MOTU MIDI Express XT 8x8 USB MIDI Interface Reviews

Works as advertised for me. Great way to manage external synths and midi devices. If you dive a bit into the clockworks app, the device becomes even more powerful. Three thumbs up!

This MOTU product was purchased to replace a M-Audio [formerly MIDIMan] MIDISport 8x8/s that was working perfectly until upgrading to Windows 10. In truth, the hardware still functioned perfectly but the Remote application which controlled SMPTE and patching would not function in Windows 10 making the hardware worthless.

As a side note: Don't you just wish you could pay a reasonable fee of say $19.99 to a manufacturer for upgraded drivers and applications after a product is deemed "Legacy"? Wouldn't that be better than a trip to the landfill?

Back to the MOTU: As you would expect, it is flawless. Every bit of functionality works exactly as it should and all SMPTE types are rock-solid. The only caveat for me is that the ports cannot be renamed in the included Clockworks application under Windows as they can on the Mac.

Besides that, another excellent acquisition from my friends at Sweetwater.

I needed to replace my old interface because it was out of production and no software updates to work with my Mac. I was nervous about how difficult the new interface would be to set up and to be able to access my outboard rack synths and keyboards. I'll tell you it was the easiest setup and Pro Tools made it that much easier because the Midi patch names were immediately available after setting up each Synth. I'm very happy with this unit! Kudos to MOTU!!

I have a Linn 9000 with this smte card.
This product worked great for it. Inow can sync up with my projects.

Thank you.

This is not my first MOTO MIDI interface. In the late '80s and '90s, I used a MOTU MIDI Express PC that used an IDE interface board to connect to the rack unit. The unit never failed; however, the PC's architecture became obsolete. The MIDI Express XT is essentially an improved equivalent of that older interface, so I was glad to be able to, essentially, get my old interface back. Historically, for me, MOTU units (MIDI controllers AND sound modules) have been bulletproof.
The MIDI Express XT allows the DAW total control all of my MIDI devices, each on a separate port (for convenience), plus allowing the ability to patch ports to one another, letting MIDI devices talk to each other as well, with the ability to save different patch configurations using user presets.
I not only have MIDI keyboards and rack sound modules attached, but also a Line 6 Helix and PowerCab 112 Plus. Everything communicates flawlessly.
The XT also has extensive mapping and filtering capabilities on the channel level.
I don't use the MMC or SEMPTE time code function at this time, so I can't comment on them.
Hardware and software installation is painless, just don't plug the unit into the computer's USB until the drivers are loaded. (SOP for Windows anyway)
I highly recommend this unit to anyone needing a reliable, full-function, 8-In/8-Out MIDI to USB interface.
If you don't need the filtering, mapping, patchbay, MMC, and time code functions, I would recommend the MIDI Express 128.

Plugged it in, installed the drivers, that's it! I operate 3 keyboards, 3 effects pedals and receive clock with ease.

Up to this point in life, I've dreamt of a operable multi keyboard live show.This Motu Express may make it a reality.Fast, almost as fast as me, ha. I've been plugging and routing one idea after another. After a few loops and understanding, it just gets better. I even love the pedal capabilities. I must say, it's only been a couple of weeks to experiment but, I think this things a monster.

The MOTU system eliminated the MIDI mind bender of connecting several devices to each other and my PC based DAW. I was using a 3 midi port Roland UMG, USB connects and free wear program MIDI-OX. With that setup I had reach the manageable limit a long time ago. Plus I always had to fire up my computer and MIDI-OX to make my rig work. The 8 port MOTU midi hub and accompanying computer program really makes connecting gear a breeze. The MOTU hardware remembers the connection setup so my PC can stay off if I want. A great addition to my rack and no more midi headaches.

I've been using the Express XT-USB ever since they were first introduced...with a number of Kybds, Drum Machines, etc., along with Cubase, the midi interface is what makes all that necessary communication coming and going 'behind the scenes' without having to worry about making sure the right cables are connected appropriately - Once you've made sure all your cables are connected properly, which can be a bit confusing sometimes with 2 cables coming and going to each instrument and the computer, aside from the audio cables, means making the right connections initially, then you can focus solely on writing and/or recording - I recently purchased my 2nd XT-USB midi interface because of how important that one piece of equipment is...that without it, my music production would be shut down and trying to switch so many cable connections would just be unthinkable - The other reason is because that interface had been discontinued until just recently (they said the necessary manufactured parts weren't available) and after searching many of the other vendors, there seems to be a very limited selection of midi interfaces available, especially if trying to find one with 8 IN/OUTS such as the XT-USB provides, including the fact that the XT-USB also offers a few other features that the other interfaces don't provide - MOTU also makes a less expensive interface that requires it connected to your computer (being USB powered) where the XT-USB can be used stand alone (comes with it's own P.S.) if you're not planning on using the computer and just playing or controlling any of your other instruments - IMO the XT-USB is definitely the best midi interface available....so important to music production that I wanted the benefit of having a back up...since 'back ups' are always a must whenever music is involved - I would also like to mention that the folks at Sweetwater always seem to expedite the equipment that I sometimes feel I'm in a hurry for, so the service there is undeniably as good as it gets and amongst all the other vendors, Sweetwater's service is certainly one those things they do best - There's been a number of occassions when I've needed one thing or another, that they came thru for me expeditiously !

This is the unit you need to control any routing among your MIDI devices. We automate our keyboard, guitars and our video projections! Just connect all of them to this unit and you are done! Need a redundant system? no problem this unit will also switch to a "B" System on the fly. Solid construction and easy to use!

Built to last bottomline!

Previously I was using MIDI Timepiece mk2.
Now I have switched to MIDI Express XT, and cascading two devices of MIDI Express XT simultaneously, it works and synchronizes perfectly with all my keyboards and synth modules, without any time delay while recording and reproducing.
The best Midi interface available in the market for professional studios.

The MIDI Express XT USB was exactly what I needed. It functions exactly as the user's manual says. Very simple installation of the driver on the computer and then plug and play. I've had no problems at all. This is a very well thought out and simple to run device. All my 8 MIDI devices now sit in order where they are supposed to be and run exactly how I program them to run. Keyboards talk to other keyboards (if you want them to) and every one of them talk to the computer. Perfect. I would have built one myself but I'm glad someone else had the same ideas about MIDI communication that I did. They did it right with the Clockworks software. Set it up, save it to a user preset and you are done. If you really need it to change something later, it's there for you on your computer. Really, a tremendously powerful device with very deep software. It's like before I didn't have one, the orchestra was unruly and unorganized. Now, the orchestra is truly mature and follow directions flawlessly. Yeah, a director's dream ! Thank you MOTU and Sweetwater for selling a great product. It's really amazing to shop somewhere for a musician's needs that are so detailed and technically advanced and find exactly what you want.

I purchased this item last week because I recently bought two more keyboards to go along with my Yamaha Motif ES, as well as two Emu synth rack modules. I didn't have the patience for daisy chaining, and this seemed like the best deal. With the 8 ports, you have plenty of room for your gear. I simply ran my Motif's MIDI OUT to my audio interface's MIDI IN, and then the Motif's MIDI IN to the Motu's MIDI OUT port 1. The rest of the keyboards I did the same thing, running the MIDI IN's to their own port on the MOTU's MIDI OUT board. This gives me flawless syncing with my software sequencer, using the Yamaha Motif as my main MIDI controller. I was worried about latency issues being that it is USB and not Firewire, but everything syncs up seamlessly. It may be a bit on the expensive side, but I would recommend this interface to anyone who wants to have total control (without the drawn out thought process) over their keyboards and modules.

Having used the old Midi Time Piece AV and moving onto this, IT DOES EXACTLY WHAT IVE NEEDED. Moving on from the old machinery that frustrated me to death, this sucker flows so smoothly and is so easy to set up and utilize for even my most complicated midi setups. and finally clocking all of my hardware synths so smoothly. mmmmm.... it's good stuff friends. Good stuff indeed. Can't wait to start syncing video and other computers and pedals with this beauty. Lots planned!

easy, effective and reliable. close as you get to the push-button promise of tomorrow-town. all for a price that's less than a mid-model roomba. the future has indeed arrived!

I received one of these as a gift. Even after installation of the most recent drivers for Mac OS, the unit was often not recognized – it was just greyed out in Audio Midi Setup. I contacted MOTU and eventually exchanged the unit for a replacement. The replacement worked for about 6 months, and it then started having the same problem – doesn't show up in Audio Midi Setup. I've used half a dozen different USB cables, tried different ports, etc., but this thing is totally unreliable. I also get sporadic data errors, even when the unit is recognized by my computer. (FYI, I've been trying to use on an Intel 3.6 8-core iMac with Mac OS 12 - not sure if things would be better with a silicon machine or a more recent version of Mac OS.)

I bought the XT as an upgrade from my nearly 20-year old Microlite. When I first started using it, I noticed my soft synths would become unresponsive (I'd have to turn the Motu unit off and on to be able to trigger them with my controller). Also I could not get the XT to work with my Strymon BigSky pedal. Whenever I'd open Nixie, it would show two different versions of the same pedal and crash the program. I didn't have these issues with my Microlite. It's possible that this is all something to do with my configuration, but when I replaced the XT with the Microlite, everything went back to normal.

Great tool for MIDI routing, in theory. Just don't get too excited about retaining your configuration, especially when the save function seems to be what makes it dump its memory - after saving an empty file. Wonderful concept, but I would love to see it done functionally enough that I am not tempted to rip it out of the rack with a crowbar and beat it.

This doesn't do sysex correctly. This seems to be known problem with this device. In particular device editors that rely on sysex. I give it 2 stars because everything else works great

After 6 months of Big Sur being out, my XT is still not compatible with Big Sur. So I just have a useless piece of gear that cannot be used several months after purchase. MOTU has no ETA of when it will be ready. Very disappointing.

I've been a faithful advocate of MOTU interfaces, owning multiple audio and midi products throughout the years. This midi interface, however, is an anomaly. It basically works when it wants to and crashes often. It really does not agree with anything other than basic analog gear being plugged into it. If anything with a digital interface gets plugged in, it's behavior becomes extremely unpredictable and 100% unreliable. I've read the manual and I've tried every single setting. This device simply does not function properly. I've been using and loving MOTU midi interfaces for over 20 years, but this one is a complete failure. By the time I fully trouble shot it, it was too late to return it. I'm avoiding reaching out to support because of the pure stress it's sure to provoke, but I suppose I'm either preparing to cut my losses or delaying the inevitable. I'm so over this brick of a paper weight.

Reading the reviews, it appears that most Sweetwater customers have had a good experience with this product. I will keep this short as I only have two complaints, both of which seem to be common with others on the Internet.

1. Three days of trying to call MOTU support at least eight times a day and not getting anyone, even busy signals is simply inexcusable. I have a job and do not have time to spend on this. Not to mention, I was sure to have to go through "troubleshooting" for some time before my problem would be resolved.

2. I purchased this unit because of the standalone capabilities to use in my guitar rig to manage pedal switching and midi routing/PC changes to other pedals and rack units. Reliability was the most important thing to me as I did not need most of the advanced features. About three months in, I noticed the unit powering off and on intermittently but I could never "catch" it in the act. Today, after eight months, the unit will not stay powered on more than 30-40 minutes (thankfully this only happened during practices and not during a performance). Now, I know what you are thinking... it is a heat problem, this idiot probably doesn't have proper ventilation. The unit was never in a position for heat to be a factor and nor do I play outdoors so ambient temperatures were always below 80F. I tried re-flashing the unit, factory defaults, etc. No dice. Simply put, the power supply is obviously failing and had been failing after about three months.

I don't have time to waste on support or RMA as this unit was the hub of my setup. I will be seeking to purchase a unit with better reliability.

Note that I have owned probably seven or eight different MOTU products over the years. You can just tell the "feel" of the hardware isn't the same.

Running window 7. Yes you can hook up 8 separate midi devices. Your DAW will most likely recognize the 8 inputs and separate 16 midi channels for each. But that's where all the fun of this over glorified midi thru box ends. Every daw I've used will only show the 8 output ports but not the separate midi channels, and that's the whole idea behind the claimed 128 midi channels. Even their own DAW DP8!
It's also a fact that motu clearly aimed this at MAC users. One glance thru the owners manual will show you that. Setting up the motu software known as Clockworks leaves you having to jot down your various midi connections on paper while on Mac you can actually rename the connections in the clockworks software. A huge plus for Mac, a slap in the face for Windows users especially when they paid the same price to own an obviously inferior product than Mac users.
FREE TECH SUPPORT. So is mailing Santa Claus. But even he replies once a year. Non-existant. And when they DO reply, it's not long before you realize you already know more about the unit than they do.
Oh, and one other thing, this unit is fantastic if you want to write a song made exclusively of stuck midi notes. Tech support insists the unit requires a powered USB in order to work properly. Didn't read that in the manual. After weeks with tech support nearly refusing to help, I told them I would do all I can to point the truth to potential buyers. Didn't phase them.
So go ahead, buy yourself a $350 nightmare.

If you plan to do anything Sysex related, do not get this. For some reason (that the MOTU tech didn't seem to know), this unit spits out sysex garbage to all the ports that you can't turn off, and i can't even back up a patch from a synth to my computer.

It also randomly stops working for me and I have to reboot it to get it running again.

I suspect that bad Mavericks drivers are the issue.

My home studio contains midi devices and controllers galore. My goal in puchasing this was to squeeze some extra value out of those devices while taking out the hassle of changing cables. Well it takes the hassle out of changing cables, but if you are using Windows, The software for Windows software implementation for this device is what I would call "Window Dressing". To get the useful functionality one expects from the glowing reviews of this product, its time to go shopping for a Mac. To MOTU's credit, they have me convinced to do so, but I wished I had known that before I bought in.