MOTU 828 mkIII Firewire

External Audio Interfaces by MOTU

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MOTU 828 mkIII Firewire user reviews ( 8/10) - 18 user reviews

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11/30/08

Audiofanzine FR's review

Characteristics
(Originally written by Guiloux666/translated from Audiofanzine FR)

- Which technical specifications motivated your choice?

Pros:

* input + parametric EQ + compressor concept.

* Compact size (1U)

* Expansion possibilities (two ADAT ports), two FW ports that allow you to cascade several cards via FW with Mac OS X.

* Multiple input formats (line, mic, toslink, ADAT)

* Standalone capability for live recording.

- What do you use it for?

* Live applications mainly.

* To replace an analog mixer, which would be much more comprehensive but also heavier. Now I want to buy a Motu 8Pre or a Presonus Digimax FS to add eight mic preamps.

What's your setup (motherboard, CPU, RAM, hard drive,...)?

* MacBook Pro with 10.4.11, 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo, 2 GB Ram, 200 GB Sata HDD (7200 RPM)

- Do you use it with other instruments or systems (mixing console, preamp, DtD, ...) and what's your setup?

* For small setups: my Tonelab via SPDIF TosLink, bass footboard via SPDIF RCA, keyboard via stereo line input, second guitar via line input, two vocals mics via the preamps and two additional mics with T1953 preamp via two line inputs.

* If I want to add a drum kit I will need to connect the Digimax FS preamps via ADAT and I insert noise gates on the bass drum, snare drum and toms.
Utilization
- Did you have any problems during the installation?

No installation problems with my Mac. Th computer had already an old Motu UltraLite driver. Once I removed everything (all files and their locations are listed in the documentation), I downloaded the latest driver release (1.4.8) from the Motu website, I updated the firmware (1.0.6) and everything went sweet.

- Did you encounter any incompatibility problems?

No

- How complicated is the overall configuration?

It's a breeze with CueMix. It's a bit more complicated but still ok if you only use the front panel. But I also take my Mac with me so I never make the settings on the front panel.

- Is the user's manual clear and comprehensive?

Yes. Some details are still not totally clear to me.

I give it a 7.
Getting Started
Is the driver stable?

Yes but when I rename the tracks in my Mac the Motu Channel Name software crashes.

- Are they up-to-date?

Last release: 2008/06/20

- Which software do you use?

Logic Audio Pro and I will buy DP5 because I heard CueMix is directly accessible from DP.

- What's the latency of your system?

I haven't measured it because I'll use it mainly for live applications.

- How many tracks can you record/playback simultaneously?

Input channels:

Stereo SPDIF Toslink

Stereo SPDIF RCA

Five line

Two mic

Outputs:

Two main

Three monitoring mixes with AN1/2, AN3/4 and AN 5/6

One echo with AN 7/8 (send) and line input (return)
Overall Opinion
- How long have you been using it?

A few months.

- Which feature do you like the most / the least?

* Most: integrated compressors (forget about all those heavy racks), EQs like on a real mixing desk, reverb (but not really necessary for me).

* Least:

* Click noises in both mic preamps (digital adjustment of the analog preamp's gain with an endless knob). It's a bad joke, considering the price!!

* I miss a noise gate with a parametric side chain on each channel instead of the three compressor types (very useful for drums).

* CueMix can't manage mono outputs so you have to create several mixes and manage the pan for mono monitoring mixes. A future CueMix update could solve the problem.

- Did you try any other models before buying it?

I've had an Hercules 16/12 FW and I was very satisfied with it but I couldn't use it as a mixing desk, a Motu UltraLite, which is very good (however the 828mk3 has a compressor and an EQ per channel) but it is not rack mountable and thus seemed less reliable to me.

- How would you rate its value for money?

Great: I use it as a digital mixer for a small band and the price is reasonable. I bought it on sale (new with a two year warranty).

- Based on your experience, would you buy this product again?

Yes considering the sound cards in this price range. But it would be great if Motu added noise gates and created a rack mic preamp with outputs (like the Presonus Digimax FS) because the Motu 8pre has only mic inputs.

Update four months latter:

------------------------------

I've been using it regularly for four months (including two live gigs). With a Presonus Digimax FS I get 10 mic and 8 line inputs, a group for drums via SPDIF toslink (more convenient to control the full drum kit and to sum it to the main and monitor mixes). I also add an UltraLite (for its two mic inputs) via SPDIF RCA. I have an EQ in almost all inputs and a compressor on the bass drum, snare, toms and vocals channels.

It's great for live gigs: just make the monitor mixes and don't mess with anything else. It's ultra convenient and it works great (no crashes working 18 hours straight).

No DSP overload (CueMix prevents overloads during setup and disables the effect).

To wrap it up, it's a very expandable mixing desk.

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08/27/08

peepsaudio's review

Characteristics
I got this a while back because I wanted to upgrade my converter at home and simplify my setup a bit. This converter does those things very well and more, there are a lot of features in this thing that you might not realize. I use it as a preamp, converter, monitor mixer, and for FX on the monitor mix - all in one rack space. This thing is basically great. I'm running a PC setup with Nuendo, Dual Core processing, and 4GB of ram. This connects with firewire though and the processing is done in its own hardware, so your computer doesn't affect its performance really. I use it for microphones and also with DI instruments.
Utilization
Installing this is a cinch. It's firewire, so you don't need to crack open your computer case or anything. You really only need to worry about three things: Install your drivers from the CD they give you (though you should check on their website for updates), plug in the power cord, and plug the firewire cable that is provided into your computer. If you have a second soundcard or internal sound in your computer, you will likely have to tell your host which one to use - but other than that setup is very easy. I have no compatibility issues. They have a great manual which is worth reading to get the most out of this box - it's pretty think but they have the same information in many languages.
Getting Started
The drivers are updated whenever bugs are discovered as far as I can tell, so no problems there on my system running Nuendo. One of the best things about it is that you can monitor with zero latency. The driver disc has CueMix software which lets you make your own monitor mixes out of the inputs that come directly from the unit itself for zero latency. On top of that, it has built in FX processors so if you wanted say some reverb on a vocal recording, you can do that with just this one box. Pretty awesome. For audio recording purposes, you can get 8 simultaneous inputs, but one of the drawbacks is that that is mostly 1/4" inputs - you only have 2 XLR spots so if you're recording a live band you'll want to have some XLR to 1/4" cables.
Overall Opinion
I've been using this for a couple years now. I love the versatility and the amount of processes this thing can handle by itself, it makes recording much easier and more streamlined for me. I've used a variety of converters, and while the pres and A/D don't sound like they cost $20,000 - for a home studio they are more than enough. You are getting a great deal for the cost - this would have been unheard of 10, 15 years ago. I'd get it again, I love this thing.

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MOTU 828 mkIII Firewire

MOTU 828 mkIII Firewire user reviews ( 8/10) - 18 user reviews

Audiofanzine FR's review

peepsaudio's review

sonizorious's review ( translated ) Improve this translation " Very expensive option for four years of life"

Anonymous 's review ( translated ) Improve this translation " The ferrari sound cards"

RINGOJOE's review ( translated ) Improve this translation " pure"

Daviss's review ( translated ) Improve this translation " good product"

hd project's review ( translated ) Improve this translation " Good sound card for the price"

ironbird's review ( translated ) Improve this translation " Excellent product!"

Ab's review ( translated ) Improve this translation " Very good product"

pentax's review ( translated ) Improve this translation " VERY GOOD SOUND CARD"