Connect all your studio gear, including microphones, guitars, synths, keyboards, drum machines, outboard processors and optical expanders. All I/O is available simultaneously.
Superb analog audio quality: Renowned ESS Sabre32 Ultra™ DAC technology
Renowned ESS Sabre32™ DAC technology delivers measured 123 dB dynamic range and the same proven, award-winning audio quality as MOTU's flagship 1248.
Redesigned mic channels: Cutting-edge components deliver ultra-transparent sound
Eight transparent mic preamps deliver superb -108 dB THD+N, 118 dB dynamic range and -129 dBu EIN performance. Each mic channel has individual preamp gain, pad, 48V phantom power and digital remote control.
High-performance Thunderbolt and USB drivers for Mac and PC: Ultra-low latency and renowned rock-solid performance
Round-trip latency (RTL) performance as low as 1.6 ms at 96kHz over Thunderbolt™ with high-performance DAW hosts.
Universal connectivity: USB and Thunderbolt for Mac, PC and iOS
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).
Control room features: Take control of your recording sessions
Take control of your recording sessions with the built-in talkback mic and front-panel talk button. Connect two sets of speakers and check your mixes instantly with front-panel A/B speaker select buttons.
DSP mixing and effects: Console-style mixing with 48 channels and 12 busses
A full-fledged 48-input digital mixer delivers 7 stereo aux busses, 3 groups, access to 64 network inputs, and DSP effects including reverb, 4-band EQ, gate and compression. If you know your way around a large-format mixing console, you'll feel right at home. If you've ever wished to mix on a large console, the driver's seat is now yours.
Modeled vintage effects processing: Vintage processing with 32-bit float precision
Classic reverb. Compression modeled after the legendary LA-2A compressor. EQ modeled after British analog console EQs. The 8pre-es DSP engine delivers virtually unlimited headroom and the utmost in sound quality.
Flexible matrix routing and splitting: Route your audio anywhere with one-click ease
Send any input to any output, or multiple outputs. Includes routing
to and from the computer, plus any devices on the audio network.
Web app control from any device: Control everything from your laptop, tablet and smartphone
The software that you use to control the 8pre-es doesn't reside on your hard drive. It's a web app served from the hardware itself. This means you can control the 8pre-es on-board DSP, mixing, device settings, and network audio routing from your favorite web browser on a laptop, tablet or smartphone connected by wire or Wi-Fi to your local area network. Use any web client on any platform - Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android - as long as it shares the same network.
Touch Console: The art of the mix on your touchscreen
Designed specifically for touchscreen operation, Touch Console™ delivers a whole new mixing experience. Access Touch Console from your tablet or smartphone to effortlessly control the powerful 48-channel mixer and effects in the 8pre-es. With large targets for your fingers, multi-touch operation and intuitive design, you can tap, swipe and pinch your way to a perfect mix, every time.
Stand-alone operation with wireless control: No computer or laptop needed
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.
Solid metal chassis: MOTU interfaces are built to last
Like all MOTU interfaces, the 8pre-es aluminum alloy chassis is lightweight, yet incredibly sturdy and durable, and designed to withstand the rigors of the studio, stage, and tour bus. In a world awash with cheap plastic, the solid feeling of the 8pre-es metal exterior in your hands is a reassuring reminder that you are holding quality engineering and construction.
AudioDesk: Powerful audio workstation technology for Mac and Windows
Includes 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 autoswitching 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
