Top 5 MacBooks for Music Production: Pro Picks

Customer Review: I purchased this 16″ MacBook Pro M4 Max with 48 GB and 1TB for $2,575.26 “Like New” from Amazon Resale while they were offering an extra 20% discount on 11/21/2025. On top of that I signed up for Prime to get the 2% back on my Amazon Visa (i.e. 5% instead of just 3%). I’ve been watching for a deal for a while, as this was not provided “free” through the Vine program, and I was finding it hard to justify such an expensive purchase. I would not typically write a review in that case, but I felt this transaction needed one.I certainly had concerns after reading some of the 1 star reviews, though my experience purchasing this through Amazon Resale was nothing but 5-star. What arrived on 11/25 in my case was treated as high value, and was handed to me by an Amazon driver, only after I provided a 6 digit code. It was sealed in a typical brown Amazon box with no sign of damage. I immediately opened the box, with my wife filming the unboxing just in case. I recommend this precaution, though fortunately all was fine. The box matched the order’s specs, and the SN of the laptop it contained matched that. As well as being as advertised; a scratch-free, perfect laptop.CONDITION:What I received was a mint laptop in an opened Apple retail box taped closed with packing tape. The Apple box had two extra barcodes stuck to its bottom (one was a “LPN” code). Additionally there was an orange “QC15 PASS” sticker signed with the initials “Fg”. The original Apple charger was in the box still sealed in the protective wrap, and the power cable was still coiled around the cardboard, clearly those had not been used. The laptop did not have the protective paper sleeve, nor was there a protective sheet between the screen and keyboard, though even so both the laptop body and the screen were perfect, with no sign of defect.A check of the serial number with Apple’s website confirmed it had first been activated on 10/26/2025, so I was free to activate AppleCare on it within the next 32 days, or just enjoy the standard Apple Warranty until October 26th, 2026. I then powered it up and checked the battery cycles (there were 2), and any signs of it being left tied to an account, or with device management active; there was not.Finally, I ran Apple’s hardware test; it passed. Then I verified all Thunderbolt ports with an external hard drive, as well as the SD slot, headphone jack, and power connector. No issues found. At this point all of my fears were gone, and I was overjoyed.ONE MINOR CONCERN:Other than the expected (open box, lacking protective wrap), it had an odd initial smell. I’m sensitive to smells, and the box and laptop emit what I would best describe as a strong “new car” odor, slightly fruity, but with no stain on the box or residue on the laptop. The smell was mainly from the outside of the box itself. I’d guess it was in close proximity to a leaking car air freshener during shipping, or the return process. My initial concern was that the laptop might have been wiped down with a disinfectant to clean it, which would have the potential of damaging the screen coating. I suppose it is possible the original owner, or Amazon used a deodorizer to sanitize or mask other odors, but I think it is far more likely that another package leaked near it, and the laptop was never exposed to anything directly. I’ve been using it for two days now, and there is no longer any noticeable odor. The Apple box it came in however still smells of it, so I’ve relegated it to the garage.CONCLUSION:Certainly, buying an open box return carries some risk over picking one of these up from the Apple Store. However, the significant savings made it worth that. Fortunately I did not have to deal with a return. However, I’ve always found Amazon to make that easy at my Whole Foods drop point. In the end I now have a high spec version of my dream laptop, as opposed to a base model, which is all my budget would have allowed had I gone with new.FINAL THOUGHTS: My last MacBook Pro lasted me over 10 years, and I’m hopeful that given the high specs of this one, it will enjoy a similar life. I was not expecting to use this for games, as I have a Windows gaming laptop for that, but out of curiosity, I loaded up Cyberpunk 2077 on it, and wow! Running the laptop in clamshell mode with an ultra-wide Samsung gaming display (5120×1440) and two 4K LG monitors on either side showing other work, it does not seem to struggle. Around the rear vents, the MacBook Pro does get warm, but not as warm as my “gaming laptop” does when running the game. The selection of games supporting Apple Silicon is small, but this one definitely makes the MacBook Pro shine! If you are on the fence about buying a MacBook Pro, I would say go for it, especially if you can find a good deal on Amazon Resale. Just be sure to inspect it carefully when it arrives.

Customer Review: Best for video editing. Best for photoshop. Best for photographers who travel. Best for anyone who uses a computer for work…unless you are a gamer. But gamers already know this, so no worries. This computer is better than any PC because of stability and power savings. If I’m not using Adobe, this thing goes all day easily. The screen? Legendary. Colors are spot on. Keyboard? Always lit, easy to type on. It has an SD card slot that you could use for an extra hard drive, but I always dump my work onto an external drive anyway, so my onboard drive is always over 50% free. I have a Ryzen desktop built for video work. This beats it, easily. So glad I got this! My social life is back! If you get the reference, you need this machine. Get it, you only live once.

Customer Review: Exactly what my 17 year old was looking for. He was able to do everything he wanted to on it. Gaming, streaming, etc.

Customer Review: Exactly what my 17 year old was looking for. He was able to do everything he wanted to on it. Gaming, streaming, etc. Read more

Customer Review: This MacBook Pro is a powerhouse. The 2024 model is incredibly fast, with apps opening instantly and multitasking handled with ease. The display is stunning — bright, sharp, and with amazing color accuracy that makes everything from work documents to movies look incredible. Battery life is excellent, easily lasting all day with normal use, and the build quality is exactly what you’d expect from Apple: sleek, solid, and premium. The keyboard is comfortable to type on for long stretches, and the trackpad remains the best in the business. I’ve used both Windows laptops and Macs, and this machine is easily the smoothest computing experience I’ve had. Perfect for business, creative work, or just everyday tasks. If you want a laptop that delivers performance, reliability, and design in one package, this is it.

Customer Review: Very fast laptop, very long battery life. For the graphically interesting games natively compatible with it, very good graphics performance. The display is amazing and is capable of twice as many pixels as it shows you. It was a good value in a Black Friday sale (~$1400), but this (M4 Pro 12/16) chip is on par with or under performance of the prior generation M3 Max 14”, so if it can get one of those for a good deal refurbished or open box, there is no shame in it. As with all M1/2/3/4s, there are dedicated neural cores for Apple Intelligence to run, which allows for a personalized Siri who listens to you and watches you all the time, without sharing this information. You can disable Apple Intelligence and Siri, but after I got past the creepiness, I configured Siri as an Irish Female, and it makes everything lovely. There is a lot of integration with other Apple devices, like you can operate your iphone from a distance on your MacBook. You can also receive texts and Messages from your iPhone, and easily use it for tethering, as a substitute for your webcam (the webcam is pretty solid nonetheless). This model supports linking hearing aids and also supports airpods much in the same way the iPhone does. You can easily use your living room TV as a second monitor on the fly, and if you can plug in via HDMI, you can get the whole 4K@120hz. MacOSX is a great operating system, built on Unix, and with tons of room for customization for beginners to super users. Time Machine backups with your own plug-in hard drives and iCloud are incredibly convenient. Safari gets better and better, but the Mac versions of Chromium and Firefox also dazzle.For most programs that aren’t games, macOSX is widely supported, but if you just *need* it, parallels desktop and vmware can run windows for you.New users ought to pay close attention to Tips and go into settings and learn all the trackpad gestures. You won’t want to come back to a different trackpad, and until you want to game, you will not care to use a mouse.Anyway, I got this for my wife as a gift, partly because she needed a new computer and partly because I wanted to convert her. She seems pretty converted.

Customer Review: This Akai MPK Mini MK3 completely exceeded my expectations. The keys have a very comfortable sensitivity, and the pads respond quickly with no delay—great for creating beats on the spot. Setup was extremely easy; it was literally plug-and-play with my computer and music software. The size is perfect if you don’t have much space, yet it still feels professional and sturdy. The knobs work smoothly for controlling effects and automations. Whether you’re just starting in music production or need a high-quality portable keyboard, this is definitely a great investment. Highly recommended.

Customer Review: I’ve owned this for a few years now and it’s been amazing, Its as simple as plug and play then bam, make music.I have treated it roughly and its still running as if it were day 1, quality is genuinely amazing they have to raise their prices.Key factors:- Compatible with both Windows and Mac (Mac owners will need an adaptor for usb type a)- It comes with a few apps that I didn’t personally found use in but I’m sure other people will.- Any midi instrument available in a daw alongside plugins will be playable through this keyboard.

Customer Review: I love this computer! It can charge in two different ways, and it is lightweight and “clean” looking. I bought a nice, but tough case for it, and it looks super spiffy! The computer itself was easy to modify to my needs, and battery life is excellent.

Customer Review: Top of the line Apple. Does it all a trusted and top quality product.