MOTU 828x Thunderbolt Audio / MIDI Interface

MOTU's 828 interface has for years been a staple in many home studios. The sound quality, flexibility and reliability of MOTU gear means it has built a steady industry reputation for good quality. Now MOTU add "versatility" to that list as well with the MOTU 828x Thunderbolt Audio / MIDI Interface

Thunderbolt

Thunderboltfulfills the promise of a truly state-of-the-art connectivity standard for personal computers. With massive bandwidth, Thunderbolt allows you to connect displays, hard drives, and other peripherals to your computer, along with the 828x, up to six devices total (with the 828x at the end of the chain), and the Thunderbolt bus won't even break a sweat. Thunderbolt combines plug-and-play convenience with massive bandwidth and low latency for truly professional audio interface performance

NB the 828x does not ship with a Thunderbolt cable. 

Tons of I/O

The 828x is equally well-suited for studio and stage, with or without a computer. As an interface or standalone mixer, the 828x provides 28 separate inputs and 30 separate outputs, including dedicated main outs on XLRs and two front panel headphone outs.

On-board digital mixer with effects for monitoring and live mixing

Connect all of your studio gear, including microphones, guitars, synths, keyboards, drum machines and even effects processors. Record, monitor, route and process all of these live inputs using the professional on-board CueMix FX digital mixer – with no latency and no processor strain on your computer. Apply hardware DSP-driven compression, EQ and reverb to every input and output, independent of your host computer. When recording from the mic/guitar inputs, the 828x’s signal overload protection gives you an extra 12 dB of headroom above zero with no digital clipping or harsh artifacts.

Advanced audio analysis tools

Analyze and scope your audio with advanced diagnostic tools, including a full-screen real-time FFT display, spectrogram "waterfall" display, full-featured oscilloscope, X-Y plot, and linear/polar phase analysis graphs.

Stand-alone operation as a mixer

After programming the on-board mixing in the studio, unplug the 828x from the computer and take it on the road for operation as a stand-alone mixer with effects. All mixing and effects parameters are adjustable using the front panel backlit LCD.

Across-the-board compatibility

The 828x provides cross-platform compatibility with Mac and Windows and all of your favorite audio software and host-based effects via WDM/ASIO/Core Audio drivers. Or you can use the included AudioDesk workstation software for Mac, with 24-bit recording/editing and 32-bit mixing/processing/mastering.

Specifications

• Thunderbolt Technology and USB 2.0
• CueMix FX - flexible 28 input/16 bus mixer with on-board DSP effects, including reverb with sends/returns, plus EQ and compression on every input and output.
• 28 inputs / 30 outputs (at 44.1/48 kHz) - there's no channel sharing in the 828mk3; the mic inputs, S/PDIF I/O, headphone out and main outs are all handled as separate channels.
• Front-panel control - access any setting in your entire 828mk3 mix directly from the front panel.
• Stand-alone operation - program your mixes at the studio and then bring the 828mk3 to your gig - no computer needed. Need to tweak the mix? Do it on site using the back-lit LCD and front-panel controls.
• Multiple CueMix FX mixes - for example, create different monitor mixes for the main outs and headphones. Or add send/return loops for outboard gear - with no latency.
• Two front panel combo jacks provide hi-Z 1/4" guitar input or low-Z XLR mic input with phantom power, pad and plenty of gain.
• Mic/guitar instrument sends - add your favorite outboard EQ, preamp, reverb or other processor to the two mic/guitar inputs, before the signal goes digital.
• Clip protection - Mic/guitar input limiter prevents digital clipping and distortion from overloaded signal levels up to +12 dB over zero.
• Eight 24-bit 192kHz analog inputs and outputs on balanced/unbalanced 1/4" TRS jacks
• Precision Digital Trim - Digitally controlled analog trim on all analog inputs (mic/guitar inputs + quarter-inch TRS inputs) provides accurate adjustements in 1 dB increments. Fine-tune the balance of your analog inputs and then save/recall trim configurations.
• Flexible optical I/O - 16 channels of ADAT lightpipe, 8 channels of SMUX (96 kHz) or two pairs of stereo TOSLink. Mix and match formats between the two banks.
• Sample-accurate MIDI - connect a MIDI controller and/or sound module with no separate interface needed. MIDI I/O is sample-accurate with supporting software.
• Expandable - add additional interfaces for more I/O as your needs grow.
• Separate XLR main outs and front-panel headphone jacks, each with independent volume control.
• Stereo 24-bit 96kHz S/PDIF in/out
• Word clock in and out
• SMPTE in and out
• Includes 32- and 64-bit native drivers for Mac OS X and Windows 7/Vista/XP, including ASIO, WDM, Wave, Core Audio, and Core MIDI. Supports all popular Mac and Windows audio software.
• 100% compatible with all host-based effects processing in today's popular audio programs.
• Includes AudioDesk full-featured sample-accurate workstation software for the Macintosh with recording, editing, mixing, real-time 32-bit effects processing & sample-accurate sync.
• Plug-and-play operation with your Mac or PC via FireWire or high-speed USB 2.0.
• Front panel volume control for monitoring. Stereo, Quad, 6.1, 7.1 and user-defined surround monitoring setups available.
• Two front panel headphone jacks with independent volume controls.
• Front panel meters or activity LEDs for all analog, digital and MIDI I/O, plus SMPTE sync tach and lock LEDs.
• Dedicated front panel clock status LEDs.
• International 100-240V, 50-60 Hz autoswitching power supply.
• Chassis dimensions, excluding rack ears and front and back panel knobs and connectors: 19 x 7 x 1.75 inches (48.26 x 17.78 x 4.45 cm). Knobs and connectors extend up to 0.5 inch (1.27 cm) from front and back panels, adding 1 inch (2.54 cm) to depth. With rack ears attached, fits standard 19 inch (48.26 cm) rack at 1U high.