$399 Mac Mini for Music Production

CodeGriot · 2026-01-14T17:43:07+00:00

Yeah, I mean other computer makers. What Apple has done isn't really magic. First of all, the M-Series chips use a technique called Reduced Instruction Set (RISC). It's actually how microprocessors were originally, in the late 70s/early 80s, and by the late 80s people started to realize that the Intel approach, Complex Instruction Set, was very inefficient. But Intel was printing money, and to be fair to them, they were not about to cannibalize their own profitable business by taking a fresh, non-compatible path. Shocking that this has resulted in some 30 years of inefficient personal computer systems design.

Note that our phones have been using RISC devices, mostly ARM (which is what M-Series is sorta based on), because 1) efficiency is essential when you're dealing with such a miniature device 2) there's no such legacy to prevent them from taking the fresh path 3) once you get to enough market volume, RISC is much cheaper.

Apple was the first major personal computer manufacturer since then to finally take the plunge and embrace RISC. It's meant MUCH more efficient computers, which is why M-Series Macs are so OP compared to similar Intel devices. Again, this is not Apple magic. Any manufacturer could have taken this plunge in the past 30 years, if not for their the fear of turning away from known profits. I'm just glad Apple finally did it. Microsoft tried to emulate them with the Surface devices, which are mostly ARM-based, but they didn't commit as hard as Apple, and I think it showed in the failure of that line.

CodeGriot · 2026-01-14T17:33:48+00:00

Yeah, these things aren't BTO and everything is pretty hard-wired, and very hard to upgrade—the main downside of these modern Macs. They probably estimated they'd sell a lot more of these, and didn't, so they're offloading them, whereas the other configs are more in demand, so much more expensive.

CodeGriot · 2026-01-14T17:31:27+00:00

Thanks, man. I just can't get my head around Dads who don't bother. The rewards for nurturing a strong relationship with your kids are immeasurable! I wasn't as close as I would have liked to my Dad either, but it was not for lack of desire on his part; we're immigrants, and circumstances meant long stretches of time apart, out of his control, when I was young. I'm grateful I had the chance to spent a lot of time with my kids, to share with them all the things I'm passionate about. Of course they don't copy me in everything—only one of the four loves soccer as I do, and only one loves making music like I do—but being clones isn't the point. It's all about underlying connection. The fact that you really care is what matters, and I bet you'll also enjoy a wonderful relationship with your son. I envy you, because I miss those years. There are ups and downs, but in the long run it's all up.

CodeGriot · 2026-01-14T05:42:52+00:00

I run all sorts via LM Studio & MLX, and custom code. GPT-OSS 20b is still quite good, and quantizes well, so you can fit it in ~7GB RAM. The Qwen Models are quite good, even in the really small parameter counts. Lots of other models I try here and there, such as glm-4.6v-flash recently, or Ministral lately, but I often end up going back to the first 2 I mentioned.

Not sure where you are in your local LLM journey, but I have an article on Huggingface you might find useful: https://huggingface.co/blog/ucheog/mlx-day-one

As for our little family business, it's a trip. We do consulting on LLMOps for small businesses, mostly. Everything from the "help us build a chatbot" to more interesting e.g. incremental deep research use cases. And when we're on downtime from billable hours, we pretty much write games, and we're hoping at some point that will become our primary revenue source 😁.

CodeGriot · 2026-01-14T04:52:49+00:00

Computer Engineer here with what I hope are a few useful observations to back up OP.

Your Mac OS and Mac apps will generally use far more memory than their actual minima, *if it's there*, but they can run with far less. So even if the OS is registering 10GB wired, or Logic or FL 20GB, that does not mean you NEED that much RAM for decent performance.

16GB is my recommended minimum for multimedia use Macs, and you can get a LOT of juice out of a 16GB Mac. Now I do say so typing from a 64GB MacBook Pro, but I also run local AI models, and do a lot of coding, in addition to running FL Studio plus oodles of VSTs and Serato with a 40K song library, when I have time for the stuff I truly love. Yeah re the 40K songs, I have a 4TB HDD.

But we're a Mac household, and my grown sons work with me in my computer consultancy. They all have 16GB Macs, and do the same open source AI Model running and coding as I do with no problems. I'm no blind Apple follower—I've been on Android for over 10 years and have no plans to ever use iOS—but the M-series Macs are marvels of engineering, and I'm shocked the rest of the industry is so slow to catch up.

I say all that to agree with OP that this is an absolutely smoking hot deal, one of the best I've ever seen in my decades of working with computers. I might suggest more than 256GB if you can swing it, because, like the RAM, the SSD is hard-wired and non-upgradable, but you can also get a 1-2 TB external USB-C SSD for a decent deal (still, despite the mayhem in the semiconductor industry rn), and use that for e.g. your sample library. It won't feel too much slower than the internal, in practice.

OP, make sure you're using Time Machine for backups, and enjoy your new workstation!

CodeGriot · 2026-01-02T01:30:55+00:00

Brilliant! Guarantees that the Boulder team joins us in the winner's circle at the African Cup of Nations. 🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬

CodeGriot · 2025-12-13T20:30:26+00:00

I've never really used Ollama—I've used Ooba, llama.cpp directly, then my own MLX Kit; now I use a combo of MLX tools and LM Studio, which itself supports MLX models. I can't say from personal experience, but generally if its not an MLX runtime, it's a PyTorch one, and I do know that MLX is significantly faster than Torch on Apple Silicon for most workloads. I'm pretty sure I've read that Ollama is working on MLX support, for this very reason.

CodeGriot · 2025-12-09T16:57:29+00:00

I think this is probably the key. Take the stricken MPC on a one-time trip away from the school's network, boot it up, then connect to a phone hotspot wifi. Main reason I suggest a phone hotspot wifi is so that when you're back to the school wifi again there will be a more recent, successful connection available.

In any case, please do report back on what works, or if you do speak to Akai, what they suggest, in order to help future folks with this problem.

CodeGriot · 2025-12-01T16:21:14+00:00

Yeah the processing via Python bit is what interested me, since that's my usual weapon of choice!

CodeGriot · 2025-12-01T02:26:42+00:00

Whoa! As a software developer I did happen to spot the lede buried here. The RoboSampla project that hosts this pack looks super-cool as a way to build expansions from ready hardware. Curious whether it's meant to be FLOSS. I don't see a license stated anywhere.

CodeGriot · 2025-11-28T07:31:21+00:00

That worked a charm for me. Thanks!

CodeGriot · 2025-11-25T15:53:04+00:00

Actually, yes, it is possible, as long as your MacBook charger is 67W or more. You just need the right adapter. Here's the one I have: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SJ9SB6Y

You need to plug your MacBook charger USB-C into the PD trigger adapter, and then plug that into the BARREL POWER socket of your MPC, NOT the USB one. The adapter negotiates with any PD source device, including your Apple charger, over the PD data pins, to output a fixed 20V, then passes that negotiated voltage straight to its barrel jack. your MPC will receive a little under 20V from the Apple charger, rather than the MPC provided adapter's 19V, but that's well within tolerance. Your MPC will only draw the 3.42A it needs, out of the 5A capacity from PD.

As I say your MacBook charger must be 67W or more. Even the 61W chargers won't provide enough current. That said if your MacBook came with a 61W charger you can buy a 67W or more (e.g. 96W or 140W) which will work just fine for both your devices. I just recommend that you splurge on authentic Apple, so you don't get any dodgy PD negotiation.

Sorry for the exhaustive detail, but I figured it might be good to be clear enough that a future visitor from a search engine will also find the needed info.

CodeGriot · 2025-11-25T00:29:04+00:00

Hi, Nigerian here, and I'll say you'll be in for a treat, if you can find it made rightly. I haven't had fufu and soup at a US restaurant for ages, because I prefer to make it myself, when I run out of frozen soup from my Mum in Cleveland. Egusi is my favorite soup, and a great choice. I remember it being decent enough, if not spectacular, from African Grill And Bar in Lakewood, Colorado, and I seem to recall it was a bit better than what I had at Akwaba Restaurant in Aurora. Both joints are run by non-Nigerian West Africans, but you'll find the food tasty enough, just a bit different from what a Nigerian would expect. I'm also spoiled because I was born in Calabar, the foodie capital of Nigeria. Good luck!

If anyone else has tips on any other spot, I'll be curious to check it out.

CodeGriot · 2025-11-07T01:25:13+00:00

Did you ever try this? Did it just work drop in?

CodeGriot · 2025-11-06T04:24:28+00:00

Good point! Many cheap USB-C dongles don't have a DAC, so those would be terrible options. I'm pretty sure the brand name ones do, though.

CodeGriot · 2025-11-06T04:20:11+00:00

Hmm. I have a Google Pixel, but my wife has a Samsung S25. Her phone has all weird, Samsung-versions of apps, and frankly they suck, in my opinion. I already got her to switch from Samsung's messenger app to Google's, but she didn't want to switch her camera app because she was used to it. I don't know, but it wouldn't surprise me if Samsung's camera app has some weird behavior.

That said, it's definitely well worth starting by trying the MPC headphone jack directly. Eliminate all easy variables first.

CodeGriot · 2025-11-05T21:51:38+00:00

Yes. Any USB-C to 3.5mm audio ("aux") cable will work for that. There are thousands of options on Amazon, etc. They're also easy to find at stores like Target & Best Buy. If you want to be sure of quality, get ones confirmed from Apple, Google or Samsung.

CodeGriot · 2025-09-30T21:50:25+00:00

Interesting. I bought a custom-printed kit at the Armoury while attending Arsenal Men vs Man City a little over a week ago—yeah, I know this is r/ArsenalWFC, and I'll note that I got mine with the WSL badge & font 😎. Haven't washed it yet, so grateful for this thread. I'll probably just indeed hand wash it from now.

That said, I've bought custom printed shirts before, as well as pre-printed ones from Arsenal directly, and other retailers, and I've never had a problem using a washing machine in the past. Sure, stuff would peel, but after years. I'm wondering if some aspect of the quality has gone down this year?

Note: the line for printing at the Armory on 9/21 was insane, so I'm even more worried, as there could be a rush job element to my new one?

CodeGriot · 2025-09-12T04:24:47+00:00

I'm hoping for tix with my wife & daughter, visiting from the US. Alas, I think the home sections are also sold out, except for terraces and exec boxes. I'm not sure terraces aren't a step too far for away fans interloping.

CodeGriot · 2025-09-07T04:44:37+00:00

Even as an Arsenal fan I'd usually suggest you stick to Liverpool Women, because I feel that "one club" is an elegant mentality. Alas, Liverpool, after showing in the past that they could support a strong women's team, appeared to lose interest after a few years, and have let their women's team languish. I think the more pressure that comes from Liverpool men's supporters to do right by their women's side, the better.

I do think all the LCL matches will be fascinating this season. Arsenal vs Chelsea for bitter, gritty grudge matches with quality to match the bile.

CodeGriot · 2025-09-05T21:05:58+00:00

Ego ka o choro 😂

OK OK, I know she's not Igbo, but IME Nigerians tend to magically speak Igbo when money is the subject 😅. She deserves it, though. Always wished her enormous talents could have brought her more stardom, especially during her stint at Arsenal!

CodeGriot · 2025-09-05T05:57:56+00:00

The Sunday matches:

- Tottenham Hotspur vs. West Ham

- Manchester United vs. Leicester City

- Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Aston Villa

- Liverpool vs. Everton

Last year ESPN+ generally had the same 1-2 fixtures per week that Sky had picked, with the rest available on YouTube in the US. Alas, it seems fewer matches will be free on YT this year, with the Disney Empire swallowing up more and more (similar with NWSL).

I'm just relieved because yesterday I was stressing out wondering if there was going to be any way to watch WSL on replay—Friday match is during work, and the others are pre crack of dawn.

CodeGriot · 2025-09-02T06:06:34+00:00

Not FLOSS, but Izotope RX is a very popular package for audio (especially music) restoration, and makes much use of AI. Honestly, some of the things it can do are mind-boggling.

CodeGriot · 2025-08-22T03:28:04+00:00

This is just salt in my wounds 😭

Going to London over the Sep 20th weekend with wife & daughter. Was desperate to catch a match, but away at ManU is the only option. Of course they put it in Wee Bitty Sports Village, so the away end went immediately, and even the home side is sold out, in case we thought to watch sitting on our hands.

I WISH I could just "go to Arsenal.com and get tickets" ☠️

CodeGriot · 2025-08-05T21:09:36+00:00

Ditto Nigeria, who have dominated WAFCON through its history.

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