Ableton is an amazing piece of music creation software. Over the years, many professional and amateur musicians have used powerful programs to make amazing songs.
If you’re a producer or DJ, Ableton is a well-known, trusted program that will help you harness your abilities and perfect your music-making craft.
In order to unlock the program’s full potential, you need to get your hands on a quality computer. There are many devices on the market, but most people favor laptops for live stage performance and in-studio creation.
In this buying guide, we will take a look at the best laptops currently available to use with Ableton and explain why they are powerful enough to make the most out of the awesome software.
Contents
Who Should Get This
Ableton is a professional-level music production software program that can be utilized by a variety of different people. Even so, in order to use the software you need to pair it with a good computer.
Live DJs love Ableton and, in order to dial in your performance, you need a quality laptop computer at your side. If you’re a music producer and don’t perform live, you will still need a high-performance laptop to take full advantage of the program’s many characteristics.
Even if you aren’t a professional musician, Ableton still has a lot to offer. The laptops found on this list will give you the ability to use the program to meet your needs.
Each computer can handle a wide number of tasks and, due to their higher-end specs, can serve you in other areas as well.
Just know that if you’re looking for a cheap laptop, you should search elsewhere as the options here are quite expensive.
Best Laptop for Ableton: Our Picks
This section covers the best Ableton laptops and MacBook and goes into detail about their traits.
1. MacBook Pro (16 inch)
- Best For: Overall
- Key Features: 16-inch retina display. 8GB of memory. 10th generation Intel Core i3 processor. Fast SSD storage.
- Screen Size: 13 inches
- Weight: 2.8 pounds
- Battery Life: 12 hours
Long reigning as one of the best laptops on the market, the MacBook Pro is an excellent choice for those who need to use Ableton. The 13.3-inch screen with Retina display looks great, as does the True Tone technology, slick shell, and backlit Magic Keyboard.
It comes with a 10th generation Intel Core i3 processor, fast SSD storage, and 8GB of memory. The security is strong, everything looks incredible, and the audio is some of the best on the market.
As this is a Mac, just know you aren’t going to get a lot of versatility, and upgrades are basically non-existent. It’s expensive too. Beyond that, though, it’s a fantastic way to run the programs you need.
2. Acer Predator Helios 300
- Best For: Processing Power
- Key Features: 16GB RAM. Strong internal processor. Amazing coloration. Bright, 15.6-inch screen. Durable.
- Screen Size: 15.6 inches
- Weight: 5.29 pounds
- Battery Life: 6 hours
If you want to run Ableton to the best of your ability, you need a powerful machine. The Predator Helios 300 is one such laptop, giving you 16GB of memory, a 9th generation Intel i7 processor, and incredible resolution in a single package.
Following that up is the 15.6-inch screen, stunning audio quality, and slick appearance. All of that perfectly blends together to give you a well-rounded laptop that you can use for relaxation or work, depending on what you need.
As great as this computer is, it is a bit bulky. It’s not the most portable machine, which can be a bit of a bummer if you’re moving from place to place. As a mainly stationary option, however, it’s great.
3. MacBook Air
- Best For: Lightweight
- Key Features: Slim design. Sharp images and crisp resolution. Attractive look. Portable and intuitive. Excellent audio
- Screen Size: 13.3 inches
- Weight: 2.8 pounds
- Battery Life: 18 hours
Many Ableton laptops are large, bulky machines that can be a drag to carry around. If you want to make music and don’t feel like dealing with extra weight, the MacBook Air is for you. It comes with the display and processing power of a Mac, but is incredibly portable.
As with other Apple products, you get an extremely long-lasting battery, excellent compatibility, as well as amazing speakers. Everything is intuitive, functional, and looks great. You also get top-of-the-line security and access to the app store.
As you might guess by the name, the Air isn’t incredibly durable. It’s functional and comes with amazing specs, but be careful when moving it around. It’s not a laptop that can take too many accidents.
4. MSI GE66 Raide
- Best For: Display
- Key Features: 1 TB of space. GPU cooling technology. Extremely fast. Amazing graphics and smooth display.
- Screen Size: 15.6 inches
- Weight: 5.25 pounds
- Battery Life: 6 hours
Though speakers are important when looking for Ableton laptops, you want a good screen too. That is where the MSI GE66 Raider shines. This computer has a 15.6-inch screen with stunning coloration and sharp, crisp resolution. Everything on the display comes to life.
That’s then backed up by a strong internal processor and 1 TB of storage. You’ll be able to run any program without any issues, especially thanks to the GPU cooling technology that keeps the device both cool and quiet no matter how hard you work.
As the screen is the focus of this device, portability is not its strong suit. You can carry it around if you want, but if that’s your primary goal you might want to search for something sleeker.
5. HP Omen
- Best For: Gaming
- Key Features: Strong display. Ample internal storage. Bright screen and sleek shell. Fast processor. Strong construction.
- Screen Size: 15.6 inches
- Weight: 5.4 pounds
- Battery Life: 4 hours
If you’re in the market for a more well-rounded laptop that can perform a lot of functions beyond running Ableton, check out what the HP Omen has to offer. The powerful device has a top-of-the-line processor and powerful memory bank packed into a sturdy, attractive shell.
The incredible specs and stellar resolution work well for both your personal programs and more advanced modern games. That allows you to put in a lot of hours with music and then kick back when you need some time off.
If the Omen has one weakness, it’s the battery. The machine doesn’t last too long away from an outlet. Be mindful of that if you’re someone who likes to work away from home.
6. Razer Blade 15
- Best For: Portability
- Key Features: Upgradable memory. Thin, compact shell. Plenty of connections. 10th generation processor. High resolution QHD display.
- Screen Size: 15.6 inches
- Weight: 4.6 pounds
- Battery Life: 6 hours
The Razer Blade 15 is a great laptop for people who like to use their machines away from home. While still larger than many traditional machines, the laptop is reasonably easy to carry (thanks to the aluminum frame) and will run Ableton without any hitches.
When it comes to specs, it has a QHD 165Hz display, 10 generation Intel Core i7 processor, full Wi-Fi compatibility, and RT cores. You also get a wide range of ports, including Type A, Type C, and HDMI. It’s all customizable too.
As long as you don’t mind lower battery life and the fact that it runs hot from time to time, you’ll get a complete machine for your various purposes.
7. Lenovo Legion 5
- Best For: Budget
- Key Features: Great cooling properties. Ample storage. 144 Hz refresh rate. Wide display. Dual Burn support and Legion TrueStrike keyboard.
- Screen Size: 15.6 inches
- Weight: 5.41 pounds
- Battery Life: 5 hours
It takes a lot of power to run Ableton. That typically means you’re going to need a more expensive machine. While still pricier than many lower end laptops, the Lenovo Legion 5 breaks that mold by giving you a solid model at a more reasonable price.
You still get a slew of impressive characteristics, including a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660Ti GPU, 15.6-inch IPS display, and an AMD Ryzen 7 4800H mobile processor, and the speakers sound awesome. It’s durable, has plenty of power, and never runs too hot.
The Legion’s biggest drawback is the keyboard. It’s not terribly satisfying to use, which can be annoying. It comes with a lot of bloatware too. However, those are small drawbacks for what is a solid, affordable machine.
How to Choose a Laptop for Ableton: Things to Consider
RAM
A good initial consideration when looking at a laptop to use with Ableton is RAM. With this, higher is always better because it will allow you to keep the program running smoothly without worrying about your system freezing or crashing while you work.
If your laptop isn’t completely dedicated to running Ableton, other programs can slow it down if you don’t have enough RAM.
I would suggest looking for at least 16GB of RAM when getting a laptop to use with Ableton. You can run the program with 8GB if you need to, but you’ll risk slowing down the system and might run into other performance issues along the way.
Higher amounts of RAM typically lead to a higher-priced computer, which is something to keep in mind. As such, you may want to get lower RAM and then upgrade it later to save some money upfront.
Storage Capacity
Another thing to think about when looking at a laptop computer to use with Ableton is storage capacity. Again, more is better here.
If you’re like me, you’ll hash out ideas and full-fledged songs in a way that will quickly fill up your hard drive. Look for a storage capacity of at least 500GB, but strive for 1TB or more if you make a lot of music in Ableton.
Screen Size
Screen size is also something to look into when deciding between which laptop is best for your needs. A larger screen is nice to have when you’re in the studio or on stage because it will be easier to see and give you a big display to control and interact with.
If you’re on the road a lot or have limited space, a smaller screen is ideal because it’s more portable and easier to carry around.
Useful Resources
Ableton is an amazing platform for those that want to create music. If you have experience using the software, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
However, if you’re just getting used to the program, it’s easy to be overwhelmed with all of the functions and features at your disposal.
Check out this video for some solid tips and tricks to help you get started.
Final Words
If you want to be able to make the most of Ableton Live, you need to have a high-quality laptop computer. The options outlined on this list are some of the best you can find anywhere. They will all give you the performance and reliability you need to keep the music flowing at any time, day or night.
Do you use Ableton on a different laptop than the options mentioned here? Why do you like it so much? Let us know in the comments below.
