MOTU 8 PRE USB

Turn your computer into a powerful digital audio workstation with eight mic inputs. Or add eight high-quality mic/instrument inputs to your current system.

The 8pre audio interface delivers everything you need to turn your computer into a powerful 24-bit, 96kHz digital audio workstation. The 8pre provides eight microphone/instrument preamps with pristine 96kHz analog recording and playback, combined with 8 channels of ADAT optical digital I/O. Expand your system by connecting additional 8pres or other MOTU audio interfaces.

The 8pre as your primary audio interface

Use the included CueMix™ software to mix all 16 inputs from your computer. Eight channels of ADAT optical I/O make the 8pre an ideal companion for a digital mixer. Two ADAT lightpipe connections work together to support a full 8 channels of optical digital I/O at any sample rate up to 96kHz.

Connect all of your studio gear, including microphones, guitars, synths, keyboards, drum machines and even effects processors. Then monitor all of these live inputs via the 8pre’s main outs or headphone jack — with virtually no monitoring latency and no processor drain on your computer. You can even create separate monitor mixes for the main outs and headphones. Control everything, including talk-back and listen-back, from the included CueMix Console™ software, just like a large studio console.

The 8pre as a microphone preamp expansion interface

The 8pre is really two products in one. When it is not connected to a computer via USB, the 8pre functions as an eight-channel analog to digital (optical) converter. Connect the 8pre to your MOTU 828, 896, Traveler or even another 8pre via the optical “lightpipe” connection to add eight high-quality microphone pre-amps to your system. Since the connection is digital, 100% pristine sound is maintained, down to the very last sample.

Give your existing rig eight more preamplifiers

If you already have a working studio setup, you can easily expand your rig with the MOTU 8pre USB. Because it offers ADAT output, you can connect it up to your unused ADAT port and take advantage of 8pre USB’s eight stellar microphone preamplifiers. It’s a great way to turn your rig into one that can handle recording an entire band, including professionally miking the drums. And, the great part is that because the 8pre USB can operate as a standalone audio interface you won’t be locking yourself into getting “just” an 8-channel microphone preamplifier. So, if your needs require, you can always leave the rest of your studio connected at home, while you take the 8pre USB out to a friend’s house or to a live show, to record on a smaller scale.

CueMix DSP lets you create effective monitor mixes — with no latency

Connect up all your gear to the MOTU 8pre USB, then use its onboard CueMix DSP to create complex monitor mixes — without hitting up your computer for processing power. With CueMix and your 8pre USB, you can create up to four separate stereo monitor mixes, assigned to any digital or analog output pairs. Each mix can support all 16 of the 8pre USB’s inputs — its eight XLR/TRS analog inputs and its eight ADAT optical digital inputs. Just blend in whatever amount of them you like, then let CueMix DSP do all the work. CueMix DSP supports talkback and listenback, as well, so you and musicians can communicate between the live rooms and control rooms.

Control CueMix with your iPad

MOTU’s CueMix FX software, the mixing software that drives the powerful routing of the 8pre USB, can be controlled from your iPad. MOTU created CueMix templates for the TouchOSC controller app, giving you complete control over your 8pre USB’s mixing and effects processing over a Wi-Fi network. This means that when you’re recording in your studio, you don’t need to keep going back to your computer to adjust gain levels, change monitoring effects, or virtually anything else you rely on CueMix for.

16 channels of MIDI I/O

The MOTU 8pre USB features an integrated 16-channel MIDI interface, delivering sample-accurate timing to software hosts that support it. The USB signal carries your MIDI signal to your computer.

SMPTE time code synchronization

Beyond its robust I/O and routing capabilities, the MOTU 8pre USB features onboard SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) time code synchronization, so you can slave your 8pre USB to SMPTE, without a synchronizer.