Time out for some Mac and AI.
So much for that mental vacation away from music composition. Turns out, even when I step back from making tracks, I still find myself drawn back in. When you’re not working full-time, there’s a lot of free space in your day and as I’ve learned before, that space can quickly become a launchpad for creativity.
That’s exactly how I found a door into music production: free time, curiosity, and the internet full of audio tools just waiting to be explored. I’ve still got some amazing sound gear and I did not want that gathering dust.
A bit of background: when my father passed away a couple of years ago, he left behind two hefty iMacs. I hadn’t touched them until recently, but the idea struck — what if I could use them for music? That kicked off a bit of a mission: gain access, clean them up, and see what I could repurpose.
It took a while (turns out Apple’s password recovery is its own kind of puzzle), but eventually, I found my way in. Stepping into my dad’s digital world was full of mystery — a vast folk music collection that clearly meant a lot to him. I won’t pretend it’s my genre, but I absolutely respect the effort and passion behind building such a library. No deletions happening here.
Surprisingly, the machines weren’t packed with software — pretty typical for long-time Mac users who trust in Apple’s claim that “it just works.” Personally, I’ve always leaned on a suite of PC maintenance tools to keep things tidy and bug free, but I did use a cross-platform cleaner and cleared about 40GB of duplicates. Not bad.
The good news: both iMacs have plenty of space and run well. The twist? Most of my music software won’t run on macOS. Logic Pro and Pro Tools seem like solid alternatives, but it means re-investing in new platforms. Still, the idea of working on a bigger screen, with more room to breathe, is tempting. A change is as good as a holiday, right? Well it might be, for now I’m sitting on the idea and putting it to practice when I have a spare moment.
So what of AI?
AI. It’s everywhere right now — in the news, in your apps, probably in your fridge at this point. I actually considered adding a chatbot to the blog ages ago but figured it was a bit early. Recently, I gave in and bought a small AI bundle just to see what’s out there.
So far, the highlight has been generating some AI art — I’ve included one in this post, and it felt oddly appropriate. Did I overspend? Maybe. But let’s be honest if you’re curious, I’d still recommend starting with free tools. No need to throw cash at the hype machine just yet.
Thanks for checking in — hope your month has been full of small wins, experiments, or at least a few good playlists. Catch you next month.
— Lipcrack
