Bigger screen for Ableton / music production suggestions

The Lounge General Discussion
#1

I use Ableton to make music. Lately I’ve been starting my tracks on the Syntakt, then putting the idea into Ableton, which I then add to and arrange etc.

I use a 13" Macbook Air to do this. It’s surprisingly capable for a tiny laptop, but I’m getting a little tired of using such a small screen for music production. I was wondering what would be the easiest (and most affordable) way to cast the Macbook to a larger screen? There are only two USB-C outputs, unfortunately, so I suppose Bluetooth would be preferred, but I’m not sure that’s feasible or affordable.

What do the laptop users here do?

#2

I got my wife an adapter made by apple that on the other end has a plug for USBC, one for HDMI and another for USB A. I guess that would solve your issue by not wasting a port and giving you access to any HDMI display?

This one. Booty exactly cheap though, here at the equivalent price of about 80 USD. Probably way cheaper if you are in there United States

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#3

Thanks! Yeah this might be my best bet, as Bluetooth screens like Apple TV are just a bit too pricey for what I want.

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#4

Granted, this is really only super affordable if you already have an iPad, but I use the Sidecar feature in newer versions of macOS to extend my desktop onto my iPad for more real estate.

I have a little stand for the iPad, just set it up next to the laptop with Bluetooth and Wifi turned on. You can use a USB cable too, but you don’t have to.

And it’s great because instead of having a typical second screen like a monitor that only does display duties, I have a whole other computing device that gets a lot of use on its own as well.

If you’re starting from not having an iPad, then this might still be somewhat affordable if you get a used model of the oldest-generation iPad that is still compatible with Sidecar (see the link above for requirements).

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#5

Ah cool! I’ll think about that. Figuring something like this out feels like it should be easier, but it’s frustratingly difficult. For example, if I were to use a bigger screen, I’d want to shut the laptop and put it to the side, as my desk space is limited. However, it looks like the Macbook will shut down, even if connected to a screen, unless you have it plugged in to power. The only problem with this is that I already use a USB splitter to connect my Syntakt, Audio interface, and USB keyboard to one port, and the other would be used for the screen—so it wouldn’t be able to be plugged in at the same time. Argh!

I’ve been an Apple user for 20 years but they can be so crappy and annoying. Ah well.

#6

If you want to do the closed-laptop-and-a-monitor (or HDMI TV) approach, then you have a couple of options. The economical way would be to get a USB hub that supports PD (Power Delivery). You would plug the laptop charger into the PD port of the hub, and then it provides power to your laptop as well as connected devices. I use this Anker 332 hub

For a higher end option (but at greater cost), you could look into getting a Thunderbolt dock. Those can give you even more functionality off of a single Thunderbolt port, such as multiple hi-res displays. Probably overkill for your current need, but worth thinking about if you might expand in the future. OWC has some nice ones that we used at my old job.

You’ll probably be fine with a USB PD hub, though. The best thing is that now that my iPhone, iPad, and Mac all have USB-C, I can use that same hub to connect devices to any of them.

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#7

Ah this is incredibly helpful, thank you! The Anker route is certainly best for me.

#8

Bluetooth definitely won’t work for video.

How about a Thunderbolt or USB-C monitor? You plug all your peripherals into that, and it works as a dock for your MacBook Air. It will also power the Mac.

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#9

I run pretty much everything through my Cal Digit hub thing, inc power source and monitor. I never really notice the lack of ports on my MBA and I use it for everything, work and music etc

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#10

I have the 13” air and use a Kensington nucleum hub to connect to a monitor with hdmi. I went with a cheap monitor option, think it was on sale for £150. It’s great and makes a huge difference.

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#11

Bluetooth is nowhere near the bandwidth to be able to send real time images. The cheapest solution is to buy a monitor that is big enough for you, and has a large enough resolution for your needs. Below are some sweet spots for me. After that you then just need a USB-C dock, but I recommend you future proof yourself by getting one that supports HDMI with 4K/60hz.

  • 1920x1080 (1080p - Full HD) at 24 inch 16:9 ratio
  • 2560x1440 (2K - QHD) at 27-32 inch 16:9 ratio
  • 4096x2160 (4K - UHD) at 32-42 inch 16:9 ratio

You can then decide if you want a different ratio like 16:10 which is mostly what the mac screen is, or if you want an ultrawide monitor. Those are usually rarer and sometimes more expensive.

You can also opt for a direct USB-C to HDMI cable, just make sure it supports 4K/60hz. But that will already take one of your 2 ports, which is not ideal.

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#12

I got a big Dell monitor and connect it to my Macbook Pro by USB-C

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#13

I connect my Macbook Air M1 to an ASUS PA279CV 27" monitor with USB C. The monitor has a USB hub to which I’ve attached a 7 port USB hub. That in turn is connected to my USB capable synths, audio interface, external SSD and probably something more. :slight_smile:

Super convenient to be able to connect to all this with just one USB C cable!

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#14

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! Found a 27" monitor for pretty cheap and a USB-C hub that can also charge my MBA at the same time, so I can keep it in clamshell mode. Think this will make working in Ableton way more enjoyable. Appreciate it!

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