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Apple Silicon, Old Macs, and Why Working Gear Shouldn’t Die

The Pro Audio Suite

Release Date: 05/19/2026

Apple Silicon, Old Macs, and Why Working Gear Shouldn’t Die show art Apple Silicon, Old Macs, and Why Working Gear Shouldn’t Die

The Pro Audio Suite

Apple has not always been known as the bargain option, but the latest Apple Silicon Macs might be changing that conversation. In this episode, the team gets into the surprising value of the M4 Mac Mini, why even a base model can be serious overkill for many voice actors, and how smaller machines like the MacBook Air and MacBook “Neo” style systems compare for remote sessions, Source Connect, Pro Tools, and travel rigs. The conversation also wanders into classic Pro Audio Suite territory, including old Macs that refuse to die, running Linux or Windows on ageing Apple hardware, right to...

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The Pro Audio Suite

This week on The Pro Audio Suite, things go gloriously off the rails. AP has been rebuilding his studio, and is talking reclaimed timber and custom desks, George is showing off weird vintage Apple gear, and somewhere in the middle, the boys fall down a rabbit hole involving Korg M1s, old ISDN boxes, retro synths, ancient Macs, and why audio people can never throw anything away. There’s also a surprisingly deep discussion about why the physical studio environment matters creatively, why a tidy desk changes your mindset, and how modern workflows are reshaping how studios are built and used....

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Fix Bad Audio Instantly? Inside Waves’ Voice Regeneration Tool show art Fix Bad Audio Instantly? Inside Waves’ Voice Regeneration Tool

The Pro Audio Suite

What happens when audio is so bad… even the best plugins can’t save it? In this episode of The Pro Audio Suite, we’re joined by Michael “Gomez” Pearce-Adams from Waves Audio to talk about Voice Regeneration, a new AI-driven tool designed to rebuild poor-quality dialogue into something actually usable. And this isn’t just noise reduction or EQ… it’s a complete rethink of how broken audio gets fixed. We dig into: Why this will never be a plugin How AI is actually “rebuilding” voice recordings Real-world use cases, from podcast disasters to phone interviews What this means...

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TwistedWave 32.3 and 32.4, One Keystroke Processing and a New Repair Tool show art TwistedWave 32.3 and 32.4, One Keystroke Processing and a New Repair Tool

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TwistedWave has dropped updates that feel like they were built for anyone smashing through a pile of auditions or VO edits every day. George walks through what’s new in 32.3 and 32.4, including the ability to apply a Batch directly to your currently open file and map that Batch to a single keystroke. That means you can normalise to a target level, then apply a processing stack, all in one hit, without the old multi step workflow. Then there’s the new Repair tool, a quick “auto heal” style fix for little clicks, mouth noises, and short waveform anomalies. Select the problem area, hit a...

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Fixing Loopback the Easy Way, Nexus Suite Explained show art Fixing Loopback the Easy Way, Nexus Suite Explained

The Pro Audio Suite

Loopback is one of the most common and misunderstood problems in home studios. In this episode of The Pro Audio Suite, the team breaks down how the new Nexus Suite, specifically Nexus Review, makes it dramatically easier to capture system audio, create proper mix-minus setups, and send playback to clients without complicated routing. If you have ever wrestled with UA Console routing, virtual drivers, Chrome output quirks, or Mac system audio conflicts, this one is for you. We cover: • Why traditional loopback setups get messy fast • The UA console routing method and its limitations • How...

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The Pro Audio Suite

In this episode of The Pro Audio Suite, the team dives into some major shifts in the audio industry. Audio Tonics has acquired DPA, Austrian Audio, SSL, Harrison and more. What does this wave of consolidation mean for boutique brands and the future of innovation? Then we unpack the developing Native Instruments insolvency proceedings. With Kontakt, iZotope, Plugin Alliance and Brainworx under that umbrella, what could this mean for producers, composers and post professionals? And does this reignite the subscriptions versus perpetual debate? We also wander into: • Neumann U47 reissue rumours...

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Remote Recording, Choirs, and Old-School Rigs with Robert Marshall show art Remote Recording, Choirs, and Old-School Rigs with Robert Marshall

The Pro Audio Suite

In this episode of The Pro Audio Suite, the team digs into a large-scale remote recording with Robert Marshall, capturing a full orchestra and 100-plus voice choir performing Handel’s Messiah inside a church. Robert breaks down his microphone choices, including Neumann KM184s, Austrian Audio CC8s, Schoeps mains, and why ORTF still delivers a convincing stereo image in complex acoustic spaces. We also talk about spot mic placement for piano and soloists, blending ambience naturally without artificial reverb, and the realities of recording live with zero second chances. The conversation...

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The Pro Audio Suite

A fascinating piece of gear quietly surfaced ahead of NAMM, and it sent us down a deep rabbit hole. In this episode of The Pro Audio Suite, the crew digs into the Carno Sepia system, a digitally controlled, fully analog modular hardware platform that feels like a modern reimagining of the 500 series concept, minus the knobs. We unpack how it works, who it’s really for, and whether this kind of hybrid approach is genuine innovation or just another expensive way to chase “analog purity.” Along the way, we talk NAMM expectations, Sweetwater leaks, digitally controlled analog routing,...

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2025 Wrap Up: PASport VO, AI Reality Checks, Source-Connect Myths and What We Learned This Year show art 2025 Wrap Up: PASport VO, AI Reality Checks, Source-Connect Myths and What We Learned This Year

The Pro Audio Suite

2025 has been a big year for The Pro Audio Suite, so this episode is a full end-of-year wrap up with Robbo, Andrew Peters, George “The Tech” Whitham, and Robert Marshall. We look back at the biggest moments, the most downloaded episodes, the conversations that sparked the most reaction, and the industry shifts that actually mattered. From the launch of the PASport VO and real-world use cases, to persistent Source-Connect confusion, to the realities of AI in voiceover and audio production, this episode ties together the themes that defined 2025 for working audio pros. We also talk gear...

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The Pro Audio Suite

This week the team dives into one of the strangest mics we’ve ever had on the show. A client of George’s sent through a full placement test of the Aston Element, the active moving-coil oddball with its own made-up technology name, the Rydion capsule. Aston claims it blends the bottom end of a dynamic, the clarity of a condenser, and the smoothness of a ribbon. Big call. We compare it directly against a 416 and a TLM103, and the reactions in the room say everything. Does it punch above its weight? Is it just a quirky USB-era gimmick? Does it actually compete with entry-level VO mics? And...

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More Episodes

Apple has not always been known as the bargain option, but the latest Apple Silicon Macs might be changing that conversation.

In this episode, the team gets into the surprising value of the M4 Mac Mini, why even a base model can be serious overkill for many voice actors, and how smaller machines like the MacBook Air and MacBook “Neo” style systems compare for remote sessions, Source Connect, Pro Tools, and travel rigs.

The conversation also wanders into classic Pro Audio Suite territory, including old Macs that refuse to die, running Linux or Windows on ageing Apple hardware, right to repair, weird manufacturer lockouts, obsolete cables, Shure MV88 bargain hunting, Pro Tools archiving disasters, and why keeping your sessions self contained still matters.

There is also a very important chainsaw story. Obviously.

Thanks to our sponsors, Austrian Audio, making passion heard for supporting the show.

00:00 Intro and sponsor mention
00:33 Talking Macs before the show
01:20 The M4 Mac Mini and Apple’s surprising value
02:29 Apple Silicon price to performance
03:38 Why older M1 machines still hold up
04:02 Using a Mac Mini as a road computer
05:22 Is the Mac Mini overkill for VO work?
06:38 MacBook Air, external monitors, and display quirks
09:04 Apple cables, chips, and control
10:04 The end of Lightning and the move to USB C
12:09 Audio interfaces on iPhone and iPad
12:30 Shure MV88 bargains for older iPhones
14:43 Right to repair
16:11 Robbo’s old chainsaw story
18:21 Repair restrictions and replacement culture
19:29 Mac longevity
20:18 Running Windows on an old iMac
22:03 Linux on old Apple hardware
25:29 Old drives, CDs, DVDs, and lost archives
26:12 Mezzo and old Pro Tools backups
27:13 Missing Pro Tools audio files
28:33 Pro Tools archiving tip, sort by file path
29:54 Wrap up and credits