audio model · musicgen · macOS
Can I run MusicGen small on Apple M3 Ultra (256GB)?
Yes. MusicGen small runs on Apple M3 Ultra (256GB) at fp32 (~3 GB of ~192 GB usable).
Runs at fp32 using ~3 GB of ~192 GB usable.
- Peak memory
- ~3 GB
- Usable on device
- ~192 GB
- Device memory
- 256 GB
- Quant
- fp32
How to run it
Use AudioCraft or HF Transformers at fp32. It loads as a single model and runs on a GPU.
- Type
- Music generation
- Parameters
- 300M
- Peak memory
- ~3 GB at fp32
- License
- CC-BY-NC-4.0
- Memory
- 256 GB unified
- Usable for weights
- ~192 GB
- Best runtime
- MLX direct / Ollama (MLX backend)
You could also run
Run MusicGen small on other hardware
FAQ
Can Apple M3 Ultra (256GB) run MusicGen small?
Yes. MusicGen small runs on Apple M3 Ultra (256GB) at fp32 (~3 GB of ~192 GB usable).
How much memory does MusicGen small need?
Apple M3 Ultra (256GB) has room to spare. At fp32 the realistic peak is ~3 GB of memory.
What do I use to run MusicGen small locally?
MusicGen small runs in AudioCraft or HF Transformers. It needs a GPU.
Sources
VRAM figures are sourced peak-usage anchors at the noted quant, validated 2026-06-15. See methodology.