Music and audio production
Audio software depends on the processor and memory more than on graphics.
What matters
- System memory: sample libraries and many tracks use it.
- Processor speed and storage matter; the lists give them in words.
General guidance in our own words. The figures below are the makers' published requirements.
The requirements
| App | Minimum | Recommended | System the list names (the recommended list where there are two) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ableton Live 12 | 8 GB memory | not published | Windows 10 22H2 or Windows 11 22H2 or newer; macOS 11.7.10 or newer | official page read 2026-10-22 |
| FL Studio | 4 GB memory | not published | Windows 10 or 11; macOS 10.15 or newer | official page read 2026-10-22 |
| Logic Pro | Mac with Apple silicon | not published | macOS 15.6 or later | official page read 2026-10-22 |
| Pro Tools | 16 GB memory | not published | Windows 11 25H2 or 24H2; macOS 14.8 to 26.3 | official page read 2026-10-22 |
| Steinberg Cubase | 8 GB memory, Graphics card with native Windows 10 support | not published | Windows 10 22H2 or Windows 11 24H2; macOS 14 to 26 | official page read 2026-10-22 |
| Native Instruments Kontakt 8 | 4 GB memory, Graphics with Direct3D 11.1 (feature level 11_0) or higher | 6 GB memory, Graphics with Direct3D 11.1 (feature level 11_0) or higher | macOS 14, 15 or 26; Windows 10 or 11 | official page read 2026-10-22 |
| Bitwig Studio | 4 GB memory | not published | Windows 10 or 11 64-bit; macOS 12 or later; Ubuntu 24.04 or later | official page read 2026-10-22 |
| Fender Studio Pro | 8 GB memory | not published | Windows 10 22H2 or Windows 11 22H2+; macOS 13.5 or higher | official page read 2026-10-22 |
| Reason | 4 GB memory | not published | Windows 11 or Windows 10 64-bit 1607+; macOS 11 or later | official page read 2026-10-22 |
| Traktor Pro 4 | 4 GB memory | not published | macOS 13, 14 or 15; Windows 11 | official page read 2026-10-22 |
| Adobe Audition | 8 GB memory, 2 GB graphics memory, 2 GB GPU memory | 16 GB memory, 8 GB graphics memory, 8 GB GPU memory | Windows 11 24H2 or later; macOS 14 or later | official page read 2026-10-22 |
Which laptops meet the most of these
The 30 best of 359 listed laptops, compared with each laptop's largest memory option. Memory and graphics memory only. The operating system is not checked: many of these apps and games run only on Windows or only on macOS, so open the source link before you rely on a ranking. A laptop whose maker does not state its graphics memory counts as not meeting any figure that depends on it. The graphics class and processor each maker names are in the source links too.