An I/O-packed Interface with Class-leading Sound and Features
Since the original 828's introduction in 2001, MOTU's one-rack-unit, two-preamp audio interface has remained ubiquitous in project studios worldwide. Now in its fifth iteration, the MOTU 828 brandishes lightning-fast USB3 connectivity with 2–3ms of roundtrip latency and a host of creativity-enhancing features. The 828 flaunts ESS Sabre32-fueled sound with 24-bit/192kHz conversion, in addition to overhauled mic pres with 74dB of available gain, hardware inserts, and hi-Z guitar inputs. You'll appreciate the 828's built-in 24-channel digital mixer with onboard DSP effects, as well as its advanced control room features. This 28-in/32-out interface is jam-packed with I/O, including two banks of optical I/O, plus word clock and MIDI. You also get an optical expansion mode, a footswitch input, a 3.9-inch front-panel TFT display with customizable metering, multichannel monitor control for surround workflows, and Wi-Fi control from your Mac, PC, or iOS device. Studios will be hard-pressed to find a more powerful combination of industry-leading sound, low-latency operation, workflow-elevating features, and comprehensive I/O than you'll get with the MOTU 828.
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Teeming with high-performance I/O
The 828 supplies you with 28 inputs and 32 outputs — that's 60 simultaneous audio channels in total. Its two microphone preamps offer an impressive 74dB of gain, along with a -20dB pad, 48V phantom power, and polarity reverse. Each mic channel includes a dedicated insert for integrating outboard hardware, along with a hi-Z guitar input for effortless re-amping. The 828's eight TRS analog inputs and outputs include boost and trim controls, respectively, that allow for adjustments in precise 1dB increments. You also get separate main outputs on XLR jacks. 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 S/PDIF up to 96kHz, MIDI I/O, and word clock I/O. Two independent headphone outputs facilitate independently customized cue mixes with DSP effects. To top it off, the 828 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
We're discerning listeners here at Sweetwater, and we're blown away by the superb audio quality of the MOTU 828's 24-bit/192kHz converters, which include ESS Sabre32 DAC technology with 125dB of dynamic range. You'll be stunned by the 828's high-performance drivers, which yield round-trip latency as low as 2ms at 96kHz. This audio interface's analog circuitry has also been given a substantial overhaul; its mic channels exhibit a super-transparent sound with -114dB THD+N, 118dB of dynamic range, and -129 dBu EIN. Finally, the 828's 5 Gbps USB3 connection offers lightning-fast performance, and its class-compliant firmware works with a gamut of Mac, PC, and iOS devices.
24-channel digital mixer with onboard DSP
The 828 comes equipped with a 24-input digital mixer with eight stereo buses and onboard DSP effects, including reverb, a 4-band EQ, a noise gate, and compression. This built-in DSP primes the 828 to be the central hub of your studio. You can connect all your microphones, guitars, synthesizers, drum machines, and effects processors, then record, monitor, and process all these live inputs with zero latency or processor strain on your computer. The 828's powerful DSP supplies you with independent monitor mixes for all the interface's analog output pairs, including its two headphone outputs, complete with onboard effects processing. What's more, you can operate the 828 as a standalone mixer with effects, and you can control everything over Wi-Fi from MOTU's CueMix 5 app running on your Mac, PC, or iOS device.
MOTU 828 Features:
- 5th-generation of MOTU's ubiquitous 1-rack-unit, 2-preamp audio interface
- Lightning-fast USB3 connectivity operates at 5 Gbps
- 28-in/32-out interface with 2 banks of optical I/O, plus word clock and MIDI
- Class-compliant firmware works with a gamut of Mac, PC, and iOS devices
- High-performance drivers provide 2–3ms of roundtrip latency
- ESS Sabre32-fueled sound with 24-bit/192kHz conversion
- Overhauled mic pres with 74dB of available gain
- Hardware inserts make integrating outboard hardware easy
- hi-Z guitar inputs facilitate effortless re-amping
- 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
- 2 dedicated headphone outputs with independent volume control and customizable cue mixes
- Built-in 24-channel digital mixer with 8 stereo buses and onboard DSP effects
- Advanced control room features with talkback and A/B monitor select
- Optical expansion mode makes adding extra I/O to your rig a breeze
- Footswitch input supplies hands-free punch-in recording and more
- 3.9-inch front-panel TFT display with customizable metering
- Multichannel monitor control for surround workflows
- Wi-Fi control from your Mac, PC, or iOS device
- Network discovery and management features
- Includes MOTU Performer Lite and Ableton Live Lite applications, plus over 6GB of loops, samples, and 1-shots
