MOTU 828x 28x30 Thunderbolt, USB 2.0 Audio Interface with DSP

As a “hybrid” audio interface, the 828x connects to any Mac or PC using ultra-fast Thunderbolt™ technology or high-speed USB 2.0 and delivers DSP effects and mixing for all 28 inputs and 30 outputs with 32-bit floating point processing.

The 828x is equally well-suited for studio and stage, with or without a computer. As an interface or standalone mixer, the 828x provides two XLR/TRS “combo” mic/guitar inputs, 8 balanced TRS analog in/out, two banks of optical (ADAT and TOSLink formats), S/PDIF (coax) digital I/O, dedicated main outs on XLRs, and two front panel headphone jacks with independent volume control. The mic/guitar combo inputs are equipped with transparent preamps, digitally controlled trim with plenty of gain, a true high-impedance guitar input, individual 48V phantom power, -20 dB pad, and V-Limit™, a hardware limiter that helps prevent digital clipping from overloaded input signals as high as +12 dB above zero with no clipping or harsh artifacts. Additional protection can be applied with Soft Clip™.

All analog inputs are equipped with digitally controlled analog trim controls that allow adjustments in 1 dB increments. The mic/guitar input trims can be adjusted using front-panel digital rotary encoders that provide feedback in the front panel LCD, while all quarter-inch TRS inputs can be trimmed from the included cross-platform CueMix FX software. Different trim configurations can be saved as files on disk for instant recall.

Connect any studio gear, including microphones, guitars, synths, keyboards, drum machines and even effects processors. Record, monitor, route and process all of these live inputs using the professional on-board CueMix FX digital mixer – with no latency and no processor strain on the computer. Apply hardware DSP-driven effects processing to inputs, outputs, and busses independent of the host computer. Add Classic Reverb™ with lengths up to 60 seconds. Further sculpt your sound with 7-band parametric EQ featuring filter types carefully modeled after British analog console EQs. Choose between two forms of compression: a conventional compressor and the Leveler™, an accurate model of the legendary LA-2A™ optical compressor that provides vintage, musical automatic gain control.

Analyze and scope any mono or stereo audio stream with advanced diagnostic tools, including a full-screen real-time FFT display, spectrogram “waterfall” display, full-featured oscilloscope, X-Y plot, and linear/polar phase analysis graphs.

After programming the on-board mixing in the studio, unplug the 828x from the computer and take it on the road for operation as a stand-alone mixer with effects. All mixing and effects parameters are adjustable using the front panel backlit LCD.

Additional advanced features include 192 kHz operation, Direct Digital Synthesis™ (DDS) precision clocking, direct SMPTE time code sync (no extra synchronizer needed), MIDI I/O and much more. Cross-platform software includes the CueMix FX application and WDM/ASIO/Core Audio drivers for Mac (OS X) and Windows (8, 7 and Vista). The included AudioDesk® workstation software provides 24-bit recording/editing and 32-bit mixing/processing/mastering.

Mark of the Unicorn 828x Features:

• Thunderbolt™ connectivity: Compatible with Thunderbolt1 and 2.
• Hi-speed USB 2.0 connectivity: Compatible withUSB 3.0.
• 58 simultaneous channels: 28 inputs and 30 outputs,including two mic preamps with sends, 8 TRS analog in/out, separate main outson XLR jacks, two banks of optical, S/PDIF, MIDI in/out, time code in/out,word clock I/O, and two front-panel headphone jacks.
• CueMix FX™: High-powered DSP with mixing andeffects on individual ins/outs. Includes classic reverb, modeled analog EQ,and vintage LA-2A compressor.
• Flexible mic/guitar inputs with preamps: Twofront panel combo jacks provide hi-Z 1/4” guitar input or XLR mic input withindividual phantom power and pad.
• MIDI I/O: Connect your MIDI gear without the need fora separate MIDI interface.
• 96 kHz Optical: With two optical banks, you get 8channels of 96 kHz SMUX digital input and output.
• Expansion: Add another MOTU audio interface for moreinputs and outputs as your needs grow.
• Instrument tuner: Tune your guitar or other instrumentto within a hundredth of a cent with this easy-to-read meter.
• SMPTE time code sync: Resolve your workstationsoftware to time code, without the need for a dedicated synchronizer.
• Analysis tools and oscilloscope: Visualize the harmonic content of yourmix with dynamic animation and vivid color. Check phase.

Mark of the Unicorn 828X Specifications:

• Converters: 24-bit
• Sample rates: 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192 kHz
• Analog inputs:
  • 2 x XLR/TRS combo-style mic/guitar inputs
  • 8 x 1/4" TRS line inputs (balanced/unbalanced)
• Analog outputs:
  • 2 x XLR balanced main out
  • 8 x 1/4" balanced TRS line out
  • 2 x 1/4" TRS stereo headphone
• Digital I/O:
  • 16 channels of ADAT optical at 1x sample rates
  • 8 channels of SMUX optical at 2x sample rates
  • 2-channel TOSlink (optical S/PDIF) up to 96 kHz
  • 2-channel RCA S/PDIF up to 96 kHz
• Total I/O:
  • 28 inputs and 30 outputs at 1x sample rates
  • 20 inputs and 22 outputs at 2x sample rates
  • 10 inputs and 10 outputs at 4x sample rates
• Computer I/O:
  • 1 x Thunderbolt (compatible with 1 and 2)
  • 1 x USB 2.0 (compatible with 3.0)
• Sync I/O:
  • 1 x SMPTE time code in (LTC)
  • 1 x SMPTE time code out (LTC)
  • 1 x word clock in
  • 1 x word clock out
• Headphone output:
  • 1 x 1/4" TRS stereo phone (assignable)
  • 1 x 1/4" TRS stereo phone (mirrors main outs)
• Phantom power: 2 x individual +48V
• Front panel:
  • 2 x XLR/TRS combo mic/guitar in
  • 2 x 1/4" TRS phone
  • 2 x digital rotary encoders • phone/main volume
  • 2 x digital rotary encoders • mic trim
  • 4 x switches • Pad and 48V Phantom
  • 4 x digital rotary encoders for LCD control
  • 2 x 16 character LCD
  • 8 x 4-segment ladder LEDs • 1/4-inch analog in
  • 8 x activity LED • 1/4-inch analog out
  • 2 x 4-segment ladder LEDs • RCA S/PDIF in
  • 2 x activity LED • RCA S/PDIF out
  • 2 x 10-segment LEDs • mic in with V-Limit
  • 2 x 5-segment ladder LEDs • main outs
  • 6 x LED • sample rate indicator
  • 1 x LED • LOCK/TACH indicator
  • 2 x activity LEDs • optical bank A/B
  • 1 x activity LED • MIDI in/out
  • 1 x AC power switch
• Power: International 100-240V autoswitchingsupply
  • 50-60 Hz • 20 Watts
• System Requirements
  • Mac:
    • A Mac with an Intel processor
    • 1 GB RAM; 2 GB or more recommended
    • Mac OS X version 10.6 or later required
    • Available Thunderbolt or high-speed USB 2.0 (or 3.0) port
    • USB cable included; Thunderbolt cable purchased separately
    • A large hard drive (preferably at least 250 GB)
  • Windows System Requirements
    • 1 GHz Pentium-based PC compatible or faster
    • 1 GB RAM; 2 GB or more recommended
    • Windows 8, 7 or Vista, 32- or 64-bit; Vista SP 2 or later required
    • Available Thunderbolt or high-speed USB 2.0 (or 3.0) port
    • USB cable included; Thunderbolt cable purchased separately
    • A large hard drive (preferably at least 250 GB)
  • Included software
    • CueMix FX
    • MOTU SMPTE Console
    • AudioDesk (Mac only, optical CD drive required)
  • Operating Systems
    • Mac OS X version 10.6 or later
    • Windows 8, 7 or Vista (SP2 or later is required)
  • 64-bit operation
  • Available for Mac OS X 10.6 or later
  • Available for 64-bit versions of Windows 8, 7 or Vista
  • Requires a 64-bit CPU