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4pre — Compact audio interface with four mic preamps and mixing

Tech Specs


Technicial Specifications

Converters 24-bit
Sample Rates 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96kHz
Analog In 4 x XLR/TRS combo
2 x 1/4" TRS (balanced/unbalanced)
2 x 1/4" hi-Z guitar
Analog Outputs 2 x 1/4" balanced TRS main out
2 x 1/4" balanced TRS line out
2 x 1/4" TRS headphone
Digital Input 1 x RCA coaxial S/PDIF
Digital Output 1 x RCA coaxial S/PDIF
Computer I/O 1 x FireWire 400 (Type B)
1 x USB 2.0
Sync In/Out S/PDIF
SMPTE time code (LTC)
Headphone Output 2 x 1/4" TRS phone with independent volume control
Phantom Power Individual +48V
Front panel 2 x 10-segment ladder LEDs • main outs
4 x 5-segment LEDs • inputs
2 x signal present LEDs • S/PDIF I/O
2 x signal present LEDs • stereo line out
4 x LEDs • 48V phantom power
4 x LEDs • -20 dB pad
5 x LEDs • mix/trim (main, line, S/PDIF, phone, trim)
1 x LED • Vol/Pan
Power Requirements 9-18V DC, 5W, tip + or -
FireWire bus power
DC power adapter included, required for stand-alone and USB 2.0 operation

Mac System Requirements

  • PowerPC G4 CPU 1 GHz or faster (including any Mac with a PowerPC G5, any Intel processor, or any Apple silicon processor*)
  • 1 GB RAM; 2 GB or more recommended
  • Mac OS X version 10.8, 10.7, 10.6, or 10.5; v10.5.8 or later required
  • Available FireWire or high-speed USB 2.0 port
  • A large hard drive (preferably at least 250 GB)
*Apple Silicon devices require adjustments to security settings. See this tech note for more information.

Windows System Requirements

  • 1 GHz Pentium-based PC compatible or faster equipped with at least one USB2 or FireWire port
  • 1 GB RAM; 2 GB or more recommended
  • Windows 10, 8, 7 or Vista, 32- or 64-bit; Vista SP 2 or later required
  • Available FireWire or high-speed USB 2.0 port
  • A large hard drive (preferably at least 250 GB)

Included software

Operating Systems

  • Mac OS X version 10.8, 10.7, 10.6, or 10.5 (v10.5.8 or later is required)
  • Windows 10, 8, 7, or Vista (SP2 or later is required)

64-bit operation

  • Available for Mac OS X version 10.8, 10.7, or 10.6
  • Available for 64-bit versions of Windows 10, 8, 7, or Vista
  • Requires a 64-bit CPU (and host application for plug-in versions)

Compatible Mac software

The 4pre ships with standard Core Audio drivers for Mac OS X for compatibility with virtually all Core Audio-compatible apps, including:

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

Compatible Windows software

The 4pre ships with standard Wave and ASIO drivers for Windows 10, 8, 7, and Vista for compatibility with virtually all Wave-compatible audio apps, including:

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

Feature Highlights

6 x 8 audio interface for Mac and Windows

All channels are available simultaneously and operate independently.

Hybrid FireWire/USB 2.0 connectivity

Connects to your Mac or PC via either bus-powered Firewire or hi-speed USB2.

8-bus digital mixer

Routes and mixes all six inputs to any output pair.

Four separate mixes

Each output pair (main outs, line outs, S/PDIF out, and phones) can have a completely different mix of all six inputs, with or without computer tracks.

Four mic inputs with combo jacks

Flexible combo jacks provide four XLR mic inputs, two hi-Z 1/4" guitar inputs, and stereo line-level (+4/-10) input. Mic inputs provide individual preamps, phantom power, 20 dB pad, Precision Digital Trim™, and plenty of gain.

Stereo main outs

On balanced TRS quarter-inch jacks. Connect directly to powered speakers (or other line-level analog destination).

Digital I/O

Stereo 24-bit 96kHz S/PDIF digital input and output.

Two headphone outputs

Independent volume control for each phone output. Output can be either the same or completely independent.

Support for HD audio

Supports standard sample rates up to 96 kHz.

Precision Digital Trim™

Digitally controlled analog trim on all inputs provides adjustments in approximately 1 dB increments. Fine-tune the balance of your inputs and then save/recall trim configurations.

Front-panel mixing and control

Each input has its own dedicated volume knob. Control multiple mixes with clear feedback from front panel LEDs and metering.

Front-panel volume control of main outs and headphone jack

Independent volume control of the main outs and phone output, or mirror the main outs on both phone jacks.

CueMix™ FX cross-platform mixing software

Attractive on-screen graphic mixing with an instrument tuner and audio analysis tools including real-time FFT display, spectrogram "waterfall" display, oscilloscope, X-Y plot and linear or polar phase analysis.

Stand-alone operation

Bring the 4pre to your gig, with or without a computer. Just plug in the included power adapter and you are ready to go. Need to tweak the mix? Just turn the front-panel knobs.

Expandable

Add additional interfaces for more I/O as your needs grow.

Time code support

Directly resolves to (or generates) time code via any quarter-inch input or output, without the need for an extra synchronizer.

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 4pre is resolved to an external clock source via SMPTE time code.

DC-coupled TRS outputs

Can be used with Volta™ (sold separately) to manipulate and sequence voltage-controlled modular synthesizers from a host DAW.

Plug-and-play operation with your Mac or PC via FireWire or USB2

Compatible with all current and recent generation Macs and PCs.

Native 32- and 64-bit drivers for Mac OS X and Windows 10/8/7/Vista

Includes ASIO, WDM, Wave, Core Audio, and Core MIDI drives. Supports all popular Mac and Windows audio software.

Fully compatible with 3rd-party software

100% compatible with all host-based effects processing in today's popular audio programs.

Includes audio workstation (DAW) software

Includes AudioDesk full-featured sample-accurate workstation software for the Mac with recording, editing, mixing, real-time 32-bit effects processing & sample-accurate sync.

Bus-powered FireWire operation

No need for external power when operating as a FireWire interface connected to a computer. A power supply is included for stand-alone or USB2 operation.

Compact form factor

Chassis dimensions, excluding rack ears and front and back panel knobs and connectors: 9.5 × 7 × 1.75 inches (24.13 × 17.78 × 4.45 cm). Knobs and connectors extend up to 0.5 inch (1.27 cm) from front and back panels, adding 1 inch (2.54 cm) to depth. With rack ears attached, fits one half of a standard 19 inch (48.26 cm) rack at 1U high.



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