MOTU Traveler-mk3

Description

The MOTU Traveler-mk3 delivers innovative new features, enhanced standard features that remain unique, superb sound and reliable performance.

Engineered for high-end mobile recording applications, the Traveler-mk3 delivers four very high-quality mic inputs, bus power, optional battery power, and DSP-driven mixing and effects processing.

The Traveler-mk3 provides eight channels of pristine 192 kHz analog recording and playback, combined with twenty channels of digital I/O in ADAT optical, AES/EBU and S/PDIF formats. Expand your system by connecting additional MOTU FireWire audio interfaces or the 8pre mic input expander.

The Traveler-mk3 is equally well-suited for studio, stage, and remote locations, with or without a computer. As an interface or stand-alone mixer, the Traveler-mk3 provides 28 separate inputs and 30 separate outputs, including four XLR/quarter-inch “combo” mic/instrument analog inputs equipped with pre-amps, individual 48V phantom power switches, and Digital Precision Trim™ controls conveniently adjusted from the front panel or CueMix FX™ software.

Connect all of your audio instruments and gear, including mics, guitars, synths, keyboards, drum machines, and even effects processors. Record, monitor, route, and process these live inputs using the professional onboard CueMix FX digital mixer with no latency and no processor strain on your computer. Apply hardware DSP-driven effects processing to inputs, outputs, and busses independent of your host computer.

Add Classic Reverb™ with lengths up to 60 seconds. Further, sculpt your sound with 7-band parametric EQ featuring filter types carefully modeled after British analog console EQs. Choose between two forms of compression: a conventional compressor and the Leveler™, an accurate model of the legendary LA-2A™ optical compressor that provides vintage, musical automatic gain control. When recording from the four mic/guitar inputs, the Traveler-mk3’s signal overload protection gives you an extra 12 dB of headroom above zero with no clipping or harsh artifacts.

After programming the on-board mixing in the studio, unplug the Traveler-mk3, remove the rack brackets, and take it on the road for operation as a portable, bus-powered audio interface for a laptop or battery-operated stand-alone mixer with effects. The Traveler slides easily into your backpack and fits neatly beneath your laptop. All mixing and effects parameters are adjustable using the front panel backlit LCD. Record extended sessions even in the most remote locations with complete freedom of field battery power.

The Traveler-mk3 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.

Feature summary

Sturdy lightweight construction — ready to travel with you anywhere.
Compact size (14.75 × 9 inches) — fits easily into a knapsack, briefcase, or computer bag and sits perfectly under any laptop.
Powered by computer* — no additional power supply is necessary for complete recording freedom.
Optional battery power — standard field battery pack (sold separately) can be used for extended remote recording sessions and stand-alone operation as a complete digital mixer.
28 inputs / 30 outputs (at 44.1/48 kHz) — there’s no channel sharing in the Traveler-mk3. Mic inputs, TRS analog, AES/EBU, RCA S/PDIF, and phones are all handled as separate channels.
Four combo jacks provide hi-Z 1/4” guitar input or low-Z XLR mic input with transparent preamps, phantom power, a pad, and plenty of gain.
Clip protection — Mic/guitar input limiter prevents digital clipping and distortion from overloaded signal levels up to +12 dB over zero.
Individual 48V phantom power on each mic input — mix and match microphones.
Four 24-bit 192kHz analog inputs and eight analog outputs on balanced/unbalanced 1/4″ TRS jacks.
Digital Precision Trim™ — adjust input gain in 1dB increments on all analog inputs (mic/guitar inputs + quarter-inch TRS inputs). Fine-tune the balance of your analog inputs. Save and recall multiple trim setups.
High-resolution recording — The Traveler-mk3 can operate all analog I/O at sample rates up to 192kHz.
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.
CueMix FX™ — flexible 28 input/16 bus mixer with onboard DSP effects, including classic reverb with sends/returns, plus modeled EQ and vintage compression on every input and output.
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.
Advanced audio signal analysis — CueMix FX software provides real-time FFT and spectrogram “waterfall” displays for visual analysis of individual signals and entire mixes.
Front-panel control — access your entire mix, or any Traveler-mk3 setting, directly from the front panel.
Stand-alone operation — program your mixes at the studio and then bring the Traveler-mk3 to your gig — no computer needed. Just plug in the included DC power adapter. Tweak settings using the back-lit LCD.
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.
Compatible with the 8pre mic input expander — connect the 8pre via optical for 8 more mic inputs at sample rates up to 96 kHz fully integrated into the Traveler-mk3’s CueMix FX mixing environment.
Eight 24-bit 192kHz outputs on balanced/unbalanced 1/4″ TRS jacks.
Phone jack with front panel volume control.
Stereo 24-bit 96kHz AES/EBU in/out.
Stereo 24-bit 96kHz S/PDIF in/out.
Word clock in and out.
Built-in SMPTE time code sync — resolves to and generates time code. It allows you to directly resolve Digital Performer, Logic, Cubase, Nuendo, and other compatible host software to time code with no additional synchronizer needed.
DC-coupled TRS outputs — can be used with Volta™ (sold separately) to manipulate and sequence voltage-controlled modular synthesizers from a host DAW.
Plug-and-play operation with your Mac or PC via FireWire.
Includes native 32- and 64-bit drivers for Mac OS X and Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP, including ASIO, WDM, Wave, Core Audio, and Core MIDI. Supports all popular Mac and Windows audio software.
Supports all popular Mac and Windows audio software.
100% compatible with all host-based effects processing in today’s popular audio programs.
Includes AudioDesk 4 full-featured sample-accurate workstation software for the Mac and Windows with recording, editing, mixing, real-time 32-bit effects processing & sample-accurate sync.
Plug-and-play operation with your Mac or PC via FireWire — Two FireWire 400 ports allows for daisy-chaining without a hub. Works with a FireWire 800 connection via a simple adapter or FW400-to-800 cable.
Front panel volume control for monitoring. Stereo, Quad, 5.1, 7.1, and user-defined surround monitoring setups are available.
Front panel meters or activity LEDs for all analog, digital, and MIDI I/O, plus SMPTE sync, tach, and lock LEDs.
Comprehensive level metering — Front panel LCD provides vertical meters for entire banks (8 channels at once) or horizontal long-throw metering for individual channels. Meter banks are quickly accessible via the dedicated METERS rotary encoder on the front panel.
Dedicated front panel clock status LEDs.
Chassis dimensions, excluding rack ears and front and back panel knobs and connectors: 14.75 × 9 × 1.75 inches (37.47 × 22.86 × 4.45 cm). Knobs and connectors extend up to 0.5 inches (1.27 cm) from the front and back panels, adding 1 inch (2.54 cm) to the depth. With rack ears attached, fits a standard 19-inch (48.26 cm) rack at 1U high.