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.
As a “hybrid” audio interface, the 896mk3 provides flexible connectivity to any Mac or PC via FireWire or high-speed USB2, 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.
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.
When recording from the eight analog inputs, the 896mk3’s signal overload protection gives you an extra 12 dB of headroom above zero with no clipping or harsh artifacts.
Use the 896mk3’s on-screen CueMix FX software to tune your guitar and other instruments. Analyze and scope your audio with advanced diagnostic tools, including a full-screen real-time FFT display, spectrogram “waterfall” display, full-featured oscilloscope, X-Y plot, and linear/polar phase analysis graphs.
After programming the on-board mixing in the studio, unplug the 896mk3 from the computer and take it on the road for operation as a stand-alone mixer with effects. All mixing and effects parameters are adjustable using the front panel backlit LCD.
The 896mk3 provides cross-platform compatibility with Mac and Windows and all of your favorite audio software and host-based effects via WDM/ASIO/Core Audio drivers. Or you can use the included AudioDesk workstation software for Mac, with 24-bit recording/editing and 32-bit mixing/processing/mastering.
MOTU 896mk3 Features
- Hybrid FireWire / USB2 connectivity
- Flexible operation
- On-board digital mixer with effects for monitoring and live mixing
- Advanced audio analysis tools
- Stand-alone operation as a mixer
- Across-the-board compatibility
- 896mk3 Hybrid 192 kHz FireWire Audio Interface1
- Hybrid FireWire/USB2 connectivityconnect 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 controlaccess any setting in your entire 896mk3 mix directly from the front panel.
- Stand-alone operationprogram 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 mixesfor 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.
- Clip protectioninput limiter prevents digital clipping and distortion from overloaded signal levels up to +12 dB over zero. 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/O16 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
- Word clock in and out
- Foot switch inputconveniently located on the front panel...connect a standard foot pedal switch (sold separately) for hands-free punch-in and punch-out while recording. Or map the pedal to any keystroke function in your host software.
- Chassis dimensions, excluding rack ears and front and back panel knobs and connectors19 x 7 x 3.5 inches (48.26 x 17.78 x 8.89 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 standard 19 inch (48.26 cm) rack at 2U high.