MOTU 8A Thunderbolt USB3 Audio Interface

Equipped with renowned ESS Sabre32 Ultra DAC technology,
the 8A has the same award-winning analog audio quality and proven performance as MOTU's flagship 16A interface - packed into a mobile half-rack enclosure.

34 simultaneous audio channels
You get 8 x 8 balanced analog, 8-channel ADAT optical and independent headphone out for 16 inputs and 18 outputs. The optical ports also support stereo TOSLink (optical S/PDIF).

Superb analog audio quality and high-end converters
Performance suitable for the most demanding situations
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
The best possible latency performance
The 8A delivers round-trip latency (RTL) performance as low as 1.6 ms at 96kHz
over Thunderbolt - and an astonishing 1.9 ms over USB - with high-performance DAW hosts.

Mobile operation and universal connectivity
Ultimate portability and flexibility
Connects to your computer with Thunderbolt, super-speed USB 3.0 or AVB/TSN Ethernet - with support for up to 256 audio channels (128 in and 128 out). USB audio class-compliant firmware and high-performance , industry-standard drivers work with any audio apps. Connects to your iPad with a standard camera connection kit (adapter).

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
1 GHz Intel-based Mac or faster
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