MOTU Announces 828 mk3 FireWire Audio Interface For Mac & PC
MOTU has unveiled the third incarnation of their 828 FireWire interface, the 828mk3, a cross-platform audio interface with on-board effects and mixing capabilities. New features include a 32-bit floating point DSP for digital mixing and effects processing, more I/O, 192 kHz operation, true hi-Z guitar inputs, signal overload protection, digitally controlled analog input trims on all inputs, two banks of ADAT/TOSLink optical, MIDI I/O and more.
Features:
• CueMix FX – flexible 28 input/16 bus mixer with on-board DSP effects, including reverb with sends/returns, plus EQ and compression on every input and output.
• 28 inputs / 30 outputs (at 44.1/48 kHz) – there’s no channel sharing in the 828mk3; the mic inputs, S/PDIF I/O, headphone out and main outs are all handled as separate channels.
• Front-panel control – access any setting in your entire 828mk3 mix directly from the front panel.
• Stand-alone operation – program your mixes at the studio and then bring the 828mk3 to your gig – no computer needed.
• Multiple CueMix FX mixes – for example, create different monitor mixes for the main outs and headphones. Or add send/return loops for outboard gear – with no latency.
• Two front panel combo jacks provide hi-Z 1/4†guitar input or low-Z XLR mic input with phantom power, pad and plenty of gain.
• Mic/guitar instrument sends – add your outboard EQ, preamp, reverb or other processor to the two mic/guitar inputs, before the signal goes digital.
• Clip protection – Mic/guitar input limiter prevents digital clipping and distortion from overloaded signal levels up to +12 dB over zero.
• Eight 24-bit 192kHz analog inputs and outputs on balanced/unbalanced 1/4″ TRS jacks
• Flexible optical I/O – 16 channels of ADAT lightpipe, 8 channels of SMUX (96 kHz) or two pairs of stereo TOSLink. Mix and match formats between the two banks.
• Sample-accurate MIDI – connect a MIDI controller and/or sound module with no separate interface needed. MIDI I/O is sample-accurate with supporting software.
• Expandable – add additional interfaces for more I/O as your needs grow.
• Separate XLR main outs and front-panel headphone jacks, each with independent volume control.
• Stereo 24-bit 96kHz S/PDIF in/out
• Word clock in and out
• SMPTE in and out
• Includes drivers for Mac & PC, including ASIO, WDM, Wave, GSIF, Core Audio, and Core MIDI.
• Supports all popular Macintosh and Windows audio software.
• 100% compatible with all host-based effects processing in today’s popular audio programs.
• Includes AudioDesk full-featured sample-accurate workstation software for the Macintosh with recording, editing, mixing, real-time 32-bit effects processing & sample-accurate sync.
• Plug-and-play operation with your Mac or PC via FireWire.
• Front panel volume control for monitoring. Stereo, Quad, 6.1, 7.1 and user-defined surround monitoring setups available.
• Two front panel headphone jacks with independent volume controls.
• Front panel meters or activity LEDs for all analog, digital and MIDI I/O, plus SMPTE sync tach and lock LEDs.
• Dedicated front panel clock status LEDs.
The MOTU 828mk3 will ship in February 2008 for $795. More information on the MOTU 828mk3.
