


Your current 6.1 is a lot slower than my 18 core iMP - you're not going the difference as much as I do but once you get that incredibly fast new machine, the differences will be obvious. Crippling your new Mac's speed by running DP projects on a slower drive just doesn't make sense to me. On the rare occasion that I tweak an older project without bringing it back inside, it feels like swimming in molasses by comparison-sync'ing to video is the worst.

I disagree with keeping your active projects on an external. Keeping your VIs on an external makes sense and doesn't suffer a performance hit, likewise Apple Music (iTunes) and photo libraries. Going with a 4TB drive will be enough to handle all desktop apps and I'm fine using external storage for projects/audio and Kontakt. However, 99% of what I do is TV cues and Drum Tracks, so that might just be far more machine than I'd ever actually need. The only thing holding me back is considering what an absolute beast the new Mac Pro will be once it's converted to M1 Ultra. Stupid question but will DP 11 be compatible with the M1 Ultra chip or will we have to wait months for that? Even max'd out the Mac Studio Ultra still saves me a few grand from what the Intel Mac Pro I almost just bought would have run me and it appears it's way more powerful too. While it will feel like a bit of a compromise getting a Mac Studio Ultra, it may be the most sensible option. As one that's been doing everything I can to keep my 2014 trash can operating (any OWC upgrade I could do, has been done), I've been waiting for an M1 MacPro that I could get a good 6-7 years out of. This is both great and somewhat annoying news.
