Canadian Musician - January / February 2020

ROAD TEST Apple 2019 MacBook Pro 16-in. Laptop By Dajaun Martineau I t’s easy to say that the new 16-in. MacBook Pro is “the world’s best pro notebook,” but does the product stand up to Apple’s boast? I had the chance to take it for a test drive and here’s what I found. First Impressions The first thing I noticed when I powered up the machine is that the screen gave me more real estate. Featuring a 3072 x 1920-resolution monitor, it’s just shy of 4K – more than enough considering those pixels are jam-packed into a 16-in. display. I found the extra space extremely handy for viewing multiple plug-ins simulta- neously. I no longer have to choose between detailed views and a big picture overview; with the new screen, I can have both. Despite having a significantly larger screen, the laptop itself isn’t much larger; the screen simply occupies more space inside the case, reducing the margins that used to border the screen to almost nothing. The second thing I noticed about the new MacBook is the keyboard. Apple has trans- planted the design from the iMac standalone keyboard to create a very sturdy and responsive keyboard. The action is definitely an upgrade from the previous model. The escape key has been reverted to a physical key in order to give the user direct access. Additionally, the Touch ID fingerprint reader has been removed from the Touch Bar to give an aesthetically pleasing parallel to the escape key. In Use As I dug deeper into the architecture of the system, I discovered that Apple’s engineers completely redesigned the case for this run of the MacBook Pro to allow for a larger heat sink and increased airflow. The augmented thermal efficiency is essential in reducing the amount of heat produced by the Intel i7 and i9 chips. The power you get from the chips is impres- sive but the noise from the fans can be a bit frustrating when trying to record in the same room as the laptop. That said, I found that compared to the 2017 model, the new MacBook Pro fan activates less often, so it’s definitely an improvement. As always, Apple has made this system big- ger and faster than its predecessors. This Mac- W W W. C A N A D I A N M U S I C I A N . CO M Book Pro is now configurable to have up to 64 GB of RAM and 8 TB of storage. The increased ca- pacity makes my dream of being able to fly anywhere in the world and have my entire sample library without carrying a dozen external hard drives a veritable reality. Apple also boasts that this notebook has the largest battery possible while still being allowed through airport security checks. This means that I can work in more unique locations for longer periods of time without having to hunt for an outlet. Another element that caught my attention was the upgraded high- performance microphone array, which delivers a 40 per cent reduc- tion in hiss and a superior signal-to- noise ratio that rivals that of popular professional-grade digital microphones. The mic captures clean recordings that focus in on the quietest details. While it’s no studio-grade condenser, it does a great job in a pinch, easily outperforming most USB microphones. While the price of Apple products is some- times intimidating, the base unit is currently going for $2,999 CAD though a fully-loaded configuration (2.4 GHz 8 core i9, 64 GB RAM, and 8 TB storage) jumps the price up to $7,459. That being noted, I feel compelled to remind everyone that this is a professional piece of equipment intended to be the centrepiece of your creative environment. Apple has a tradition of pushing us farther into the future whether we like it or not. Most recently, the company has redefined connectiv- ity with the standardization of USB-C (one cable to rule them all!) and now they’re redefining the potential of software with the discontinuation of all x86 processes. The immediate downside is that any older software you have may not function on the new MacBook. Most produc- tion software developers have done the work to replace all of the old bits so that their software will remain compatible in the future but some developers will be left behind. If you can find it within you to let go of the past, the new purely 64-bit architecture will be significantly faster and more secure. The other huge benefit of abandoning x86 support is that this opens the door for the tran- sition to ARM processors. The introduction of ARM processors will allow Apple to free itself from its current ties to Intel. Independence could be very stirring for Apple users as Intel’s processor shortages and heat issues have been curtailing the progress of the notebooks for some time. Apple’s computers could operate quicker and cooler and at a lower cost. I think that is something that we all want as profes- sional MacBook users. Summary While there are a few issues with cost and fan noise, I have to agree that this laptop is “the world’s best pro notebook.” I cannot think of any other piece of professional hardware that could even hold a candle to this unit when it comes to power, portability, and sustainability. With the new 2019 Apple MacBook Pro, you’ll be able to do much more in less time. Dajaun Martineau is a producer/engineer/writer based out of Toronto, ON, who spent the better part of a decade as a Senior Staff Engineer at Phase One Studios before going freelance. For his full discography and more information, visit www.dajaun.com. CANADIAN MUSICIAN 23

Canadian Musician - January / February 2020 | Page 23