Introducing the MOTU 896Mk3

The 896mk3 audio interface delivers advanced design, high-end performance, superb sound, and universal "hybrid" FireWire/USB2 connectivity to your Mac or Windows computer.

Hybrid FireWire / USB2 connectivity

As a hybrid audio interface, the 896mk3 provides flexible connectivity to any Mac or PC via FireWire or high-speed USB 2.0, with eight channels of pristine 24-bit 192 kHz analog recording and playback, combined with sixteen channels of optical digital I/O, stereo AES/EBU, S/PDIF and separate analog main outs. Expand your system by connecting the 8pre mic input expander or other MOTU audio interfaces.

Flexible operation

The 896mk3 is equally well-suited for studio and stage, with or without a computer. As an interface or standalone mixer, the 896mk3 provides 28 separate inputs and 32 separate outputs, including dedicated main outs on XLRs and two front panel headphone outs.

On-board digital mixer with effects for monitoring and live mixing

Connect all of your 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 your computer. Apply hardware DSP-driven effects processing to inputs, outputs, and busses independent of your 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.

MOTU FireWire audio interfaces can connect to any Firewire port. Just plug in and go, with any standard cable. The 896mk3 Hybrid provides two FireWire Type B ports, which provide the most reliable FireWire connection available. The ports operate at 400 Mbit/s, and they can be connected to any available FireWire port on your computer, either Type A or Type B. If your computer has FireWire Type B ports, use the included 9-pin-to-9-pin FireWire cable. If your computer has either standard Type A ports or miniature Type A ports, use the appropriate 9-pin-to-6-pin or 9-pin-to-4-pin FireWire cable (sold separately).

When recording from the analog inputs, the 896mk3’s signal overload protection gives you an extra 12 dB of headroom above zero with no clipping or harsh artifacts.

Features

• Hybrid FireWire/USB2 connectivity — connect to your computer via plug-and-play FireWire or hi-speed USB2
• 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 / 32 outputs (at 44.1/48 kHz) — there's no channel sharing in the 896mk3; the mic inputs, AES/EBU I/O, S/PDIF I/O, headphone out and main outs are all handled as separate channels
• Front-panel control — access any setting in your entire 896mk3 mix directly from the front panel
• Stand-alone operation — program your mixes at the studio and then bring the 896mk3 to your gig — no computer needed. Need to tweak the mix? Do it on site using the back-lit LCD and front-panel controls
• 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
• Eight rear panel combo jacks provide 1/4” or XLR mic input with phantom power, pad and plenty of gain
• Eight 24-bit 192kHz analog inputs and outputs on XLR jacks
• Precision Digital Trim™ — Digitally controlled analog trim on all analog inputs provides accurate adjustements in 1 dB increments
• Fine-tune the balance of your analog inputs and then save/recall trim configurations
• 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
• 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 AES/EBU in/out
• Stereo 24-bit 96kHz S/PDIF in/out
• Plug-and-play operation with your Mac or PC via FireWire or high-speed USB 2.0.
• Front panel volume control for monitoring. Stereo, Quad, 6.1, 7.1 and user-defined surround monitoring setups available