MOTU 8pre-es 24x28 Thunderbolt Audio Interface

High-end converters, ultra-low latency, and ample I/O offer top-shelf performance

Sweetwater and MOTU have enjoyed a long-standing relationship, due to MOTU's products offering our customers superb sound and solid performance. The 8pre-es follows suit, packing top-notch sound, impressively low latency, and ample I/O into a single-rack enclosure. Renowned ESS Sabre32 DAC technology delivers 123dB of dynamic range, ensuring that the 8pre-es's analog audio quality can hang with the most impressive gear on the market. Optimized drivers yield round-trip latency as low as 1.6ms at 96kHz via Thunderbolt and 1.9ms via USB. Packed with connectivity, the 8pre-es includes eight mic preamps, eight analog outputs, and a pair of stereo headphone outputs. The 8pre-es also supplies you with 16 channels of ADAT and word clock I/O.

DSP-fueled mixer with EQ, compression, and effects

The MOTU 8pre-es's built-in digital mixer delivers large-console-style mixing with 48 channels, 7 stereo buses, 3 groups, access to 32 network inputs, and 32-bit floating-point effects processing, so building complex, latency-free routing schemes is a piece of cake. And routing is extremely flexible. Send any input to any output, or even multiple outputs. Add Classic Reverb, with lengths up to 60 seconds. Sculpt your sound with a 4-band British parametric EQ. Apply vintage compression that's modeled after the legendary LA-2A. The 8pre-es's mixing and effects DSP engine exhibit virtually unlimited headroom and outstanding sound quality.

Control everything from your laptop, tablet, or smartphone

If you connect a wireless router to your 8pre-es, you can access all of its internal mixing functions, including effects and processing on your tablet, smartphone, or laptop, turning this powerful audio interface into a fully capable standalone mixer. Best of all, the control software is web-based. It runs in your favorite web browser on Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, or Android — basically anything — as long as it's on the same network.

Expand your system with additional AVB networkable audio interfaces

Another extremely cool use of the 8pre-es's Ethernet connection is the ability to link more MOTU AVB-equipped audio interfaces to it. You can do this in one of two ways: directly via a simple Ethernet cable or as part of an audio network via one or more MOTU AVB Switches. If you go with just a single Ethernet cable, you can easily link a second 8pre-es or other AVB-ready device directly to your first one. With MOTU AVB Switches, you can create an audio network of up to five units, potentially linking hundreds of channels of I/O across multiple rooms. And since it's all over standard Cat-5e Ethernet cable, latency and long cable runs aren't an issue.

MOTU 8pre-es Features:

• 24-in/28-out hybrid audio interface for studio and live sound
• ESS Sabre32 DAC technology delivers 123dB of dynamic range and superb audio quality
• Optimized drivers yield round-trip latency as low as 1.6ms at 96kHz via Thunderbolt and 1.9ms via USB
• Dual LCD screens allow you to see all signal activity at a glance with detailed metering
• Access your hardware settings from a simple and convenient front-panel menu
• 8 great-sounding microphone preamps with dedicated sends, switchable pads, and phantom power
• 16 channels of ADAT optical digital I/O expand your system with additional gear
• Built-in talkback mic with front-panel Talk button and A/B speaker select buttons
• Onboard 32-bit floating point DSP-driven digital mixer with EQ, dynamics, and effects provides latency-free routing
• Hook up a wireless router and take complete control of the onboard mixer from your laptop, tablet, or smartphone
• MOTU's AVB audio networking expands your system with additional AVB-equipped audio interfaces
• Create an AVB network via optional AVB Switches with support for up to 5 compatible interfaces