MOTU 828 ES 28x32 Thunderbolt/USB2 Audio Interface

The MOTU 828es is a 1 RU, 28x32, audio interface designed to provide versatile connectivity, DSP console-style mixing, and high-resolution audio for musicians and recording engineers in project studios, commercial facilities, home setups, and live stage applications.

Main Features

60 Simultaneous Audio Channels
28 Inputs and 32 Outputs, all Independent
Connect all your studio gear, including microphones, guitars, synths, keyboards, drum machines, outboard processors, MIDI gear, optical expanders - even a foot pedal. All I/O is available simultaneously.

Superb Analog Audio Quality
Renowned ESS Sabre32 Ultra DAC Technology
New in the 828es, renowned ESS Sabre32 DAC technology delivers 123dB dynamic range and the same proven, award-winning audio quality as MOTU's flagship 1248.

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
Connects to your Mac or PC with Thunderbolt, hi-speed USB 2.0 or AVB/TSN Ethernet for up to 256 audio channels (128 in and 128 out). Class-compliant firmware and industry standard drivers work with any audio apps. Connects to iPad with a standard camera connection kit (adapter).

Redesigned Mic Channels
Cutting-edge Components Deliver Ultra-transparent Sound
Capture your recorded material in its truest, most natural form with -108 dB THD+N, 118dB dynamic range and -128dBu EIN performance. Each mic channel has individual preamp gain, pad, 48V phantom power and digital remote control. Do you work with outboard EQs and compressors? Each 828es mic input offers a pre-converter, hard-wired send for mono or stereo mic channel outboard processing.

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.

More Features:

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 two banks of stereo TOSLink (optical S/PDIF) at rates up to 96kHz. Each optical input and output operates independently, allowing you to mix and match any optical formats, in and out.

MIDI I/O
Connect MIDI gear without the need for a separate MIDI interface.

Time code support
Dedicated time code input and output jacks. 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 828es to manipulate sequence voltage-controlled modular synthesizers from a host DAW.

Balanced analog
828es balanced I/O connections are well-protected against RF interference, AC hum, and other noise-producing environmental factors.

S/PDIF digital I/O
Stereo digital transfers are an essential fact of daily studio life. The 828es's standard RCA S/PDIF input and output make stereo digital transfers a snap, with optional external clocking and support for sample rates up to 96kHz.

Foot switch input
Connect a standard foot pedal switch (sold separately) for hands-free talkback or punch-in while recording. Or map the pedal to any keystroke function in your host software.

Direct Digital Synthesis (DDS)
DSP-driven phase lock engine and internal clock source produces imperceptibly low jitter characteristics (below the noise floor), even when the 828es is resolved to an external clock source via SMPTE time code.

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.


Technical Specifications

Sample rates: 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192 kHz

Mic/line/instr inputs:
2 x XLR/TRS "combo style" inputs
Preamp gain: 0 to +63 dB (digitally controlled)

Analog inputs:
8 x 1/4" TRS line inputs (balanced/unbalanced)
Max level: +24 dBu (digitally adjustable -96 to +22)

Analog outputs:
8 x 1/4" TRS line out (balanced, DC coupled)
Max level: +20 dBu (digitally adjustable -4 to +20)
2 x male XLR with +20 dBu max
2 x 1/4" TRS stereo headphone
2 x 1/4" TRS sends (pre-converter)

Digital I/O:
2 banks (16 ch) of ADAT optical at 1x sample rates
2 banks (8 ch) of SMUX optical at 2x sample rates
Switchable to stereo TOSLink (optical S/PDIF)
1 x stereo S/PDIF on RCA (up to 96 kHz)

Total I/O:
28 in / 32 out (60 total) at 1x sample rates
20 in / 24 out (44 total) at 2x sample rates
10 in / 14 out (24 total) at 4x sample rates

Computer I/O:
1 x Thunderbolt 1 (Mac and Win)
Thunderbolt 2 & 3 compatible
1 x USB 2.0 audio class compliant
USB 3.0 and iOS compatible

Computer I/O channels Thunderbolt:
128 in/out at 1x or 2x (44.1 to 96 kHz)
64 in/out at 4x (176.4 to 192 kHz)

Computer I/O channels USB:
64 in/out at 1x (44.1 to 48 kHz)
32 in/out at 2x (88.2 to 96 kHz)
24 in/out at 4x (176.4 to 192 kHz)

MIDI I/O:
1 x MIDI IN
1 x MIDI OUT
16 MIDI channels to/from computer host

Foot switch1 x 1/4" pedal input

Sync I/O:
1 x BNC word clock in/out
1 x 1/4" time code in/out

Network I/O: 1 x RJ45 AVB/TSN Ethernet (1 Gbps)

Headphone: 2 x 1/4" TRS stereo phone (assignable)

Phantom power: 2 x individual +48V

Front panel: 2 x 1/4" TRS headphone output
2 x XLR/TRS combo inputs
2 x digital rotary encoders phone vol
2 x digital rotary encoders mic/instr input gain
2 x large digital rotary encoders main vol / menu
4 x small switches (2) Pad / (2) 48V Phantom pwr
8 x large switches menu nav / A/B mon select, etc.
2 x LCD (128 x 160) for level meters / menu nav

Power: International 100-240V autoswitching supply, 50-60 Hz 0.5A max

Dimensions and weight (width x depth x height, enclosure only, with rack brackets)
19 x 7 x 1.75 inches
48.3 x 17.75 x 4.5 cm
4.2 lbs / 1.9 kg

Operating Systems

For computer audio I/O: Mac OS X 10.8 or later; Windows 7 or later
For web app control: Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android

Mac System Requirements

• 1 GHz Intel-based Mac or faster
• 2 GB RAM; 4 GB or more recommended
• Mac OS X version 10.8 or later
• Available Thunderbolt 1/2/3, USB 2/3 or AVB/TSN Ethernet port*
• A large hard drive (at least 500 GB for recording)
• *AVB/TSN Ethernet audio interface operation requires OS X El Capitan or later

Windows System Requirements

• 1 GHz Pentium-based PC compatible or faster
• 2 GB RAM; 4 GB or more recommended
• Windows 7, 8 or 10
• Available Thunderbolt 1/2/3 or USB 2/3 port
• A large hard drive (at least 500 GB for recording)

Web App Support

• Any web client platform: Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
• Any web browser: Safari, Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Explorer, etc.

Included Software

• Thunderbolt and USB 2.0 drivers
• MOTU Discovery App for Mac & PC (finds connected MOTU interfaces)
• MOTU Discovery App for iOS (available from Apple App Store)
• MOTU Pro Audio Control web app (served from the hardware itself)
• MOTU Audio Tools (FFT, oscilloscope, X-Y plot, phase analyzer)
• AudioDesk for Mac & Windows (separate download)