Audio model · musicgen
MusicGen small requirements
Music generation · 300M params · fp32 · released Jun 2023. Realistic minimum to run: Apple M1 (8GB).
Model weights are CC-BY-NC 4.0 (non-commercial); the AudioCraft code is MIT.
Run it
MusicGen small runs in AudioCraft or HF Transformers at fp32. It needs a GPU (or Apple Silicon with enough unified memory).
Which devices can run MusicGen small?
Apple Silicon Macs
- Apple M1 (8GB) Yes
- Apple M2 (16GB) Yes
- Apple M4 (16GB) Yes
- Apple M5 (16GB) Yes
- Apple M3 Pro (18GB) Yes
- Apple M4 (24GB) Yes
- Apple M4 Pro (24GB) Yes
- Apple M5 (32GB) Yes
- Apple M4 Pro (48GB) Yes
- Apple M5 Pro (48GB) Yes
- Apple M4 Max (64GB) Yes
- Apple M4 Max (128GB) Yes
- Apple M5 Max (128GB) Yes
- Apple M3 Ultra (256GB) Yes
RAM-only laptops
No mainstream local runtime for MusicGen small on RAM-only laptops yet.
iPhone & iPad
No mainstream local runtime for MusicGen small on iPhone & iPad yet.
Android
No mainstream local runtime for MusicGen small on Android yet.
NVIDIA GPUs
AMD GPUs
FAQ
How much memory does MusicGen small need?
At fp32 it consumes ~3 GB. It needs a GPU or Apple Silicon.
Can MusicGen small run on a phone or CPU?
Not practically. MusicGen small expects a GPU; CPU inference is too slow for real use.
Can I use MusicGen small commercially?
No. Model weights are CC-BY-NC 4.0 (non-commercial); the AudioCraft code is MIT.
Smallest MusicGen (300M), the most accessible music model. AudioCraft requires a GPU; the small model fits in roughly ~2-4GB VRAM (synthesis from the 300M fp32 weights plus EnCodec, no official figure). Weights are CC-BY-NC (non-commercial). Sources: HF card, AudioCraft MusicGen docs.
Sources
Memory is a sourced peak-usage anchor at fp32 (composed from reported sizes, not a single measurement), validated 2026-06-15. See methodology.