Technical Specifications

Sample rates 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192 kHz
Analog inputs 8 x 1/4" TRS line inputs (balanced/unbalanced)
Max level: +24 dBu (range -96 to +22)
Analog outputs 8 x 1/4" TRS line out (balanced, DC coupled 5v)
Max level: +20 dBu (range -4 to +20)
1 x 1/4" TRS stereo headphone
Digital I/O 1 bank (8 ch) of ADAT optical at 1x sample rates
1 bank (4 ch) of SMUX optical at 2x sample rates
Switchable to stereo TOSLink (optical S/PDIF)
Total I/O 16 inputs / 18 outputs (34 total) at 1x sample rates
12 inputs / 14 outputs (26 total) at 2x sample rates
8 inputs / 10 outputs (18 total) at 4x sample rates
Computer I/O 1 x Thunderbolt 1 (Mac and Win)
    Thunderbolt 2 & 3 compatible
1 x USB 3.0 (Mac and Win)
    USB 2.0 and iOS compatible (class compliant)
1 x AVB/TSN Ethernet (Mac only)
    Requires OS X 10.11 or later
Computer I/O channels Thunderbolt (44.1 to 96 kHz): 128 in/out
Thunderbolt (176.4 to 192 kHz): 64 in/out
USB 3.0 (44.1 to 96 kHz): 128 in/out
USB 3.0 (176.4 to 192 kHz): 64 in/out
AVB/TSN Ethernet: 16 to 128 in/out
      depends on host computer speed
Headphone 1 x 1/4" TRS stereo phone (assignable)
Network I/O 1 x RJ45 AVB/TSN Ethernet (1 Gbps)
AVB streams
(8 channels per stream)
8 in / 8 out @ 44.1 or 48 kHz
8 in / 8out @ 88.2 or 96 kHz
8 in / 8 out @ 176.4 or 192 kHz
Front panel 1 x 1/4" TRS headphone output
1 x digital rotary encoder • phone volume
5 x switches • menu navigation
160 x 128 pixel RGB LCD for level meters / menu nav
Power switch
Power External 12-18V DC power supply
1.0A max • tip pos or neg
Dimensions
and weight
(width x depth x height, enclosure only)
8.6 x 7 x 1.75 inches
22 x 17.75 x 4.5 cm
2.2 lbs / 1.0 kg

Mac System Requirements

  • Intel Core i3 Mac or faster (including the new Apple silicon Macs)
  • 2 GB RAM; 4 GB or more recommended
  • Mac OS X version 10.8 or later
  • Available Thunderbolt, USB or AVB/TSN Ethernet port*
  • A large hard drive (at least 500 GB for recording)
  • *AVB/TSN Ethernet audio interface operation requires OS X 10.11 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 or USB port
  • Available Ethernet port for firmware updates
  • 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.
  • Web client must be connected to the same network as the MOTU interface by wire or Wi-Fi.

Included Software

  • 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 4.0 for Mac & PC (separate download)

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

Analog I/O Specifications


Connector type
Dynamic range
(A-weighted)
THD+N
(unweighted)
Max
level
Trim range
(in 1 dB steps)
Line output 1/4" TRS, balanced, tip hot 123 dB -110 dB +20 dBu 24 dB (-4 to +20)
Line input 1/4" TRS, bal/unbal, tip hot 117 dB -110 dB +24 dBu 118 dBu (-96 to +22)
Phones 1/4", TRS stereo 108 dB -100 dB Max. 80 mw 128 dB

Compatible Mac Software

The 8A ships with standard Core Audio drivers for Mac OS X for compatibility with virtually all Core Audio-compatible apps, including:

  • MOTU Digital Performer
  • Avid Pro Tools (version 9 or later)
  • Apple Logic Pro
  • Apple Logic Express
  • Apple Garage Band
  • Apple SoundTrack Pro
  • Ableton Live
  • Cockos Reaper
  • Propellerhead Record & Reason
  • Native Instruments Kontakt
  • Steinberg Cubase
  • Waves stand-alone apps (and plug-ins, via compatible host)

Compatible Windows Software

The 8A ships with standard ASIO and Wave drivers for Windows 7*, 8 and 10 for compatibility with virtually all ASIO- and Wave-compatible audio apps, including:

  • MOTU Digital Performer
  • Avid Pro Tools (version 9 or later)
  • Ableton Live
  • Cakewalk Sonar
  • Cockos Reaper
  • Image Line FL Studio
  • Propellerhead Record & Reason
  • Sony Vegas Pro
  • Sony Sound Forge
  • Sony Acid
  • Steinberg Cubase
  • Native Instruments Kontakt
  • Waves stand-alone apps (and plug-ins, via compatible host)

8A Feature Summary

Superb analog audio quality and high-end converters

Renowned ESS Sabre32 Ultra™ DAC technology delivers 123 dB dynamic range and the same proven, award-winning audio quality as MOTU's flagship 16A.

Ultra-low latency and proven, high-performance MOTU drivers

Round-trip latency (RTL) performance as low as 1.6 ms at 96kHz over Thunderboltâ„¢ with high-performance DAW hosts.

Mobile operation and universal connectivity

Connects to your computer with Thunderbolt™, super-speed USB 3.0 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).

34 simultaneous audio channels

8 x 8 balanced analog, 8-channel ADAT optical and independent phone out for 16 inputs and 18 outputs.

DSP mixing and effects processing

Flexible 48-input digital mixer with 7 stereo aux busses, 3 group sends, access to 64 network inputs, and DSP effects, including reverb, 4-band EQ, gate and compression.

32-bit floating point processing

The 8A's mixing and effects DSP engine delivers virtually unlimited headroom and the utmost in sound quality.

Modeled vintage effects processing

Classic reverb. Compression modeled after the legendary LA-2A compressor. EQ modeled after British analog console EQs.

Flexible matrix routing and splitting

Send any input to any output, or multiple outputs. Includes routing to and from the computer, plus any devices on the audio network.

Stand-alone operation with wireless control

Connect an Apple® Airport™ or other Wi-Fi router with a standard Ethernet cable for wireless control of device settings, powerful 48-channel mixing and DSP effects.

Web app control from any device

Control everything from your favorite web browser on a laptop, tablet and smartphone connected to your local Wi-Fi network.

System expansion

Add a 2nd MOTU AVB-equipped interface with a simple CAT-5e ethernet cable. Connect up to five MOTU interfaces using a MOTU AVB/TSN Switch (sold separately).

AVB/TSN audio networking

Build a network with multiple interfaces and computers using standard AVB/TSN switches and network cabling, with ultra-low network latency, even over long cable runs (100 meters point to point). Stream hundreds of audio channels among devices and computers on the network.

Optical I/O

Connect outboard digital processors, digital mixers or other gear. 8 channels of ADAT at 44.1/48 kHz, 4 channels of SMUX at 88.2/96 kHz or stereo TOSLink (optical S/PDIF) up to 96 kHz.

Comprehensive metering

The full-color LCD lets you view all signal activity at a glance with detailed metering for all analog and digital I/O. Access hardware settings from a simple and convenient menu.

AudioDesk®

Includes AudioDesk workstation software for Mac and Windows with 24-bit recording, sample-accurate editing and 32-bit mixing and mastering.

*After a ten-year run, Windows 7 has been officially end-of-lifed (EOL) by Microsoft as of January 4, 2020. Therefore, MOTU products no longer officially support Windows 7, although existing installed products (as of June 2020) should still continue to function as they have been under Windows 7. However, future updates, including drivers, may require Windows 8 or later.