All user reviews of 5/5 for the MOTU 8pre

FireWire 24-bit, 96kHz
Among 8 mic / line combo on XLR / jack with gain rglages, pad and stage
among a total of 16 (8 analog, 8 ADAT) and 12 outputs (8 ADAT, 2 monitor, 2 headphones)
volume Contrle indpendant for headphone and monitor
the entries / exits ADAT are double, fawn vhiculer 8-channel 96kHz
Routing gr by CueMix DSP software
MIDI In and Out
chanable with other firewire interfaces of the range (828, Traveler, etc)
the 8pre can be used as 8-channel AD converter standalone.

For what purpose?
Studio and Live Recording

use with DDA console series Q 24/8/8/2 on direct out
jack symmetrical

USE

The installation is done without a firewire problem and instal cd and walking

Have you encountered the incompatibilits? not

IMPLEMENTATION

Are the drivers stable? no problem of stability recording track 16 without problem

What software do you use most often? Nuendo 3

What you get lag? 10 ms

How many tracks you record / play simultaneously? 16 tracks in 35 reading record

NOTICE GLOBAL

How long have you use it? 1 I

What is the particular feature you like best and least? c which is really good on this card is between 8 combo XLR jack with symmetrical pad - 20 db and 48 volt power supply

How do you report qualitprix? a very very good price-quality 629 Hours of Operation for a map 16 ENTREC really cheap

With experience, you do again this choice? yes I redeemed in one at the end of me

I bought the Motu 8 pre complement the 896 mk3 to add entries via the optical fiber (dual channel for recording 88.2 kHz).
Very well finished, nothing to say, at his level, no significant difference with the 896 ... Can be used in standalone sound card.

I work on Macbook Pro and Mac Pro ... Plug and play, no worries!

UTILIZATION

Very stable

GETTING STARTED

Very easy!

OVERALL OPINION

Used for a year.
Most: the value for money!
The least? The pad switches are the same as the 896 mk3 (old model) that I use, but active unlike the other (on the switch is Pade up, the other down .. .. When working with two, have to watch what is misleading!).

Excellent value for money and I would do this choice today without problem!

What characteristics have motivated your choice?
8 Input and especially amplified optical outputs to the couple to my Motu 828mk2 Hybrid

Which instruments and systems (console, preamp, DTD ...) you use it and how connections?
Microphones, synths, effects return.

For what purpose?
In my setup that allows me to have 8 additional inputs to be more comfortable with all the synthesizers and microphones and especially to enlarge the routing options.

What is your config (Motherboard / CPU / Ram / Hard, ...)?
I7 quad core 3.8GHz - 32gigas ram - 1.5T HDD.

UTILIZATION

The drivers are stable?
I've never used directly controlled by a computer, but I think the Motu drivers are very stable especially well should know its configuration so as not to create conflicts (mostly it is the problem).
In my case it is my Motu 828 which controls the 8pre

What software do you use most often?
Pro Tools - FL Studio - One2

How many tracks you get record / playback simultaneously?
24 tracks for Motu828 8x 8x 8x 8pre 8pre

Are they often updated?
1 once.

What you get lag?
No worries on that side. I record without having to worry about that.

GETTING STARTED

The installation is done it without problems?
Yes, but in my case it is necessary to follow the instructions because I made a chaining with my main board.

The general configuration is easy?
Yes

Have you experienced any incompatibilities?
No

The manual is clear and sufficient?
Yes very clear.

OVERALL OPINION

How long have you use it?
1 year and a half.

Have you tried many other models before buying it?
M-Audio, but not consistent enough to make the extension of my audio setup.

What is the particular feature you like best and least?
Motu compete in configuration is the top everything is automatic with Motu other components.
In standalone mode it is also very effective.
I think by not against damage that will have at least two exits out more.

How would you rate the quality / price?
Perfect.

With experience, you do again this choice?
I can not do without in my configuration.

The MOTU 8Pre is a firewire based audio interface, consisting of eight microphone preamplifiers and inputs.  I like this unit a lot because it doesn't overload you with too many features, but still has pretty much everything that you'd need.  As far as connections go, the unit has the eight dual XLR and 1/4" inputs which are controlled by the gain knobs on the front.  It also has a MIDI in and out and ADAT optical connections and 1/4" outputs for your monitors.  The interface only takes up a single rack space in a traditional rack, so it is pretty easily transported if necessary.

UTILIZATION

The design of the MOTU 8Pre makes it very easy to use.  Each of the eight channels has a gain knob, a -20db pad, and a phantom power switch.  There is definitely nothing complicated about setting this up or using it - everything is just about as basic as possible, making it very user friendly.  I also don't feel that this simple make up hinders its versatility, as it seems like they have made the perfect balance of features and user friendliness.  Unless your a beginner I don't think that you'll need a manual...


GETTING STARTED

The sound of the MOTU 8Pre is overall pretty clean and suitable for recordings of all types.  While not the warmest or my favorite mic pres, they definitely will get the job done for most recording situations.  Beyond the mic pres themselves, there really aren't any parameters to control your sounds, but it is nice to have the -20 db pad built in here.  My only complaint about the way the pres sound is that they can come off a bit stale sometimes, meaning that if the sound isn't already there, you're not going to be able to beef it up with your pre here alone like you can do with some other mic pres and consoles out there...


OVERALL OPINION

If you're looking at getting a reasonably priced audio interface with a great design, the MOTU 8Pre should definitely be on your list of interfaces to investigate.  I love the gear made by MOTU, as they offer up high quality interfaces with a great look and sound, and this is one of their best bang for your buck deals out there.  The compact nature of the interface doesn't make take away from its features, which is probably my favorite thing about the interface beyond the cheap price.  The 8Pre is overall a smartly designed interface with a lot of features for something in this price range.  

I got this not long ago to supplement my other MOTU interface, the 828 mk3. This is great for that purpose, because MOTU lets you daisy chain the firewire ports on them. Essentially this is just going to give you another 8 preamps and so another 8 channels of audio inputs. I wanted to be able to record drums at home with a lot of mics, and adding this to my setup allowed that. I am running a PC with Nuendo, Dual Core processor, and 4GB of ram. I am using this thing mostly just for extra microphones when I'm recording something live. It has also got MIDI connections if you don't have another MIDI box.

UTILIZATION

This installed with no problems. I didn't even need to load drivers amazingly enough, I just plugged this firewire cable between my 8pre and my 828mk3, and bam - 8 more channels that also show up on the CueMix software MOTU provides. Doesn't get any simpler. I've since had no problems with compatibility or bugs or anything, all smooth sailing here. They do give you a good sized manual, so if you had questions about how to operate anything i'm sure they'd be answered, but there aren't that many controls on this thing.

GETTING STARTED

The drivers have been great, since it's just been running off the MOTU driver I already had installed. They haven't been updated in months, but then again there has been no need to as far as I know. I am using this with Nuendo software as my host. Latency doesn't really come into the picture with this device, it's just putting the audio right through to the 828 which is putting it right through to the PC, so it's negligible. This box adds another 8 channels of audio to your existing converter/preamp box.

OVERALL OPINION

I got this about 10 months ago or so when I wanted to get back to having more than 8 tracks to record with at home. I really liked my 828 mk3, so this was great since it basically just expanded that box that I already had. The preamps and converters sound pretty good, and it works just as it says it will, so it's dependable to say the least. It would be nice to have a bigger metering section - that's a little small - but you can still easily tell when something's clipping so it's a small complaint. It's a great value for another 8 channels of audio. I'd get it again.