Does anybody have a Mac Mini M4 yet?

[Jim]

I have a custom build (Pro model) on order; should arrive any day. I just read they run a special build of Sequoia and can't be downgraded to any prior OS.

So, I'm wondering what plug-ins I won't be able to run that aren't ready for Sequoia.

Any insight to share?

[HCMarkus]

I have a custom build (Pro model) on order; should arrive any day. I just read they run a special build of Sequoia and can't be downgraded to any prior OS.

So, I'm wondering what plug-ins I won't be able to run that aren't ready for Sequoia.

Any insight to share?

Look at the Sequoia thread; IIRC, James has had good luck with the latest macOS on his M1 Mac Studio.

viewtopic.php?t=74421

[James Steele]

Moved to General Macintosh forum.

[James Steele]

I haven't watched this yet, but David is a friend, composer, and power DP user and so this video might have some useful info in it:

[mikehalloran]

I have a custom build (Pro model) on order; should arrive any day. I just read they run a special build of Sequoia and can't be downgraded to any prior OS.
….

That is true of every Mac released after an OS upgrade. The 2023 M2 Studio and Mac Pro cannot run anything older than Sonoma, my 2011 iMac needed 10.6.6 or later and so on…

At the moment, I can’t think of any plugs that do run over Sonoma on Apple Silicon without Rosetta 2 but don’t over Sequoia. There are still quite a few that are not yet AS Native and/or won’t run over Sonoma.

[Jim]

That is true of every Mac released after an OS upgrade.

One of the first things I did after getting my MacPro7,1 was to retrograde the boot disk one OS version. But, I think one version backwards was the max.

I've been wary of using any Mac OS younger than x.4 given Apple's record for a while of releasing them with bugs, and also app and plug-in incompatibility.

I've also been wary of buying new hardware for the same reason. But, I watched several reviews on YouTube for it, and nearly all of them were positive.

Normally, I go by, "Pioneers get the arrows. Settlers get the land."

[HCMarkus]

"Pioneers get the arrows. Settlers get the land."

This.

But sometimes you just have to strike out in the direction of progress. I went all-in on an M1 Mac Studio Ultra the day Apple announced them. No regrets here. The arrows missed me.

Not even a flesh wound.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UijhbHvxWrA

[Jim]

But sometimes you just have to strike out in the direction of progress. I went all-in on an M1 Mac Studio Ultra the day Apple announced them. No regrets here. The arrows missed me.

Contrary to my dictum, I also went all in on the "new" (at the time) MacPro cheesegrater of 2019. I didn't regret spending $15K on it until Apple came out with a better computer in many respects for $1K. But, such is "progress." I bought it for my video post business, and it's paid for itself by avoiding the aggravation of constant and/or slow rendering alone for five years.

I use Resolve now, and they've improved its real-time capabilities significantly so that my computer isn't obsolete yet for that work flow. Where the Intel MacPro falls short is using multiple VIs in DP that cause spiking of the CPU and attendant audio glitches. That's the purpose of my neo-pioneer gambit.

Holy Grail references are always welcomed by me. "Let's not bicker and argue about who killed who..."

[mikehalloran]

One of the first things I did after getting my MacPro7,1 was to retrograde the boot disk one OS version. But, I think one version backwards was the max.

You were able to install Mojave on it? I'd be curious to know that.

Although the 2020 update shipped with Big Sur, the initial release year for the 7.1 was 2019 and the earliest supported macOS was Catalina 10.5.1.

All iMac Pros could run High Sierra. No matter when they shipped and with what macOS (I bought two in 2019 and 2021), the release year was 2017.

I tried to install Ventura onto my 2023 Studio to try and solve some problems—an Apple Support tech was trying to walk me through it, in fact, and couldn't understand why it didn't work. Really? He did not believe that Ventura cannot be installed onto a 2023 M2 Studio.

[Jim]

I also recall claims you couldn't boot that Mac model from an external drive, due to the T2 chip, but that turned out to be false also. All that's needed is to change a System Settings > Security setting.

I don't use TIme Machine. I've relied on SuperDuper! to clone my boot disk weekly or before doing upgrades so that I can revert back, in case of some deal-breaking incompatibility.

[HCMarkus]

I've relied on SuperDuper! to clone my boot disk weekly or before doing upgrades so that I can revert back, in case of some deal-breaking incompatibility.

Solid approach.

That said, I trust you are aware that Bootable Backups aren't recommended anymore. This blog post from CC explains things nicely:

https://bombich.com/blog/2021/05/19/bey ... g-platform

Since Apple locked down Apple System Restore (ASR), I've been using Time Machine because it is so simple to implement. Additionally, daily end-of-session project file are manually updated to an attached SSD. BackBlaze (which does not copy System File and Apps) runs in the background for off-site data backup, including all my VI Sample data, which is especially important for those freebees that might be hard to resurrect.

This reminds me... time to rotate the TM Drive.

[Jim]

That said, I trust you are aware that Bootable Backups aren't recommended anymore. This blog post from CC explains things nicely:

https://bombich.com/blog/2021/05/19/bey ... g-platform

That's incredibly useful info, HCM (even if a bit dated). Thanks for that.

Scary that a failed boot SSD borks the whole computer. However, I've seen some YouTube videos already showing how to replace the internal SSD on the M4s with standard tools. So, theoretically, one may be able to replace a boot SSD, and then use the OS installer and Migration Assistant to restore a previous state from TM or a clone. I presume the guys who upgraded their internal SSDs were able to use them. It would defeat the purpose otherwise.

[HCMarkus]

Quite welcome, Jim.

The lack of repairability of current Apple offering is why I maintain Apple Care on both my studio and live Macs. The feasibility of replacing my Mac Studio Ultra with a much less expensive M4 Mini has me thinking the doomsday scenario is less frightening, not the $4,000+ hit that replacing my Mac Studio with new once was.

My maxed-out M1 Air, although no longer worth what I paid for it, is carted all over the place and subject to some dangerous circumstances, so Apple Care still seems like good insurance.

[Jim]

I do have some questions about whether this tiny new Mac will be up to handling all day sessions, especially with apps that max out the CPU and GPU as DAWs and NLEs often do.

I often call my MacPro to a space heater. It generates lots of heat when I'm stressing it, even with its four big fans blasting at high revs.

Most of the YouTube reviews I watched were with brand new pre-public release boxes, and I didn't see much rigorous road testing - mostly comparisons between different models on single file or sequence exports, rendering, etc.

Since Apple now give you a year or two to add Applecare, I may add that at some point.

Mark, your site is lovely. So are your works samples, and your space looks very nice. You're the real deal. Thanks for your advice.

[HCMarkus]

Thanks Jim!

You will be pleasantly surprised at the relative (almost complete) lack of heat your new M4 puts out. Performance-wise, you can anticipate a similarly positive experience. You are gonna' love it.