A new video from imamusicmogul puts the latest Apple MacBook Pro (16‑inch, M5 Pro) through a series of music production tests, comparing it directly with the older Apple MacBook Pro (M1 Max). The results as one would expect, Apple’s newest chip delivers a substantial performance jump for producers working in Logic Pro.
Uploaded on March 9, 2026, the 8-minute video focuses on real-world music production workflows rather than synthetic benchmarks. The creator tests features such as Logic’s AI-powered tools, track limits, and real-time export performance.
Hardware and connectivity
The video begins with a quick unboxing of the 16-inch MacBook Pro. Apple includes a USB-C to MagSafe 3 cable, documentation, a polishing cloth, and a 140W power adapter.
On the connectivity side, the laptop features:
- MagSafe 3 for fast charging
- Three Thunderbolt 5 ports with speeds up to 120GB/s
- HDMI output supporting 4K at 240Hz or 8K at 60Hz
- SDXC card slot
- 3.5mm high-impedance headphone jack
Other highlights include Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 powered by Apple’s N1 chip, a nano-texture Liquid Retina XDR display designed to reduce glare, and a 12MP webcam with Center Stage.
Neural Engine performance in Logic Pro
The review places heavy focus on Apple’s 16-core Neural Engine in the M5 Pro. Several AI-assisted features in Logic Pro show clear speed improvements compared to the M1 Max.
In a test session titled “Take a Day Trip Manzanna,” the M5 Pro processes tasks such as Mastering Assistant, Stem Splitter, and Chord Detect almost instantly. The M1 Max, by contrast, shows noticeable lag in each task.
CPU performance nearly doubles track capacity
The biggest performance gains appear in CPU-heavy tests.
The M5 Pro uses an 18-core CPU with 12 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores. Logic Pro effectively utilizes up to 12 cores, rotating workloads to maintain sustained performance.
In a real-time bounce test using a “Bird & the Bees” project session, the M5 Pro exports faster than the M1 Max. A track duplication stress test shows an even larger difference.
The M5 Pro handles around 1,080 tracks before audio dropouts occur, while the M1 Max tops out at roughly 579 tracks, nearly doubling the maximum project size.
Built-in microphones prove surprisingly useful
The creator also highlights the laptop’s built-in microphones. In the demo, they record vocals directly into Logic Pro’s Quick Sampler and describe the microphones as clear enough for sampling or reference recordings.
Upgrade advice for producers
Based on the tests, the reviewer calls the M5 Pro a “huge leap forward” for music production and suggests it may be the first meaningful upgrade since the M1 generation.
They recommend prioritizing the M5 Pro over the M5 Max for most producers. Both chips share the same CPU architecture, while the Max version mainly adds GPU cores and memory bandwidth that music software rarely uses.
For configuration, the advice is straightforward:
- Start with 24GB unified memory or higher
- Upgrade RAM before SSD storage
- Choose the Max chip only if you require 128GB memory
Availability
The M5 Pro and M5 Max are available across 32 countries starting March 4.
Price: The 14-inch Macbook Pro starts at $2,199 and the 16‑inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro starts at $2,699.
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