MOTU 8A Thunderbolt / USB3 / AVB Ethernet Audio Interface with DSP and Mixing
MOTU 8A Thunderbolt / USB3 / AVB Ethernet Audio Interface with DSP and Mixing
Motu 8A is equipped with renowned ESS Sabre32 Ultra™ DAC technology, the 8A has the same award-winning analog audio quality and proven performance as MOTU’s flagship 16A interface – packed into a mobile half-rack enclosure.;
You get 8 x 8 balanced analog, 8-channel ADAT optical and independent headphone out for 16 inputs and 18 outputs. The optical ports also support stereo TOSLink (optical S/PDIF).
Renowned ESS Sabre32 Ultra™ DAC technology delivers 123 dB dynamic range and the same proven, award-winning audio quality as MOTU’s flagship 16A.
The 8A delivers round-trip latency (RTL) performance as low as 1.6 ms at 96kHz over Thunderbolt™ – and an astonishing 1.9 ms over USB – with high-performance DAW hosts.
Connects to your computer with Thunderbolt™, super-speed USB 3.0 or AVB/TSN Ethernet – with support for up to 256 audio channels (128 in and 128 out). USB audio class-compliant firmware and high-performance, industry-standard drivers work with any audio apps. Connects to your iPad™ with a standard camera connection kit (adapter).
Features:
- Superb analog audio quality and high-end converters — Renowned ESS Sabre32 DAC technology delivers 123 dB dynamic range and the same proven, award-winning audio quality as MOTU’s flagship 16A.
- 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.
- Mobile operation and universal connectivity — Connects to your computer or iPad™ with Thunderbolt, super-speed USB 3.0 or AVB Ethernet. Class-compliant firmware and Industry standard drivers work with any audio apps.
- 34 simultaneous audio channels — 8 x 8 balanced analog with dedicated main outs, 8-channel ADAT optical and independent phone out for 16 inputs and 18 outputs.
- 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 8A’s 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.
- 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.
- Web app control from any device — Control everything from your favorite web browser on a 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 5 MOTU interfaces using a MOTU AVB Switch
- 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.
- Optical I/O — Connect outboard digital processors, digital mixers or other gear. Eight channels of ADAT at 44.1/48 kHz, 4 channels of SMUX at 88.2/96 kHz or stereo TOS Link (optical S/PDIF) up to 96 kHz.
- Comprehensive metering — The full-color LCD lets you view 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.
- Audio Desk — Includes AudioDesk work station 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
- Analog inputs:
- 8 x ¼” TRS line inputs (balanced/unbalanced)
- Max level: +24 dBu (range -96 to +22)
- Analog outputs:
- 8 x ¼” TRS line out (balanced, DC coupled 5v)
- Max level: +20 dBu (range -4 to +20)
- 1 x ¼” TRS stereo headphone
- Digital I/O:
- 1 bank (8-ch) of ADAT optical at 1x sample rates
- 1 bank (4-ch) of SMUX optical at 2x sample rates
- Switchable to stereo TOSLink (optical S/PDIF)
- Total I/O:
- 16-inputs / 18-outputs (34 total) at 1x sample rates
- 12-inputs / 14-outputs (26 total) at 2x sample rates
- 8-inputs / 10-outputs (18 total) at 4x sample rates
- Computer I/O:
- 1 x Thunderbolt 2 (Mac and Win)
- Thunderbolt 1 & 3 compatible
- 1 x USB 3.0 (Mac and Win)
- USB 2.0 and iOS compatible (class compliant)
- 1 x AVB/TSN Ethernet (Mac only)
- Requires OS X 10.11 or later
- Computer I/O channels:
- Thunderbolt (44.1 to 96 kHz): 128 in/out
- Thunderbolt (176.4 to 192 kHz): 64 in/out
- USB 3.0 (44.1 to 96 kHz): 128 in/out
- USB 3.0 (176.4 to 192 kHz): 64 in/out
- AVB/TSN Ethernet: 16 to 128 in/out
- depends on host computer speed
- Headphone: 1 x ¼” TRS stereo phone (assignable)
- Front panel:
- 1 x ¼” TRS headphone output
- 1 x digital rotary encoder; main/phone volume
- 5 x switches ; menu navigation
- 160 x 128 pixel RGB LCD for level meters / menu nav
- Power switch
- Power:
- External 12-18V DC power supply
- 1.0A max • tip pos or neg
- Dimensions (W x D x H, enclosure only): 8.6″ x 7″ x 1.75″ (22 x 17.75 x 4.5cm)
- Weight: 2.2 lbs. (1.0 kg)
