Logic Pro 11 on Apple Silicon: Are CPU Cores Fully Utilized?

Summary

In this video, the presenter tests Logic Pro 11's performance on Apple Silicon chips, including the M1 Max and M2 Pro, to see if it can better utilize efficiency cores than its predecessor. Despite improvements, Logic Pro 11 still fails to fully engage efficiency cores, with performance similar to version 10. The presenter suggests that for Logic users, the number of performance cores is more critical than total cores when selecting a Mac with Apple Silicon.

Takeaways

• 🎛️ The video tests the optimization of Logic Pro 11 for Apple Silicon chips, focusing on core utilization.
• ⚙️ Logic Pro 10 struggled to fully utilize efficiency cores in Apple Silicon chips, and the video tests if Logic Pro 11 improves on this.
• 💻 The chips tested were the 10-core M1 Max (2 efficiency cores, 8 performance cores) and the 10-core M2 Pro (4 efficiency cores, 6 performance cores).
• 🔍 The testing method involved duplicating a track with Fabfilter's Saturn 2 plugin to stress the CPU until a system overload occurred.
• 🧑‍💻 Results showed no improvement in core utilization between Logic Pro 10 and Logic Pro 11; efficiency cores were not fully utilized in either version.
• 📊 Both versions could run about 145 tracks before reaching system overload, and the M1 Max performed about 20% better than the M2 Pro due to having more performance cores.
• 🎚️ Tests with the new ChromaGlow plugin in Logic Pro 11 also showed no improvement in efficiency core usage.
• 🤔 Interestingly, ChromaGlow performed slightly better on the M2 Pro compared to the M1 Max, a rare occurrence in previous testing.
• 💡 The main takeaway is that Logic Pro mostly runs on performance cores, so users should prioritize performance core count when choosing an Apple Silicon Mac.
• 👍 The video concludes with a call to action to like and subscribe for more tech and music production content.

Q & A

What was the main focus of the video?

The main focus of the video was to test if Logic Pro 11 has improved its utilization of Apple Silicon chips' efficiency cores compared to Logic Pro 10.

Which Apple Silicon chips were tested in the video?

The chips tested were the 10-core M1 Max chip with 2 efficiency cores and 8 performance cores, and the 10-core M2 Pro chip with 4 efficiency cores and 6 performance cores.

Why did the presenter return the M3 Pro MacBook Pro?

The presenter returned the M3 Pro MacBook Pro because, as shown in their review video, it wasn't much of an upgrade for audio processing compared to the previous models.

What was the testing method used to evaluate Logic Pro 11's multicore utilization?

The testing method involved adding a mono guitar DI track with an instance of Fabfilter’s Saturn 2 plugin, duplicating the track as many times as possible until Logic Pro showed a System Overload pop-up, then reducing until playback was smooth.

Why was Fabfilter’s Saturn 2 plugin chosen for the test?

Fabfilter’s plugins have been fully optimized for Apple Silicon chips, so Saturn 2 wouldn't bottleneck the performance and would accurately test the DAW's utilization of the chips.

What was the significance of running the test for at least 15 minutes before recording results?

Running the test for at least 15 minutes ensured that the laptop was fully warmed up to account for thermal throttling, which could otherwise affect the accuracy of the results.

What was the conclusion regarding Logic Pro 11's core utilization?

Logic Pro 11 showed no improvement in core utilization over Logic Pro 10, as it still did not fully utilize the efficiency cores in the tested Apple Silicon chips.

How did the performance differ between the M1 Max and M2 Pro chips in the test?

Logic Pro 11 performed 20% better on the M1 Max chip compared to the 10-core M2 Pro chip, which was attributed to the M1 Max having more performance cores.

What was the result of changing the buffer size to 64 in the test?

Neither Logic Pro 10 nor Logic Pro 11 fully used the efficiency cores when the buffer size was changed to 64, on either the M1 Max or the 10-core M2 Pro chip.

What was the outcome of testing the new ChromaGlow plugin included with Logic Pro 11?

ChromaGlow, like Saturn 2, did not make full use of the efficiency cores. However, more tracks with ChromaGlow could be run on the M2 Pro chip compared to the M1 Max chip, which was an unusual result for the presenter.

What advice was given to Logic users looking to buy an Apple Silicon Mac?

The advice was to focus on the performance core count rather than the total core count when choosing an Apple Silicon chip, as Logic mostly runs on the performance cores only.

Outlines

00:00

🎛️ Logic Pro 11 Performance on Apple Silicon Chips

The video script discusses the performance of Logic Pro 11 on Apple Silicon chips, specifically the M1 Max and M2 Pro. The author conducted tests to see if Logic Pro 11 could better utilize the efficiency cores compared to version 10. The test involved using a mono guitar DI track with Fabfilter’s Saturn 2 plugin, which is optimized for Apple Silicon, and duplicating the track until the system could no longer handle the load. The results showed no improvement in efficiency core utilization in Logic Pro 11. The script also mentions that the author returned an M3 Pro MacBook Pro due to minimal upgrade benefits for audio processing. The author emphasizes that while duplicating tracks with one plugin isn't a real-life scenario, it reflects the DAW's core usage, which is consistent with real-world mixing scenarios. The conclusion is that Logic Pro 11 does not show any improvement in core utilization over version 10.

05:05

🔍 Testing Logic Pro 11 with ChromaGlow

The second paragraph of the script describes additional tests conducted with Logic Pro 11's new plugin, ChromaGlow, to see if it could better utilize the efficiency cores of Apple Silicon chips. The test setup was similar to the previous one, with tracks duplicated until the system was overloaded. Interestingly, the M2 Pro chip performed slightly better than the M1 Max chip when running multiple instances of tracks with ChromaGlow, which was unexpected given that the M1 Max has more performance cores. The author speculates on whether this could be due to Apple's optimization of ChromaGlow for the M2 Pro or if the M2 Pro's performance cores are more powerful when fully utilized. The author advises Logic users to focus on the number of performance cores rather than the total core count when choosing an Apple Silicon Mac for better performance in Logic.

Keywords

💡DAW

A DAW, or Digital Audio Workstation, is a software application used for recording, editing, and producing audio files. In the context of the video, the DAW in question is Logic Pro, which is being tested for its optimization on Apple Silicon chips. The video discusses how well Logic Pro utilizes the cores of Apple's custom processors, which is crucial for audio production tasks.

💡Apple Silicon

Apple Silicon refers to the series of ARM-based system-on-chips designed by Apple Inc. primarily for use in their Mac computers. The video script discusses the performance of Logic Pro 11 on Apple Silicon chips like the M1 Max and M2 Pro, emphasizing the importance of these chips' architecture for DAW performance.

💡Efficiency Cores

Efficiency cores are designed to handle less demanding tasks while consuming less power. The video script mentions that Logic Pro 10 did not fully utilize the efficiency cores in Apple Silicon chips, and the presenter tests to see if Logic Pro 11 has improved in this regard.

💡Performance Cores

Performance cores are high-powered cores in a processor designed for handling more demanding tasks. The script discusses the number of performance cores in the M1 Max and M2 Pro chips and how Logic Pro's performance scales with these cores, indicating their importance in audio processing.

💡Fabfilter's Saturn 2

Fabfilter's Saturn 2 is a plugin used for audio processing, mentioned as being fully optimized for Apple Silicon chips. In the video, Saturn 2 is used to test the multicore utilization of Logic Pro 11 by duplicating tracks with this plugin until the system reaches its limit.

💡Oversampling Mode

Oversampling mode in audio plugins like Saturn 2 increases the processing load on the CPU to improve audio quality. The video describes setting Saturn 2 to 'superior' oversampling mode to stress test Logic Pro's CPU usage.

💡System Overload Pop-up

The System Overload pop-up is a notification that appears in Logic Pro when the software is unable to handle the current load of tracks and plugins. The script uses this as an indicator of when to stop duplicating tracks for testing purposes.

💡Thermal Throttling

Thermal throttling occurs when a device's performance is reduced to prevent overheating. The video script mentions running tests for at least 15 minutes to ensure the laptop is fully warmed up, accounting for any potential thermal throttling effects on the test results.

💡Processing Threads

Processing threads refer to the number of threads dedicated to audio processing in a DAW. The script specifies that processing threads in Logic are set to 10 for the tests, indicating a focus on how Logic Pro manages multiple threads across Apple Silicon's cores.

💡Buffer Size

Buffer size in audio processing affects latency and CPU load. The video script includes tests with different buffer sizes (1024 and 64) to evaluate how Logic Pro 11 performs under various system loads and how this impacts core utilization.

💡ChromaGlow

ChromaGlow is a new plugin introduced with Logic Pro 11, used in the video to test core utilization. The script compares its performance on M1 Max and M2 Pro chips, noting that it, like Saturn 2, does not fully utilize efficiency cores but shows interesting performance differences between the two chip types.

Highlights

Logic Pro 11 does not fully utilize efficiency cores in Apple Silicon chips.

Logic Pro 11 was tested on 10-core M1 Max and M2 Pro chips.

M1 Max and M1 Pro chips have the same CPU and are synonymous in this test context.

The M3 Pro MacBook Pro was returned due to minimal upgrade in audio processing.

Efficiency cores in M1 Max and M2 Pro chips are not fully utilized by Logic Pro 11.

Fabfilter’s Saturn 2 plugin was used in the test for CPU stress.

The test involved duplicating tracks until Logic Pro showed a System Overload.

Thermal throttling was accounted for by running tests for at least 15 minutes.

Logic Pro's processing threads and buffer range settings were standardized for the test.

Real-life mixing scenarios were discussed for context.

Logic Pro 11 showed no improvement in core utilization compared to Logic Pro 10.

Logic Pro 11 can run more audio processing on M1 Max than on the 10-core M2 Pro.

Buffer size was changed to 64 to test Logic Pro 11's efficiency core utilization.

ChromaGlow, a new plugin in Logic Pro 11, was also tested for core utilization.

ChromaGlow showed slightly better performance on M2 Pro compared to M1 Max.

Logic Pro users should focus on performance core count when choosing an Apple Silicon Mac.

The video concludes with a call to action for likes and subscriptions.

Transcripts

Many of you liked my videos where I tested  how optimized a DAW is for Apple Silicon  

chips. Most notably, I discovered  that Logic Pro 10 were not able to  

fully make use of the efficiency cores in Apple  Silicon chips. Now that Logic Pro 11 is here,  

I’ve conducted some tests to see if  there are any improvements on that front.

The chips I tested Logic Pro 11 on were the  10-core M1 Max chip, which has 2 efficiency  

cores and 8 performance cores, and the  10-core M2 Pro chip, which has 4 efficiency  

cores and 6 performance cores. Note that the  10-core M1 Max chip has the exact same CPU as  

the 10-core M1 Pro chip, so they are synonymous  in this testing context. I did return my M3 Pro  

MacBook Pro because, as my review video showed,  it simply wasn’t much of an upgrade when it comes  

to audio processing. However, it doesn’t really  matter that I can’t test the M3 Pro chip today  

because if Logic Pro 11 can’t use the efficiency  cores in the M1 Max chip or the M2 Pro chip,  

it’s very likely that it won’t be able to  use the ones in the M3 series chips either.

To test Logic Pro 11’s multicore utilization,  I first put a mono guitar DI on a track,  

then I put 1 instance of Fabfilter’s Saturn 2  as an insert on the track. Fabfilter’s plugins  

have been fully optimized for Apple Silicon chips  pretty much since these chips first came out so  

Saturn 2 won’t bottleneck the performance. I set  it to “superior” oversampling mode so it would be  

more taxing on the CPU, and then I duplicated the  track with the plugin as many times as possible,  

until Logic Pro gave me the System Overload pop-up  when I tried to play all the tracks back at the  

same time. I would then delete one track, hit play  to see if Logic Pro could play back smoothly. If  

so, I would note down the track count; if not,  I would keep deleting tracks until Logic could  

play back smoothly, and then note down the track  count. To take thermal throttling into account,  

I always ran the test for at least 15 minutes to  fully warm up the laptop chassis before recording  

the results. Processing threads in Logic is set to  10, and processing buffer range is set to large.

Now, in my other Mac videos I’ve gotten  comments saying that duplicating a track  

with one plugin like that is not representative  of a real life mixing scenario. You are right;  

no one does that in real life. However, the way  the DAW uses the cores in the chip IS the same. In  

my M2 Pro MacBook Pro testing video—and I’m even  putting a timestamp here so you can go watch it—I  

tested a scenario where there were all kinds  of plugins not only on the individual tracks,  

but also on the master bus. This is much  more similar to what mixing is like in real  

life right? And guess what, the DAWs that could  fully utilize both the efficiency cores and the  

performance cores performed better than the ones  that couldn’t on the same chip. So even though,  

duplicating a track with one plugin  many times isn’t a real life scenario,  

the results you get from it reflect the  level of performance you can get from an  

Apple Silicon chip. I really hope that  makes sense; and if you disagree, well,  

I truly don’t know what to tell ya; this video  is probably just not for you, and that’s okay.

So the short answer is that, unfortunately,  Logic Pro 11 bears no improvement when it comes  

to core utilization. This is Logic  Pro 11 running at 1024 buffer,  

with as many tracks with Saturn 2 on  it as possible, and you can see that  

the 2 efficiency cores in M1 Max and the  4 efficiency cores in M2 Pro are not fully  

maxed out. And yet when I created 1 more track,  Logic would give me the system overload pop-up.

Here’s a side by side comparison between Logic Pro  10 and Logic 11 running the same test on a 10-core  

M2 Pro chip and you can see that efficiency  core utilization (or the lack thereof) is the  

same. Unsurprisingly, the performance Logic Pro  11 can get out of the chip is exactly the same  

as Logic Pro 10. In this case, both Logic  versions could run about 145 instances of  

tracks with Saturn 2 before Logic was overloaded.  Just like what my other testing videos showed,  

Logic Pro 11 was able to do more audio processing  on the M1 Max than on the 10-core M2 Pro  

because the M1 Max chip has more  performance cores. In this case,  

Logic Pro 11 performed 20% better on the M1  Max chip compared to the 10-core M2 Pro chip.

Next, I ran the same Saturn test but changed  the buffer size to 64. Neither Logic Pro 10 nor  

Logic Pro 11 fully used the efficiency cores on  either the M1 Max chip or the 10-core M2 Pro chip.

To cover more grounds, I also ran the test with  one of the new plugins that came with Logic Pro  

11, which is ChromaGlow. It’s also a saturation  plugin, like Saturn 2, but with a lot less  

features. Sad news for us, ChromaGlow also didn’t  make full use of the efficiency cores in Apple  

Silicon chips. As you can see here, at 1024 buffer  size, the efficiency cores are just chilling. If  

I duplicate one more track, Logic would give me  the system overload popup. What’s interesting,  

though, is that, I could run more tracks with  ChromaGlow on the M2 Pro chip compared to  

on the M1 Max chip. At 1024 buffer size,  Logic Pro 11 was able to handle 64 tracks  

with ChromaGlow on the M2 Pro chip versus 60  tracks on the M1 Max chip. At 64 buffer size,  

it’s 65 tracks on the M2 Pro chip versus 63  tracks on the M1 Max chip. I ran these tests  

multiple times so at the very least, on my end,  it’s not some one-off glitch. The differences  

were quite small, but it’s the first time in my  Mac testing experience that this happened. In  

all my previous Logic tests, the chip with more  performance cores always beat the ones with less,  

so I don’t know what happened here. Did Apple  optimized ChromaGlow to run more efficiently  

on M2 Pro’s 6 performance cores? Or is it  that M2 Pro’s 6 performance cores combined  

are actually more powerful than M1 Max’s 8  performance cores combined this whole time,  

but it’s just that very few plugins were able  to fully maximize M2 Pro’s performance cores  

until now? I truly have no idea; but feel  free to share your thoughts in the comments.

The main takeaway from today’s tests is that for  Logic users looking to buy an apple silicon Mac,  

you need to be looking at the performance  core count, and not the total core count  

when choosing an apple silicon chip, because  Logic mostly runs on the performance cores only.

That’s it for this video! Give it a like if  you find it helpful so more people can see  

it and subscribe for more videos on music  production, tech, and content creation.  

I’ll always appreciate your support. Stay  creative, and I will see you next time!