MOTU 828

The completely redesigned 828 connects to a Mac, PC or iOS device over 5 Gbps USB3 with extremely low-latency, high-performance drivers to deliver 60 channels of audio I/O, superb analog performance driven by renowned ESS Sabre32™ DAC technology, 24-channel mixing and on-board effects processing, including reverb, 4-band EQ and compression. Two front-panel "combo" mic/instrument inputs provide transparent preamps with hi-Z guitar input for re-amping, individual gain/pad/phantom power, and dedicated send/return inserts for outboard gear. Control room features include front-panel talkback, mute, mono, and A/B speaker select buttons. Advanced features include two banks of optical I/O, optical expansion mode, word clock in/out/thru, a foot switch input, MIDI in/out/thru, customizable front-panel metering, multi-channel monitor control for surround workflows, Wi-Fi control from your phone or tablet, and network discovery/management.

Features

• Next-gen 28 x 32 USB3 audio interface — Builds on 22 years of proven success as an industry-leading audio interface brand.
• New 3.9-inch TFT display — The bright, 24-bit RGB LCD provides 480 x 128 pixel high-resolution metering for all analog and digital I/O, plus detailed status info and access to hardware settings from a simple and convenient menu.
• Superb analog audio quality and high-end converters — Renowned ESS Sabre32™ DAC technology delivers 125 dB dynamic range. Support for all standard sample rates up to 192 kHz.
• Ultra-low latency and proven, high-performance MOTU drivers — Round-trip latency (RTL) performance as low as 2 ms at 96kHz with high-performance DAW hosts.
• Universal connectivity — Connects to your computer with 5 Gbps USB3 (compatible with USB2) for up to 60 audio channels. Class-compliant firmware and industry standard drivers work with any audio apps. Connects to an iPad™ with USB-C or a Lightning adapter kit (sold separately).
• 60 simultaneous audio channels — 28 inputs and 32 outputs, including two combo XLR/TRS mic/line/hi-Z guitar inputs with send/return inserts, 8 TRS analog (line-level) in/out, separate main outs on XLR jacks, two banks of 8-channel optical I/O, stereo RCA S/PDIF digital I/O, and two front-panel headphone outputs.
• Advanced mic channels — Cutting-edge components deliver ultra-transparent sound with -114 dB THD+N, 118 dB dynamic range and -129 dBu EIN. Each mic channel provides individual controls for +74 dB of preamp gain, -20 dB pad, 48V phantom power, and phase invert. All settings can be controlled remotely from a computer or iOS device. Each mic channel includes a dedicated send/return insert for outboard gear processing.
• Flexible insert returns — When nothing is connected to the front-panel mic inputs, the two rear-panel returns function as additional line inputs with identical signal path characteristics as the other eight line inputs.
• DSP mixing and effects processing — Flexible 24-input digital mixer with 8 stereo busses and DSP effects, including reverb, 4-band EQ, gate and compression.
• Wi-Fi control — If the 828 is connected to a computer on your Wi-Fi network, you can control everything wirelessly from the CueMix 5 app running on mobile devices or other computers on the same network — even multiple devices at the same time. Manage access to the 828 with network discovery and password protection.
• Precision boost/trim for analog I/O — Calibrate analog input and output signals in precise 1 dB increments. Apply phase invert individually to analog inputs.
• Control room features — Control your sessions with front-panel "talk" button and "A/B" speaker select buttons to quickly compare your mixes on two sets of studio monitors.
• Two flexible headphone outputs — With independent volume control, each headphone output can mirror each other, the Main Outs, any other analog output pair, any CueMix bus, or any USB output channels. Or you can create a completely customized mix for each headphone that includes live 828 inputs and built-in reverb.
• Two banks of optical I/O — Connect outboard digital processors, digital mixers or other gear with 16 channels of ADAT at 44.1/48 kHz or 8 channels of SMUX at 88.2/96 kHz. Bank A can optionally provide stereo TOSLink (optical S/PDIF) I/O up to 96 kHz.
• Foot switch input — Connect a standard foot pedal switch (sold separately) for hands-free punch-in and punch-out while recording. Or map the pedal to any keystroke function in your host software.
• MIDI in/out/thru — connect MIDI gear without the need for a separate MIDI interface.
• Word clock in/out/thru — Supports all sample rates up to 192 kHz.
• DC-coupled TRS outputs — Use the 828 to manipulate and sequence voltage-controlled modular synthesizers from a host DAW.
• Loopback for live streaming and podcasting — Easily route computer output back to the computer, where you can mix it with live mics and/or guitar inputs from the 828 in your host software for live streaming or podcasting.
• Guitar re-amping — Connect your guitar to the front-panel input, use CueMix's near-zero latency to loop to any output (with a re-amp adapter, if needed), and record both the dry signal and your mic’d up amp simultaneously. Then re-amp the dry signal later with different amps and cabs — or amp modeling plug-ins — to experiment with different tones.
• CueMix 5 app — Control mixing and settings from your Mac, PC or iOS device.
• Performer Lite — Workstation software with over 100 included instruments, dozens of effects and 6 GB of included loops to make music right away. Also includes Ableton Live Lite.
• Over 6 GB of included free loops, samples and one-shots from industry leading libraries
• Two-year warranty