USB-C Hub with SSD storage bays for Mac mini or Mac Studio
Several brands for less than $99.00 + SSD on Amazon

External storage for any Apple M Series computer

I recommend backing up all data to the cloud, and supplementing the internal Apple SSD with external USB-C, Thunderbolt, or Network Attached Storage. The ultimate would be some sort of fault tolerant RAID storage. Your data or content can never be too safe.

External storage needs for music production are similar to photography and video. This video will help you understand your actual needs and choose external solutions.

USB-C external storage

There are many many external storage options, far too many to list. I will say that for the majority of us that just need backup and archival storage, the best option is the external USB-C Samsung 1TB T7 SSD for $99.99. There are also 512GB and 2TB versions, as well as color options at the same link. These are quite compact and great for portability. There are also fingerprint scanner versions for extra security.

If you need more than 2TB or faster than USB-C, move up to Thunderbolt.

Thunderbolt external storage

If you actually need to run applications, process data, or even boot from external storage, I agree with Macworld, the Thunderbolt OWC Envoy Pro FX makes a lot of sense. The 2TB at $349.99 is really the sweet spot.

Final Storage Thoughts

A lot of file storage is archival and plain does not need the blazing internal SSD performance of the M series Mac Studio or MacBook Pro. If it is within your budget to increase the internal storage at the time of your initial purchase, by all means do it. It was not within my budget or performance needs, so I sought alternatives.

Finally, in my opinion you’d be crazy not to backup to the cloud unless you have your own offsite fault tolerant disk system. I’m going to guess most of us spend way too much time producing our creative output to risk losing it to fire or natural disasters. Be real, shit happens.

Thanks!
-Yehuda