Buying the right gear without having adequate experience should be avoided because it can turn out to be a waste of your money.
Which is why it’s always essential to do some research and figure out what you’re exactly buying.
This article will cover chromebooks with regard to music production.
Chromebooks are basically any laptop that, under license from Google, runs the Linux kernel-based Chrome OS. People often wonder whether Chromebooks can be used for music production, so let’s get into it.
For music production, you need a computer that can handle a heavy workload and won’t set any limitations on the work you do. Chromebooks are not ideal for professional music production because they are primarily meant for people that rely on the cloud and web apps for most of their work as an extension of their Eco-system.
Music production computers are very specific in the hardware and software specifications that you need to properly carry out your work. Music production on a Chromebook is not entirely un-doable it’s just less convenient and will basically restrict your work flow because of the various technologies that it utilizes for the purposes it was created for.
This is why it’s important to have an understanding of how they work.
DAW Limitations
On Chromebook, you’ll not be able to run Digital Audio Workstations that you’re accustomed to such as Logic Pro, FL Studio, Cubase, Sonar, Reason, Ableton Live.
The digital audio Workstations mentioned above are music industry standard and are what most of us use. When it comes to the chromebook, these DAWs are simply not compatible which is definitely a downer because almost every producer out there uses atleast one of the DAWs mentioned on that list.
This is why I find chromebooks not ideal for music production. The sad thing is even if you use the Linux-mode, you still won’t be able to use these DAWs.
Design Restrictions
As mentioned above, music production is a job that requires a great deal of CPU power combined with the right OS to facilitate the creation of music.
Chromebooks are primarily meant for web-based work which more than likely requires an internet connection. Their hardware is not integrated to run complex operations that require heavy CPU usage.
Granted you can certainly modify the hardware, but you’ll still be limited on the software side because it is not meant for work like audio production.
This is why I don’t recommend them, I’d rather have you go for a good windows or MAC system that can guarantee you the resources you need to carry out your operations without having to worry about stuff like software compatibility, internet connection etc.
Furthermore, you also face various compatibility issues with certain equipment which can be inconvenient,
because with music production PCs you’ll wont face such issues provided you have the necessary drivers required to have your hardware operational.
Therefore if you do decide to go from a chromebook, be sure to do some research on the equipment that is compatible with your particular chromebook so you don’t run into any snags.
Chromebooks only allow you to host music production software in the cloud, and this is part of their security.
Reliance on internet connection
One other thing I personally don’t recommend going for a chromebook if you’re looking to produce music professionally is because they are heavily reliant on an internet connection.
Granted, chromebooks can be set up to work without an internet connection but this would greatly disable the best features because they are primarily designed to be run on the web.
They are meant to be used for business purposes and education. Therefore they rely heavily on the web because users can easily do their work on the cloud and save it with ease.
Overall Advantages of Chromebooks
Most people choose to go for chromebooks because they are particularly inexpensive, plus these computers don’t rely on installing software therefore they offer a cheaper maintenance value.
Secondly, Chromebooks are pretty much lightweight as compared to the conventional laptops which makes them easier to carry.
Furthermore, they have a good boot speed which is around 8 seconds due to the fact that they use Solid State Drives instead of hard drives like conventional laptops.
Final Thoughts
Can you produce music on a Chromebook? the answer is definitely yes, but they are not entirely the best option I’d advise someone to go for.
Chromebooks aren’t designed to be as powerful as most laptop and desktop computers that are used for music production. Plus, the compatible Music production software available on the chrome store are not industry standard. Which becomes a challenge for somebody that is not accustomed to such software.
However, if you’re a beginner or simply a producer that doesn’t require an extremely powerful computer and all the functionality that may come with it, You can definitely go for a chromebook. It can help you with entry-level and light music production that doesn’t call upon a lot of powerful functionality.
On the hand, if you’re looking to produce, professional grade industry standard music then a chromebook won’t be of much help to you and you’re better off looking elsewhere.
A Chromebook should be the last option you explore.
