, sample libraries, and livestreaming setups are still running smoothly. The 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD have held up surprisingly well, for music production, though I wouldn’t say no to 64GB and 2 TB SSD if budget had allowed. I say this mainly with respect to my youtube productions as video editing and processing have can hit a wall when you push too many layers of videos, masks and effects.

M2 macbook pro

2. My Three Core M2 Macbook Pro Use Cases Revisited

Here's the 3 central uses for the Macbook for my music production needs:


  • Studio Hub: It’s the center of my hybrid setup, connecting to synths, samplers, interfaces, and handling DAW mixing/editing.

  • Livestream Rig: Runs my entire dawless desk and OBS while sending/receiving MIDI and FX in Logic, with no hiccups.

  • Portable Production: Plug in a USB-C cable to my SP-404MKII and I’ve got power, MIDI, and audio, all through one port. It’s been perfect for squeezing in sessions during my son's naptime or working anywhere in the house.


3. USB-C Workflow Has Aged Well

USB-C felt limiting at first, given that and an SD card slot are the only means of connection, but now it’s a core part of my workflow. My Anker USB C hub has been rock solid. I’ve even daisy-chained hubs with MIDI controllers, cameras, and audio interfaces with minimal latency. The real surprise is how much of my setup now runs off a single cable.


4. Logic Pro + M2: Mostly Smooth

While Logic has worked really well with this laptop I did notice some issues right around when I purchased it, but haven't noticed them in the last year or so (perhaps updates). Here's what I saw:

  • Logic can bug out when recording multiple takes in a single audio region (I now just bounce or make separate tracks).

  • Preset saving/loading got weird during migration from Intel to Apple Silicon, always back up custom plug-in settings.


But these are rare edge cases. Overall, Logic + M2 has been rock solid.


5. Performance Still Impresses

I ran over 50 instances of U-He's Diva before hitting a CPU wall with a 64 buffer. I’ve never maxed out the CPU during real sessions, even with heavy Kontakt libraries, plugin chains, or streaming with Streamlabs.


Would I Still Buy It in 2025?

Absolutely, especially if you do both music and video work. But here’s what I’d tweak for my own workflow currently:

  • 64GB RAM - My content creation workflow has grown over the last two years as my Youtube videos became a bigger part of my work. Lots of video work means needing more RAM and power. If I were just doing music, I think the 32 would work quite well.

  • 2TB SSD - mainly because of video work and my desire to avoid juggling drives


Some Ways to Save Money When Getting a Mac

If you mostly work with hardware, audio, loops, or smaller projects, a MacBook Air or Mac Mini might save you money.

You can opt for a smaller internal hard drive and use external SSDs to offset it, but that does require plugging in additional gear, which can become cumbersome if portability is a priority.

A more recent option I’ve been exploring is using an iPad with Logic for iPad to replace some of my laptop DAW needs.


M2 iPad Air for On-the-Go Beatmaking

In the last year, I’ve added the M2 iPad Air to my workflow, and it’s opened up a new level of portability. Logic for iPad has matured enough to feel like a real DAW, and with the Apple Pencil and multi-touch, it’s surprisingly intuitive.

M2 iPad Air and SP404 MK2

Pros:

  • Can start a project anywhere — couch, patio, hotel room

  • Works seamlessly with my SP-404MKII and Bluetooth MIDI keyboards

  • Great for loop building, sketching ideas, or prepping livestream projects

  • You can instantly move the project into your main Mac’s Logic and build off of it from there

Con:

  • It runs out of steam quickly. Around 10–20 tracks (with plugins), and it starts choking — especially if you’re using heavier effects or multiple audio files.

It’s a fantastic idea machine, and there are some great iOS plugin effects available, but I usually finish things on the MacBook for access to the full suite of plugins I own.

That said, having both the iPad and the MacBook has created a fluid workflow between sketching and finishing.


Do You Need a Newer M3 or M4?

After two years, the M2 MacBook Pro is still my daily driver for music production, content creation, and everything in between. It’s portable enough to go anywhere, and powerful enough to handle everything I throw at it. With the iPad as a sidekick, it’s a complete setup.

The new M chips look great and promise more power, but after two years of using the M2 Pro, I don’t think upgrading is necessary, especially if you can find a good deal on the used market. It still feels future-proof, and I plan to keep using it as my main creative hub for at least another 3 to 5 years.


Whether you’re trying to decide if a new MacBook or iPad is the right move, or just want to get the most out of the setup you already have, I offer personal coaching sessions to help you build an efficient, inspiring workflow. We can go over your current gear, DAW setup, or even troubleshoot specific issues together.


 
 
 
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