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MOTU 16A 32x32 Thunderbolt / USB 2.0 Audio Interface with AVB

32-in/32-out Hybrid Thunderbolt/USB 2.0/iOS Audio Interface with 16 x 16 Line-level I/O, ADAT and S/PDIF Digital I/O, AVB Ethernet Compatibility, and 48-channel DSP Mixer Onboard with Processing and Effects - Mac/PC
14 Write review Item ID: 16A
$1,495.00

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MOTU 16A 32x32 Thunderbolt / USB 2.0 Audio Interface with AVB
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Professional I/O with Room to Grow!

If you're looking for a system that can meet the needs of a wide range of professional audio applications, then check out the MOTU 16A hybrid audio interface. With 16 balanced analog inputs and outputs, the 16A serves as an excellent conduit for your outboard microphone preamplifiers and other studio gear, and an additional 16 channels of ADAT I/O on optical ports provide you with plenty of expansion for multi-channel mic pres and more. Thanks to its Thunderbolt connectivity, latency is no hurdle for the 16A, though the onboard DSP mixer offers latency-free routing for monitoring and mixing. MOTU's AVB Ethernet lets you network multiple AVB interfaces to your 16A, and advanced capabilities even let you use it as a standalone, iPad-controlled digital mixer if you like.

Related Videos: 16A 32x32 Thunderbolt / USB 2.0 Audio Interface with AVB

Classic MOTU audio quality with the shockingly low latency of Thunderbolt connectivity

At Sweetwater, we've been huge fans of MOTU for a very long time, and one of the things we've come to depend on them for is delivering top-shelf sound quality to studios on a budget, and a whole lot more. The 16A is no exception. With a mere -110dB THD+N of self-noise and 123dB (A-weighted, 20Hz-20kHz) of dynamic range, this 16A's 16-channel analog I/O offers you some of the cleanest audio around, and an additional 16 channels of digital I/O via ADAT optical ports bring your total channel count to 32 x 32. To go with this impressive selection of high-quality I/O, MOTU gave the 16A ultra-fast Thunderbolt connectivity (in addition to USB 2.0), so you get epically low system latency too.

DSP-fueled mixer onboard gives you the added benefit of EQ, compression, and effects

Granted, with the MOTU 16A's extremely fast Thunderbolt connection, system latency isn't much of an issue to begin with, but the onboard DSP mixer still offers a number of advantages you'll find useful in a variety of settings, such as when you're connected via USB. For starters, this digital mixer supports up to 48 inputs (via AVB expansion) and 12 stereo busses, allowing you to set up extremely complex routing schemes completely independent of your computer. In fact, if you connect a wireless router to your 16A, you can access all of its internal mixing functions, including effects and processing, via an app on your iOS device, turning this powerful audio interface into a fully capable standalone mixer. Speaking of onboard processing and effects, whether you're in the studio or onstage with your 16A, you'll find a ton of uses for its DSP EQ, compression, gate, and reverb.

Expand your production system with additional AVB networkable audio interfaces

Another extremely cool use of the 16A's Ethernet connection is the ability to link more MOTU AVB equipped audio interfaces to it. You can do this in one of two ways: directly via a simple Ethernet cable or as part of an audio network via one or more MOTU AVB Switch. If you go with just a single Ethernet cable, you can easily link a second 16A or other AVB ready device directly to your first one. With MOTU AVB Switches, you can create an audio network of up to five units, potentially linking hundreds of channels of I/O across multiple rooms. And since it's all over standard Cat-5e Ethernet cable, latency or cable runs aren't an issue.

MOTU 16A Hybrid Audio Interface Features:

  • A fantastic 32-in/32-out hybrid audio interface for studio and live sound applications
  • ADAT optical digital I/O lets you expand your system with additional gear
  • Choose from ultra-low-latency Thunderbolt, high-speed USB 2.0, or iPad/iOS (w/ Camera Connection Kit) connectivity
  • Onboard 32-bit floating point DSP-driven digital mixer with EQ, dynamics, and effects provides latency-free routing
  • Hook up a wireless router and take complete control of the onboard mixer from your iOS device - no computer needed!
  • MOTU's AVB audio networking lets you easily expand your system and additional AVB equipped audio interfaces
  • Create an AVB network via optional AVB Switches for support for up to five compatible interfaces

Additional Media

Audio Interface Buying Guide

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Tech Specs

  • Computer Connectivity: 1 x Thunderbolt, 1 x USB 2.0 Type B
  • Form Factor: Rackmount
  • Simultaneous I/O: 32 x 32
  • A/D Resolution: 24-bit/192kHz
  • Built In DSP/FX: Yes
  • Analog Inputs: 16 x 1/4" TRS (line in)
  • Analog Outputs: 16 x 1/4" TRS (line out)
  • Digital Inputs: 2 x Optical (ADAT)
  • Digital Outputs: 2 x Optical (ADAT)
  • Thunderbolt: 1 x Thunderbolt 2
  • Data I/O: Ethernet
  • Network: AVB
  • Clock I/O: In, Out/Thru
  • OS Requirements - Mac: 1GHz Intel CPU or higher, 4GB RAM or more recommended, OS X 10.8 or later, iOS/iPad compatible (with camera connection kit)
  • OS Requirements - PC: 1GHz Intel compatible processor or higher, 4GB RAM or more recommended, Windows 7 or later, USB 2.0 audio class compliant hosts
  • Rack Spaces: 1U
  • Height: 1.75"
  • Width: 19"
  • Manufacturer Part Number: 9320

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Customer Reviews

4.1 out of 5

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Couldn't be happier with my purchase

I bought two Moto 16A's to have a full 32 track system and intend to add more so I can operate a full analog insertion of 46 channels at mix time, saving two for my playback. They are rock solid, their customer support is second to none and I have recommended them to many people here in Nashville. Their chipset is of the highest caliber and they are a connectivity Rolls Royce. Best there is right now in pro audio.
by Randy Kohrs from Nashville on
Music background: Session musician/singer/producer/engineer/studio owner

Excellent and expandable upgrade to my studio.

I started out having two Arturia 8Pre's linked by ADAT to give me 16 channels of analog I/O but as my synth collection grew I needed to expand my I/O count. I also wanted to reduce latency. I also need to be able to mix independent of my DAW sometimes. The 16A was the prefect option. I linked my 8Pre's to it via ADAT and now I have 32 channels of analog I/O at 48khz. I love the mixer capability and the ability to quickly switch between a configuration to use it as an interface with my Cubase DAW with ~1ms latency, or use it to mix standalone without my DAW. Finally when the day comes I need to expand further I'll add another 16A or 1248 via AVB. Sound quality is excellent. Sounds pristine to my ears.
by Karl from Ohio on
Music background: Electronic Music Producer

Great sound unbelievable routing options.

I've been using another high end interface, but got tired of dealing with latency and limited routing options when tracking larger ensembles. This interface was so much less expensive (about the price of a single add on input module on my other interface), that I was concerned about how it would sound. Very pleasantly surprised, and actually preferred the MOTU on a blind test (piano recording). I am using a Apogee Big Ben for clocking, so that might help, but whatever the reason the 16A sounds fantastic. I have a mid level commercial studio with very picky clients, so sound quality is paramount, and I know this unit will make them happy.
Now on to the routing - it's unbelievable. It has internal mixing buses, eq, compressors etc that can be used for monitoring while the unaffected sound goes directly to the DAW. Or can record with effects applied.
All of the analog outputs are great for sending to personal monitoring systems at any sample rate. You could use ADAT outs, but most personal monitor systems Max out at 48k, so analog outs make concerns about higher sample rates a moot issue.
Latency is effectively zero, but with no strain on the computer/DAW. It can be a bit daunting to really get the routing options down (because of the almost limitless routing possibilities) but MOTU has some great help videos. Once you understand the routing, you realize there's almost nothing this interface (or multiple ethernet linked AVB connected MOTU interfaces) can't do. Definitely a hidden gem, and hands down the best bargain out there. IMHO.
by Thomas Zink from Long Beach, CA on

GREAT UPGRADE

I bought this to replace two aging MOTU firewire interfaces linked together. At first I had some connecting issues, but I bought a new iMac and all is good. I have paired this with the Beringer Powerplay headphone distribution and I can easily track a band with plenty of inputs and easy monitoring. My mic preamps (True Systems) go straight into the 16A and everything sounds clean and crisp. The routing is very easy with the MOTU web app, and I finally have a system that I am proud out and confident it sounds great for personal and client work.
by Tim from Peoria, IL on
Music background: Anything and Everything Music

Extremely good conversion..quirky PC performance

I upgraded from a RME UFX gen 1 and a ADI-8 MkIII I was using for 16 channels IO to a SSL X-Desk. The RME is a great, solid interface, but its conversion tech is getting a bit long in the tooth. The specs on the 16A are really impressive and I wanted to see if it lived up to the marketing hype. Happy to report, it does!

It is running the same ADDA conversion as the Apogee Symphony systems, and it delivers some amazing sound quality. I honestly was very skeptical of a noticeable improvement over the RME, but I definitely hear it, checking against some high res 24/96 reference tracks. Best way I can describe the sound is that the RME is very clinical. It's super clear, and punchy, but lacking some of that 3D depth and airiness around the sound sources. The Motu 16A has this sparkle and airiness, with a really 3D sound stage. It's got the clear punchy sound of the RME, but with this extra deep clarity and sizzle. It is amazing for the price, and this unit works great for summing/OTB mixing, since it doesn't have the extra headphone outs, mic pres, etc. It's just high quality IO. SO I feel like I am paying only for what I need. And it is a modular system, so if I need more down the line, they have a range of other products on the AVB platform.

So what are the downsides? Well, it is tricky to get good performance on a PC at first and required some tweaking. I have a custom built workstation with an ASUS X99 WS-E MB i7, 64MB of RAM, with the thunderbolt expansion card, and initially I was getting a lot of clicks and pops, even with a high buffer. To be fair, I had not tweaked Windows 10 for audio production, but the RME had just worked in this regard. So I followed some steps the Focusrite website offers for tweaking, like setting the power mode to high performance, and setting priority for background services which helps drivers, I also disabled HPET per a forum recommendation, the High Precision Event Timer, which can be done in Device Manager or Bios. I also experimented with turning off Turbo Mode. But the big one for me, was also disabling wifi/antivirus and turning off my motherboard monitoring software, CAM. Then magically, I could run super low buffers 64/128 and get great latency <2ms. These are tweaks most people always recommend for PC DAWs so no harm in making sure I can run at top performance.

Now the good side, on my 2015 MBP, it worked flawlessly out of the box. I just installed the driver and plugged in the thunderbolt.

Build quality is excellent, not cheap feeling at all. The display is a little lack luster with one color, so you don't really get a good indication of clipping on the box, but I am ok with it. That's what the software mixer is for. The Web based mixing interface works great. It's not RME Total Mix, but good enough for my needs.

If you want top quality conversion at an affordable price and don't mind tweaking some things on a PC DAW, then this is definitely a good buy.
by Edward from Dallas on
See also: ethernet interfaces, MOTU, MOTU Thunderbolt Audio Interfaces, MOTU USB Audio Interfaces, MOTU Ethernet Audio Interfaces
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