Description
MOTU 8PRE-ES
8pre-es Feature Summary
Superb analog audio quality and high-end converters
Eight transparent mic inputs deliver superb 129 dBu EIN with 118 dB dynamic range. Renowned ESS Sabre32™ DAC technology delivers 123 dB dynamic range and the same proven, award-winning audio quality as MOTU’s flagship 1248.
New dual-LCD design
Two full-color LCDs display all signal activity at a glance with detailed metering for all analog and digital I/O. Access hardware settings from a simple and convenient menu.
Ultra-low latency and proven, high-performance MOTU drivers
Round-trip latency (RTL) performance as low as 1.6 ms at 96kHz over Thunderbolt™ with high-performance DAW hosts.
Universal connectivity
Connect to your Mac or PC with Thunderbolt™ or Hi-speed USB 2.0, with up to 256 audio channels (128 in and 128 out) over Thunderbolt. Or stream dozens of audio channels to and from your Mac over AVB/TSN Ethernet using a standard, affordable CAT-5e cable up to 100 meters long. Class-compliant firmware and industry standard drivers work with any audio apps. Connect to your iPad™ with a standard camera connection kit (adapter).
52 simultaneous audio channels
24 inputs and 28 outputs, including eight transparent remote-controllable mic inputs with individual gain/pad/48V, 8 TRS analog out, two banks of optical, word clock I/O and two front-panel headphone jacks.
DSP mixing and effects processing
Flexible 48-input digital mixer with 7 stereo aux busses, 3 groups, access to 32 network inputs, and DSP effects, including reverb, 4-band EQ, gate and compression.
32-bit floating point processing
The 8pre-es mixing and effects DSP engine delivers virtually unlimited headroom and the utmost in sound quality.
Modeled vintage effects processing
Classic reverb. Compression modeled after the legendary LA-2A compressor. EQ modeled after British analog console EQs.
Flexible matrix routing and splitting
Send any input to any output, or multiple outputs. Includes routing to and from the computer, plus any devices on the AVB network.
Control room features
Built-in talkback mic with front-panel “talk” button and”A/B” speaker select buttons.
Precision Digital Trim™
Digitally controlled analog trim on all analog inputs (mic/guitar inputs + quarter-inch TRS inputs) provides accurate adjustments in 1 dB increments.
Stand-alone operation with wireless control
Connect an Apple® Airport™ or other Wi-Fi router with a standard Ethernet cable for wireless control of device settings, powerful 48-channel mixing and DSP effects.
New Touch Console™ web app control
Control everything from mobile-friendly web app software on any laptop, tablet and smartphone connected to your local Wi-Fi network.
System expansion
Add a 2nd MOTU AVB-equipped interface with a simple CAT-5e ethernet cable. Connect up to five MOTU interfaces using a MOTU AVB Switch (sold separately).
AVB/TSN audio networking
Build a network with multiple interfaces and computers using standard AVB/TSN switches and network cabling, with ultra-low network latency, even over long cable runs (100 meters point to point). Stream hundreds of audio channels among devices and computers on the network.
Two headphone jacks
Each headphone output can be programmed with the same or different mixes, with independent front-panel volume control.
Two banks of optical I/O
Connect outboard digital processors, digital mixers or other gear. Two banks provide 16 channels of ADAT optical at 48 kHz, 8 channels of S/MUX optical I/O at 96 kHz or a single stereo TOSLink pair at rates up to 96kHz.
Time code support
Converts SMPTE time code (LTC) to MIDI Time Code (MTC) and passes MTC on to any MTC-compatible host software.
Direct Digital Synthesis™ (DDS)
DSP-driven phase lock engine and internal clock source produce imperceptibly low jitter characteristics (below the noise floor), even when the 8pre-es is resolved to an external clock source via SMPTE time code.
DC-coupled TRS outputs
Use the 8pre-es to manipulate and sequence voltage-controlled modular synthesizers from a host DAW.
Instrument tuner and audio analysis tools
Includes an oscilloscope, real-time FFT, X-Y Plot, and graphic phase analysis.
AudioDesk
Workstation software for Mac and Windows with 24-bit recording, sample-accurate editing, and 32-bit mixing and mastering.
Specifications
| Sample rates | 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192 kHz |
| Mic/line/instr inputs | 8 x XLR/TRS “combo style” mic/line/instr inputs Preamp gain: 0 to +63 dB (digitally controlled) TRS max level with pad: +17 dBu |
| Analog outputs | 8 x 1/4″ TRS line out (balanced, DC coupled) Max level: +20 dBu (digitally adjustable -4 to +20) 2 x 1/4″ TRS stereo headphone |
| Digital I/O | 2 banks (16 ch) of ADAT optical at 1x sample rates 2 banks (8 ch) of SMUX optical at 2x sample rates Switchable to stereo TOSLink (optical S/PDIF) |
| Total I/O | 24 in / 28 out (52 total) at 1x sample rates 16 in / 20 out (36 total) at 2x sample rates 8 in / 12 out (20 total) at 4x sample rates |
| Computer I/O | 1 x Thunderbolt 1 (Mac and Win) Thunderbolt 2 & 3 compatible 1 x USB 2.0 audio class compliant USB 3.0 and iOS compatible |
| Computer I/O channels Thunderbolt | 128 in/out at 1x (44.1 to 48 kHz) 128 in/out at 2x (88.2 to 96 kHz) 64 in/out at 4x (176.4 to 192 kHz) |
| Computer I/O channels USB | 64 in/out at 1x (44.1 to 48 kHz) 32 in/out at 2x (88.2 to 96 kHz) 24 in/out at 4x (176.4 to 192 kHz) |
| Sync I/O | 1 x BNC word clock in/out |
| Network I/O | 1 x RJ45 AVB/TSN Ethernet (1 Gbps) |
| AVB streams (8 channels per stream) | 4 in / 4 out @ 44.1 or 48 kHz 4 in / 4 out @ 88.2 or 96 kHz 2 in / 2 out @ 176.4 or 192 kHz |
| Headphone | 2 x 1/4″ TRS stereo phone (assignable) |
| Phantom power | 8 x individual +48V |
| Front panel | 2 x 1/4″ TRS headphone output 2 x digital rotary encoders • phone vol 4 x digital rotary encoders • mic/instr input gain 2 x large digital rotary encoders • main vol / menu 8 x small switches • (4) Pad / (4) 48V Phantom pwr 10 x large switches • menu nav / A-B select, etc. 2 x LCD (128 x 160) for level meters/menu nav |
| Power | International 100-240V auto-switching supply 50-60 Hz • 0.5A max |
| Dimensions and weight | (width x depth x height, enclosure only) 19 x 7 x 1.75 inches 48.3 x 17.75 x 4.5 cm 4.6 lbs / 2.05 kg with rack brackets removed: 17.25 inches (43.8 cm) wide 4.5 lbs / 2.04 kg |
Mac System Requirements
- 1 GHz Intel-based Mac or faster
- 2 GB RAM; 4 GB or more recommended
- Mac OS X version 10.8 or later
- Available Thunderbolt 1/2/3, USB 2/3 or AVB/TSN Ethernet port*
- A large hard drive (at least 500 GB for recording)
- *AVB/TSN Ethernet audio interface operation requires OS X El Capitan or later
Windows System Requirements
- 1 GHz Pentium-based PC compatible or faster
- 2 GB RAM; 4 GB or more recommended
- Windows 7, 8 or 10
- Available Thunderbolt 1/2/3 or USB 2/3 port
- A large hard drive (at least 500 GB for recording)
Web App Support
- Any web client platform: Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
- Any web browser: Safari, Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Explorer, etc.
Included Software
- Thunderbolt and USB 2.0 drivers
- MOTU Discovery App for Mac & PC (finds connected MOTU interfaces)
- MOTU Discovery App for iOS (available from Apple App Store)
- MOTU Pro Audio Control web app (served from the hardware itself)
- MOTU Audio Tools (FFT, oscilloscope, X-Y plot, phase analyzer)
- AudioDesk for Mac & Windows (separate download)
Operating Systems
- For computer audio I/O: Mac OS X 10.8 or later; Windows 7 or later
- For web app control: Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
Analog I/O Specifications
| Connector type | Dynamic range (A-weighted) | THD+N (unweighted) | Max level | Trim range (in 1 dB steps) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Line output | 1/4″ TRS, balanced, tip hot | 123 dB | -108 dB | +20 dBu | 24 dB (-24 to 0) |
| Line input | 1/4″ TRS, bal/unbal, tip hot | 118 dB | -108 dB | +24 dBu | 118 dBu (-96 to +22) |
| Mic input | XLR, balanced, pin 2 hot | 118 dB | -129 dB EIN | +24 dBu (with pad) | 63 dB |
| Phones | 1/4″, TRS stereo | 108 dB | -100 dB | Max. 80 mw | 128 dB |
Compatible Mac Software
The 8pre-es ships with standard Core Audio drivers for Mac OS X for compatibility with virtually all Core Audio-compatible apps, including:
- MOTU Digital Performer
- Avid Pro Tools (version 9 or later)
- Apple Logic Pro
- Apple Logic Express
- Apple Garage Band
- Apple SoundTrack Pro
- Ableton Live
- Presonus Studio One
- Propellerhead Record & Reason
- Steinberg Cubase
- Cockos Reaper
- Native Instruments Kontakt
- Waves stand-alone apps (and plug-ins, via the compatible host)
Compatible Windows Software
The 8pre-es ships with standard ASIO and Wave drivers for Windows 7, 8, and 10 for compatibility with virtually all ASIO- and Wave-compatible audio apps, including:
- MOTU Digital Performer
- Avid Pro Tools (version 9 or later)
- Ableton Live
- Cakewalk Sonar
- Cockos Reaper
- Image-Line FL Studio
- Native Instruments Kontakt
- Presonus Studio One
- Propellerhead Record & Reason
- Sony Vegas Pro
- Sony Sound Forge
- Sony Acid
- Steinberg Cubase
- Waves stand-alone apps (and plug-ins, via the compatible host)
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