Motu 848 28 x 32 Thunderbolt/USB Audio Interface

Superb analog audio quality

Renowned ESS Sabre32™ DAC technology delivers 125 dB dynamic range and extremely low harmonic distortion. Analog performance is driven by decades of engineering expertise in audio interface technology.

Thunderbolt and USB connectivity for Mac, PC and iOS

The 848 delivers cutting-edge Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 universal connectivity for Mac, PC and iOS. Connect your host device with the included 40 Gbps USB-C cable and the 848 negotiates the fastest possible connectivity speed, up to 40 Gbps, with backward compatibility for Thunderbolt 3, USB3 and USB2 host connections. Thunderbolt and USB4 connections deliver an astonishing 256 channels of computer I/O (128 in and 128 out) at sample rates up to 96 kHz.

60 simultaneous audio channels

Connect all your studio gear, including monitors, headphones, microphones, guitars, synths, keyboards, drum machines, outboard processors, optical expanders, and more. All 28 inputs and 32 outputs are available simultaneously.

Ultra-low latency performance

Optimized drivers for both Mac and PC deliver renowned, ultra-low latency performance. With a high-performance DAW such as Digital Performer, the 848 delivers an astonishing round trip latency (RTL) of ~1.8 ms (milliseconds) over Thunderbolt and USB at 96 kHz with a 32-sample host buffer.

Plug and play ease with massive bandwidth

Daisy-chain the 848 with up to six other Thunderbolt devices, all connected to your host computer with massive 40 Gbps bandwidth to easily handle hundreds of audio channels, 8K video, terabytes of hard drive storage, and more. Thunderbolt 4-compatible USB-C cable included (length = 2 meters).

Transparent mic channels and hi-Z guitar inputs

Capture your recorded material in its truest, most natural form with -114 dB THD+N, 118 dB dynamic range and -129 dBu EIN performance. Each mic channel has individual preamp gain, pad, 48V phantom power and remote control from your computer or iOS device. Each combo jack alternately provides a 1/4-inch high-impedance TS guitar input for DI tracking and reamping.

Extra line inputs when you need them

Do you work with compressors and other outboard gear? mic inputs 3-4 each offer a dedicated analog send/return loop,
allowing for both mono or stereo mic channel outboard processing via fully balanced connections. If nothing is plugged
in to a mic input, its return serves as an extra line input with identical signal characteristics to all other line inputs.

Highlights

• Next-gen 28 x 32 Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 audio interface — Built on 30 years of proven success as an industry-leading audio interface brand.
• New 3.9-inch TFT display — 24-bit RGB LCD provides 480 x 128 pixel high-resolution metering for all analog and digital I/O, plus detailed status info and access to hardware settings from a simple and convenient menu.
• Superb analog audio quality and high-end converters — Renowned ESS Sabre32™ DAC technology delivers 125 dB dynamic range. Support for all standard sample rates up to 192 kHz.
• Ultra-low latency and proven, high-performance MOTU drivers — Round-trip latency (RTL) performance as low as 1.8 ms at 96kHz with high-performance DAW hosts.
• Universal Thunderbolt/USB-C connectivity — Connect to any computer with the included 40 Gbps Thunderbolt-compatible USB4 cable  (compatible with USB3 and USB2) for up to 256 audio channels (128 in and 128 out), depending on the host computer connection. Class-compliant firmware and industry standard drivers work with any audio apps. Connects to an iPad™ with USB-C or a Lightning adapter kit (sold separately). Use the second Thunderbolt port to connect additional computer peripherals, a USB hub or Thunderbolt dock.
• 60 simultaneous audio channels — 28 inputs and 32 outputs, including 8x12 TRS analog (line-level) in/out, two banks of 8-channel optical I/O, and two front-panel headphone outputs.
• Advanced mic channels — Cutting-edge components deliver ultra-transparent sound with -114 dB THD+N, 118 dB dynamic range and -129 dBu EIN. Each mic channel provides individual controls for +74 dB of preamp gain, -20 dB pad, 48V phantom power, and phase invert. All settings can be controlled remotely from a computer or iOS device. Mic inputs 3-4 include a dedicated send/return insert for outboard gear processing.
• Flexible insert returns — When nothing is connected to mic inputs 3-4, the two returns function as additional line inputs with identical signal path characteristics as the other eight line inputs.
• Dolby Atmos™ monitoring — Twelve line outputs support up to 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos monitoring systems.
• 64-channel mixing with effects — Powerful 32-bit floating point DSP delivers 64-channel mixing with 64 inputs, 32 busses, and effects processing, including reverb, 4-band double-precision EQ, high-pass filter, gate and compression at all sample rates up to 96 kHz.
• Patchbay routing and splitting — Using intuitive, virtual patch cords, or a comprehensive routing grid, easily route any source signal to any destination. Split any source to multiple destinations.
• AVB Networking — Use two Gigabit network ports to daisy-chain multiple units using standard network cabling, or add an AVB switch to build a network with multiple interfaces and computers with ultra-low network latency, even over long cable runs (hundreds of meters). Stream hundreds of audio channels among devices and computers on the network. Compatible with previous-generation MOTU AVB devices.
• Wi-Fi control — Control everything wirelessly over Wi-Fi from the CueMix Pro app running on mobile devices or other computers on the same network — even multiple devices at the same time.
• Precision boost/trim for analog I/O — Calibrate analog input and output signals in precise 1 dB increments. Apply phase invert individually to analog inputs.
• Control room features — Control your sessions with "talk" button and "A/B/C" speaker select buttons on the front panel to quickly compare your mixes on three sets of studio monitors. Mute and sum-to-mono buttons are also included.
• Two flexible headphone outputs — With independent volume control, each headphone output can mirror each other, the Main Outs, any other analog output pair, any mixer bus, or any computer output channels. Or you can create a completely customized mix for each headphone that includes live 848 inputs and built-in reverb.
• Two banks of optical I/O — Connect outboard digital processors, digital mixers or other gear with 16 channels of ADAT at 44.1/48 kHz or 8 channels of S/MUX at 88.2/96 kHz. Bank A can optionally provide stereo TOSLink (optical S/PDIF) I/O up to 96 kHz.
• Word clock in/out/thru — Supports all sample rates up to 192 kHz.
• DC-coupled TRS outputs — Use the 848 to manipulate and sequence voltage-controlled modular synthesizers from a host DAW.
• Guitar re-amping — Connect your guitar to the front-panel input, use CueMix's near-zero latency to loop to any output (with a re-amp adapter, if needed), and record both the dry signal and your mic’d up amp simultaneously. Then re-amp the dry signal later with different amps and cabs — or amp modeling plug-ins — to experiment with different tones.
• Loopback for live streaming and podcasting — Easily route computer output back to the computer, where you can mix it with live inputs from the 848 in your host software for live streaming or podcasting.
• Flexible front-panel metering — Choose customized meter views for analog I/O only, digital I/O only and other combinations to best support your workflow.
• CueMix Pro app — Control mixing and settings from your Mac, PC or iOS device.
• Performer Lite — Workstation software with over 100 included instruments, dozens of effects and 6 GB of included loops to make music right away.