by 6stringer » Mon Apr 18, 2022 12:14 am
Congrats on starting your college career.
There are about a million opinions on this. I personally have a Windows computer, and run a free DAW (Cakewalk). But I'm not a music production student (I'm a software engineer). The reason I use Windows is simply cost. I can get a Windows laptop (or desktop) for less than a Mac.
First, has the school you're attending specified any software or hardware that you have to use? That might have an impact on what laptop you choose. For example, Logic is only available on a Mac.
Second, you don't say what your budget is. If budget isn't a big issue, I'd probably go with a Mac, even though I currently use Windows. The reason for the Mac recommendation is I suspect that most of your professors will be Mac based, as well as other students. Plus, the IT department at the school will probably be more able to provide help with Macs (because most of the professors and students will be Mac based). If you have the money, a MacBook Pro would be the way to go. More power than a MacBook Air. Keep in mind, they are larger and more bulkier to carry around campus. Another advantage to the Mac is almost all audio interfaces support Mac, where as, some of the audio interfaces will only support windows if you have adapter cards (Thunderbolt interfaces is an example).
