How To Upgrade Entire Studio From iMac Late 2009 to New Mac Mini

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Level 1

14 points

How To Upgrade Entire Studio From iMac Late 2009 to New Mac Mini

What's up everyone I feel like it's time to upgrade my studio but I really don't know where to begin.

What is the best approach for upgrading from Logic pro X 10.2.2 on an iMac late 2009 to a Mac mini 512GB (MU9E3VC/A) Apple M4 10-Core CPU / 10-Core GPU / 16GB RAM Computer.

I understand that I can not do a direct upgrade from the iMac to the Mac mini but what exactly is the best way to go about getting all the plug-ins and settings ( my user patches in the library and key command settings ) from the iMac to the Mac mini so that Logic Pro 11 will have the plug-ins and settings that I am familiar with?

Another big concern that I have is how I am going to connect my Axiom pro, MPC Studio and a Seagate external hard drive ( that I run and store my Logic pro projects and samples on ) to the Mac mini. All of those devices use usb type-A and the Mac mini only has usb type-C and thunderbolt ports. Would it be okay to connect them to adapters/Hub or should I try and get new usb-C/Thunderbolt cables to connect them to the Mac Mini?

I also have to install Native Instruments Komplete 9, Waves Horizon Bundle and the MPC software. Komplete 9 and the MPC software came on a CD, will I have to get an external CD drive to install them or is there another way? My biggest concern is compatibility and making sure all the plugins and software are at the right versions where they can work together like I know it to be. [ I also intend on inquiring about these upgrades from their respective forums ]

Thanks in advance.

iMac Late 2009 ( 21.5 inch ) - High Sierra 10.13.6

Native Instruments - Komplete 9

Seagate OneTouch External Hard Drive - usb 3.0

Waves Horizon Bundle

MPC Studio [ plus software ]

M-Audio Axiom pro

Logic Remote 1.5.6

To

Apple Mac mini 512GB (MU9E3VC/A) Apple M4 10-Core CPU / 10-Core GPU / 16GB RAM Computer

Logic Pro 11

Apogee Duet 3

iPad, iOS 10

Posted on Mar 8, 2025 6:44 PM

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Answer 1

Me171 Author

Level 1

14 points

Mar 30, 2025 5:01 PM in response to Me171

What's up everyone, thanks for the replies.

I've finally completed the process and now I have everything up and running.

You all are right. It took me about 3 weeks and somethings were tricky and somethings were a lot easier than I was expecting.

Getting Logic running on the Mac Mini was just a simple download from the App Store. Komplete 9 from Native Instruments was definitely the trickiest thing to get right. The most up to date version of Native Access didn't allow me to install the full versions of some of the plugins ( Kontakt 5 and Guitar Rig 5 ). The plugins got installed but they showed up in Logic in demo mode. After doing some research on Native Instruments site I found out that in order to run legacy plugins on newer Macs I had to install a previous version of Native Access and that helped solve the demo problem. After that I realized that not all the plugins actually installed and 4 of them were missing. They said installed in Native Access but they still required additional files in order to be fully installed. I had to search again on Native Instruments site for some kind of reference to the plugins that didn't fully install and eventually found a support page with a free download of the missing files. Native Instruments said these plugins had to be installed separately. After all of that, everything was eventually installed and working like I remembered. Waves Horizon was also another simple download, the one thing that they required was that you deactivate your plugins on your old system and then you can easily activate them on your new one. The MPC software was simple to install and everything but I had to pay a discounted price for the upgraded version. That's okay, I got some new and extra plugins with the upgrade and it looks like Akai did a really good job with it. The software works properly in Logic and everything looks fine.

Putting all the patches and settings files in their proper places was also problem free. I was really nervous about that because I've worked for years to create my own user patches and a lot of my projects need them.

So for anyone looking to upgrade, it's definitely not an overnight process but I guess it could have been if I already knew what to expect. It's also not as intimidating as it seems but you definitely want to do your research.

Thanks again yo,

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Answer 2

EddieGrey

Level 4

1,318 points

Mar 8, 2025 8:06 PM in response to Me171

I just went through this transition myself not too long ago. It took me about 2 weeks to complete everything from top to bottom. I did a fresh install of every single plug-in and took the time to learn the file path system in Logic Pro.

Here is a video resource to help with cst's, patches, and file structure in LP11:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQz6RaERa9IK1XijDbdZ8juJf09xuXeie

It is also easy to export key commands as you can see in the Key Command Assignment Window:

Native Instruments can be handled with Native Access which is their download hub. Waves can work with Waves Central. I am not an MPC User so I cannot speak to that but I am sure it is turnkey.

Personally, I would not connect an external hardrive to a hub especially if it contains libraries and samples. I would try to connect the important stuff to the computer itself. You can most likely connect Midi Controllers to a hub if it is powerful enough. I highly recommend this hub: https://amzn.to/4hlLPQq It can handle pretty much anything.

This will be a step-by-step process friend. You got this!!!

Hope that helps,

~ThatLogicProguy

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Answer 3

yoyoBen

Level 4

2,987 points

Mar 9, 2025 4:29 AM in response to Me171

As EddieGrey pointed out, it takes some day/weeks to complete the transition. I also did the upgrade from an old Intel machine to an M2.

I think, it's important to mention that you need to fresh install the entire computer and shouldn't using migration assistant in order to avoid issues later. And as a rule of thumb, any software you've installed from CD may no longer compatible, you need to update the software as well. Check the vendor's websites. (You may not need a CD ROM player anymore...)

Settings, also documents and projects, can be transferred manually as long as you know where to move...

Keep your old computer, just in case, because not every plugin or software is supported by the silicon machines.

I agree with EddieGrey to install the Logic Sound Library on the internal disk. But there are no issues with storing third party libraries on external disks like Kontakt libraries and others, I recommend using SSDs for that. However I still using usual spinning USB3 hard drives for my Logic projects without any issue.

Connectivity: There are all kinds of adapters available (USB type A -> type C, Thunderbolt 3/4 ->2...) . When buying a hub, get a wired hub, otherwise you risk damaging your USB ports on your computer.

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