Mac mini With Logic Pro a good choice for recording simple songs?

[jakel]

I'm retiring in a week and one thing I want to do is write and record guitar based music (I don't sing). Eventually I will be writing and recording songs with vocals with my neighbor and good buddy, who is also retired. He is in the middle of a mixing/mastering class and is using a Mac with Logic Pro. So... I'm trying to get a simple little DAW setup to help me keep out of trouble, and I'm thinking a Mac mini with M2 processor, 8Mb memory and 512Gb SSD, with Logic Pro, will do the trick. That will set me back about a grand, which seems quite reasonable to me. I have a Scarlett 2i2 interface. And an FM9 for TONE.

I'll need the DAW to do drums and some keyboard sounds (oh yes, I will need a midi keyboard).

I'm looking for feedback from those in the know, if you please. Am I cutting myself short with only 8Mb memory? Am I headed down a reasonable path?

 

[GlennO]

8GB is usually too little for music production. 16GB should be fine if you'd rather not spring for 24 or 32GB.

Logic Pro will be fine, even for complex songs. You may want to consider Garage Band if that's better for your needs. Garage Band and Logic Pro have project interchangeability if you're not sure which one to commit to.

A 2i2 probably doesn't make much sense in that setup. It doesn't have enough I/O to be useful when you already have an FM9.

 

[jakel]

8GB is usually too little for music production. 16GB should be fine if you'd rather not spring for 24 or 32GB.

Logic Pro will be fine, even for complex songs. You may want to consider Garage Band if that's better for your needs. Garage Band and Logic Pro have project interchangeability if you're not sure which one to commit to.

A 2i2 probably doesn't make much sense in that setup. It doesn't have enough I/O to be useful when you already have an FM9.

Thank you for the reply.

Okay, so 16Gb memory. Check.

I'll stick with Logic Pro since my neighbor and church both use it. I might as well learn it. The last DAW software I used was Cubase, and that was many years ago (Aardvark interface if that means anything to you).

I don't understand your 2i2 comment. I bought it really just to have a convenient way to control my speaker and headphone volume, and to have a couple of mic pre's just in case, and so I could still listen to music when my FM9 is packed up. Though, like I said, I don't plan to sing or use a mic for anything. Please feel free to elaborate if I'm missing something.

 

[Fotukito]

I have an older Mac Mini (2018 Intel model) running Logic Pro that's worked well with plenty of audio and MIDI tracks, but I have 32GB and agree with @GlennO you might want to consider at least 16GB. Also I went for a 1TB SSD and glad I did... just less hassle dealing with fewer external drives as you inevitably grow your content, get more apps, maybe play with some video, etc.

Steel yourself for a learning curve with Logic Pro, which is no different from any other full featured DAW. IMO it will be worth the time investment particularly if your buddy is also using it.