Experience Industry-first Thunderbolt 4 Connectivity
The redesigned MOTU 16A is a next-generation audio interface featuring industry-first Thunderbolt 4 connectivity. The 16A delivers lightning-fast performance over a Thunderbolt-compatible USB4 cable, yielding round-trip latency as low as 1.8ms at 96kHz. Additionally, it includes flawless ESS Sabre32-fueled sound with 24-bit/192kHz conversion, exhibiting a stunning 125dB of dynamic range. This 32-in/34-out interface offers plenty of I/O, housing 16 DC-coupled TRS connectors with high-precision boosts and trims, two banks of 8-channel optical I/O, word clock I/O, and a front-panel headphone output. Moreover, it includes a robust 64-channel digital mixer with onboard DSP effects, intuitive patchbay routing and splitting, and advanced control room features with talkback. The 16A is equipped with two Gigabit network ports, which are bolstered by potent AVB networking capabilities. It also allows for Wi-Fi control from your Mac, Windows-based PC, or iOS device and includes loopback for livestreaming and podcasting. Finally, the 16A flaunts two 3.9-inch front-panel TFT displays with high-resolution metering and access to detailed status information and hardware settings. Complete with a near-bulletproof sheet metal housing and rugged integrated rack ears, the MOTU 16A is a true powerhouse for stage and studio.
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Teeming with high-performance I/O
The 16A supplies you with 32 inputs and 34 outputs — that's 66 simultaneous audio channels in total. Its 16 TRS line-level analog inputs and outputs include high-precision boost and trim calibration, respectively, allowing for adjustments in 1dB increments. Two banks of optical I/O provide 16 channels of ADAT at 44.1/48kHz or eight channels of SMUX at 88.2/96kHz. This all-encompassing interface also gives you stereo TOSlink on Bank A and word clock I/O. A front-panel headphone output facilitates an independently customized cue mix with DSP effects. To top it off, the 16A includes loopback functionality for livestreaming and podcasting, and its DC-coupled TRS outputs allow you to manipulate and sequence voltage-controlled synthesizers directly from your DAW.
Class-leading, 24-bit/192kHz conversion
At Sweetwater, we're discerning listeners, and we're thoroughly impressed by the superb audio quality of the MOTU 16A's 24-bit/192kHz converters, featuring ESS Sabre32 DAC technology with 125dB of dynamic range. You'll be amazed by the 16A's high-performance drivers, which achieve round-trip latency as low as 1.8ms at 96kHz. Additionally, the 16A's 40 Gbps Thunderbolt-compatible USB4 connection, which is backward-compatible with USB3 and USB2, delivers lightning-fast performance. Moreover, its class-compliant firmware works seamlessly with a wide range of Mac, PC, and iOS devices. Finally, you can use the unit’s additional Thunderbolt port to connect other computer peripherals, a USB hub, or a Thunderbolt dock.
64-channel digital mixer with onboard DSP
The 16A is equipped with a 64-input digital mixer featuring 32 stereo buses and onboard DSP effects, including reverb, a 4-band EQ, a highpass filter, a noise gate, and compression. This built-in DSP primes the 16A to be the central hub of your studio. You can connect all your sound sources and then record, monitor, and process these live inputs with zero latency or processor strain on your computer. The 16A's powerful DSP provides independent monitor mixes for all the interface's analog output pairs, including its headphone output, complete with onboard effects processing. Additionally, you can operate the 16A as a standalone mixer with effects and control everything over Wi-Fi using MOTU's CueMix Pro app on your Mac, Windows-equipped PC, or iOS device.
Build a powerful AVB network with ultra-low latency
The MOTU 16A features two Gigabit network ports, enabling you to daisy-chain multiple units using standard network cabling or add an AVB switch to build a network with multiple interfaces and computers, all with ultra-low network latency — even over long cable runs. With the 16A, you can stream hundreds of audio channels among devices and computers on the network. Additionally, the 16A is compatible with previous-generation MOTU AVB devices.
MOTU 16A Features:
- Redesigned iteration of MOTU’s 16A with industry-1st Thunderbolt 4 connectivity
- Lightning-fast Thunderbolt 4 connectivity operates at 40 Gbps
- 32-in/34-out interface with 2 banks of optical I/O, plus word clock
- Class-compliant firmware works with a gamut of Mac, PC, and iOS devices
- High-performance drivers provide 1.8ms of roundtrip latency
- ESS Sabre32-fueled sound with 24-bit/192kHz conversion
- Loopback functionality for livestreaming and podcasting
- Precision boost for all analog inputs and trim for all analog outputs in 1dB increments
- DC-coupled TRS outputs allow you to manipulate and sequence voltage-controlled synthesizers directly from your DAW
- Front-panel headphone output with independent volume control and a customizable cue mix
- Built-in 64-channel digital mixer with 32 stereo buses and onboard DSP effects
- Advanced control room features with talkback
- 2 x 3.9-in. front-panel TFT displays with high-resolution metering and access to detailed status information and hardware settings
- Wi-Fi control from your Mac, Windows-equipped PC, or iOS device
- 2 Gigabit network ports bolstered by potent AVB networking capabilities
- Includes MOTU Performer Lite application, plus over 6GB of loops, samples, and 1-shots
