Some computer setups are simply music to our ears — almost literally, in some cases. Today’s featured setup sees (and hears) an M1 MacBook Pro playing frontman to a band that includes a few pieces of key audio hardware and software as well as dual curved ultra-wide external displays.
And whether or not it’s “ultra-minimalist,” as stated by the user — it’s not, by almost any definition of computing minimalism — it appears relatively spare and effective.
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16-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro conducts ‘ultra-minimalist’ home audio studio setup
Redditor linkuei-teaparty (“Link”) showcased the mellifluous setup in a post entitled, “Ultra Minimalist digital home studio setup / home office. Open to suggestions for sprucing it up for 2023.”
He runs a 16-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro packed with 32GB of integrated memory and a 512GB SSD for storage. It drives a pair of 34-inch curved ultra-wide 4K displays.
Input devices are a Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2. He defended the mouse against the suggestion of a Logitech MX Master 3 mouse alternative, saying he’s happy with the horizontal scrolling that another user called an “ergonomic nightmare.”
He’s also got a 12.9-inch iPad Pro plus a small collection of affordable but effective audio gear, described below.
But how minimal is it, really?
Right away social media mavens sounded sour notes over anyone calling the somewhat involved workstation minimal. It’s a longstanding tradition in Setups world that users brag about being true minimalists and fight over what it means.
“‘Ultra minimalist.’ Yeah, okay buddy,” said one commenter.
“I was thinking the same thing,” said another.
“4 screens and 2 studio monitors and thinks it’s ‘ultra minimalist’ lmao,” laughed a third, referring to the dual curved ultra-wide 4K displays plus MacBook Pro and iPad Pro screens, in addition to the mounted Kali Audio LP-6 studio monitors for sound.
Then a defender weighed in. “In the context of a typical audio / music production setup, this is minimalist-ish.” And after some debate, they got people to agree that the “minimalist-ish” description was fair enough.
To say “minimalist” without qualification, you might just take away (at least) one external display and maybe replace the speakers with good headphones. That sort of thing, as one commenter implied.
Simple audio rig
For quality audio, Link relies on solid, well-liked gear on the “budget” end of the spectrum. He plays and records guitar, bass and vocals.
He uses an AKG P120 microphone ($114 on Amazon) and records with “studio quality” through a Focusrite 2i2 audio interface with inputs for voice and instrument ($148).
For sound in the room, he relies on Kali Audio LP-6 Studio Monitors with 6.5-inch woofers ($418 for a pair).
See all the setup’s gear in the links list below.
Shop these items now:
Computers:
Displays:
Input devices:
Audio:
If you would like to see your setup featured on Cult of Mac, send some high-res pictures to info+setups@cultofmac.com. Please provide a detailed list of your equipment. Tell us what you like or dislike about your setup, and fill us in on any special touches or challenges.
