8pre-es

Eight preamps. Brilliantly transparent

52 simultaneous audio channels

24 inputs and 28 outputs, all independent

Connect all your studio gear, including microphones, guitars, synths, keyboards, drum machines, outboard processors and optical expanders. All I/O is available simultaneously.

Superb analog audio quality

Renowned ESS Sabre32 Ultra™ DAC technology

Renowned ESS Sabre32™ DAC technology delivers measured 123 dB dynamic range and the same proven, award-winning audio quality as MOTU's flagship 1248.

Redesigned mic channels

Cutting-edge components deliver ultra-transparent sound

Eight transparent mic preamps deliver superb -108 dB THD+N, 118 dB dynamic range and -129 dBu EIN performance. Each mic channel has individual preamp gain, pad, 48V phantom power and digital remote control.

High-performance Thunderbolt and USB drivers for Mac and PC

Ultra-low latency and renowned rock-solid performance

Round-trip latency (RTL) performance as low as 1.6 ms at 96kHz over Thunderbolt™ with high-performance DAW hosts.

Universal connectivity

USB and Thunderbolt for Mac, PC and iOS

Connect to your Mac or PC with Thunderbolt™ or Hi-speed USB 2.0, with up to 256 audio channels (128 in and 128 out) over Thunderbolt. Or stream dozens of audio channels to and from your Mac over AVB/TSN Ethernet using a standard, affordable CAT-5e cable up to 100 meters long. Class-compliant firmware and industry standard drivers work with any audio apps. Connect to your iPad™ with a standard camera connection kit (adapter).

Control room features

Take control of your recording sessions

Take control of your recording sessions with the built-in talkback mic and front-panel talk button. Connect two sets of speakers and check your mixes instantly with front-panel A/B speaker select buttons.

DSP mixing and effects

Console-style mixing with 48 channels and 12 busses

A full-fledged 48-input digital mixer delivers 7 stereo aux busses, 3 groups, access to 64 network inputs, and DSP effects including reverb, 4-band EQ, gate and compression. If you know your way around a large-format mixing console, you'll feel right at home. If you've ever wished to mix on a large console, the driver's seat is now yours.

Modeled vintage effects processing

Vintage processing with 32-bit float precision

Classic reverb. Compression modeled after the legendary LA-2A compressor. EQ modeled after British analog console EQs. The 8pre-es DSP engine delivers virtually unlimited headroom and the utmost in sound quality.

Flexible matrix routing and splitting

Route your audio anywhere with one-click ease

Send any input to any output, or multiple outputs. Includes routing
to and from the computer, plus any devices on the audio network.

Web app control from any device

Control everything from your laptop, tablet and smartphone

The software that you use to control the 8pre-es doesn't reside on your hard drive. It's a web app served from the hardware itself. This means you can control the 8pre-es on-board DSP, mixing, device settings, and network audio routing from your favorite web browser on a laptop, tablet or smartphone connected by wire or Wi-Fi to your local area network. Use any web client on any platform - Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android - as long as it shares the same network.

Touch Console

The art of the mix on your touchscreen

Designed specifically for touchscreen operation, Touch Console™ delivers a whole new mixing experience. Access Touch Console from your tablet or smartphone to effortlessly control the powerful 48-channel mixer and effects in the 8pre-es. With large targets for your fingers, multi-touch operation and intuitive design, you can tap, swipe and pinch your way to a perfect mix, every time.

Stand-alone operation with wireless control

No computer or laptop needed

Connect an Apple® Airport™ or other Wi-Fi router with a standard Ethernet cable for wireless control of device settings, powerful 48-channel mixing and DSP effects.

Solid metal chassis

MOTU interfaces are built to last

Like all MOTU interfaces, the 8pre-es aluminum alloy chassis is lightweight, yet incredibly sturdy and durable, and designed to withstand the rigors of the studio, stage, and tour bus. In a world awash with cheap plastic, the solid feeling of the 8pre-es metal exterior in your hands is a reassuring reminder that you are holding quality engineering and construction.

System expansion / networking

Expand your system with more I/O and Wi-Fi control

• Add a 2nd MOTU AVB-equipped interface with a simple CAT-5e Ethernet cable.
• Connect up to five MOTU interfaces using a MOTU AVB/TSN Switch (sold separately)
• Build a network with multiple interfaces and computers using standard AVB/TSN switches and network cabling, with ultra-low network latency, even over long cable runs (100 meters point to point). Stream hundreds of audio channels among devices and computers on the network.

Advanced Extras

The engineering behind the 8pre-es runs deep to give your audio recordings the depth of quality they deserve

• Two banks of optical
• Two optical banks provide 16 channels of ADAT optical at 48 kHz, 8 channels of S/MUX optical I/O at 96 kHz or a single stereo TOSLink pair at rates up to 96kHz.
• Time code support
• Converts SMPTE time code (LTC) to MIDI Time Code (MTC) and passes MTC on to any MTC-compatible host software.
• DC-coupled TRS outputs
• Use the 8pre-es to manipulate sequence voltage-controlled modular synthesizers from a host DAW.
• Balanced analog
• 8pre-es balanced I/O connections are well-protected against RF interference, AC hum, and other noise-producing environmental factors.
• Two headphone jacks
• Each headphone output can be programmed with the same or different mixes, with independent front-panel volume control.
• Audio analysis tools
• Includes an oscilloscope, real-time FFT, X-Y Plot, and graphic phase analysis.

AudioDesk

Powerful audio workstation technology for Mac and Windows

Includes AudioDesk® workstation software for Mac and Windows with 24-bit recording, sample-accurate editing and 32-bit mixing and mastering.