MOTU 828 MKII

The basic functions of this interface are pretty straightforward if you have a little knowledge of routing and how audio interfaces work in general. It gets a tiny bit harder when you want more advanced options or use it as a stand-alone unit. But the manual is eloborate enough to find out everything you need

I use a Macbook 2.2 Dual Core intel with KRK v4 speakers. And it sounds great. Well, it sounds great when you get it out of the box, but after that you will pull the hairs out of your head out of frustration!! Random extremely loud audio Screeches and dropouts really ruined this thing for me. I couldn't get this thing to work properly, not even in Itunes with nothing connected to any USB port expect the MOTU 828 MkII

I read a LOT of people who had the same problem and not a tiny hint of a steady solution to it. I guess it should properly some way or another, but to me, its not worth it.

Terrible... I just doesn't work. Don't buy it! I beg you. I traded it in for a TC Electronic Konnekt 24D which gave me no problems at all. Just save yourself the frustration

It's allright, they gave me some tips of what could be wrong by mail after just more then a day. None of them worked, and I was allready fed up with this thing after a week.

It should be great..
Somehow.

I don't know HOW, but it is probably a great machine, because some people don't have problems with it. But to me, after having loads of crap with it on my PC and Macbook, I just went back to the store and traded it in for something non-Motu.

But if you have one that does work properly, it's a great machine. Lots of I/O, lots of options, cool LED screen and great sound. But hey, you never know if its gonna be great or complete CRAP.

easy to get a sount of this audio interface, really versatile,
with adat in and out for older eqipment
vers 1.0 no firmware update yet 04.04.08...
manual is really good explaned .
usb interface cheaper than firewire.
as supplement a internal hardware mixer.

sound is really good, the latency could be better, 265 samples that s all... overall quality very good, like expected from an 500 euro interface,
the display makes sense, also the usability of the 828 for standalone
mixing sessions.

it s new we see.

not tryed.

the big problem of this interface was to make it run stable!!!
i tried everything, soft update, buing new usb cards, it continued
to have drop outs and driver errors!!!!! an interface for more
than 500 euros!!! i discovered the incompatibility of the driver
with some usb2.0 chipps. the only thing been working was an usb card
with VIA chipset!!!! now it works but it was really nervshakin!!!
don t buy the usb 828 take the firewire!!!
that s why only 2 for the usb version!

Fairly easy to use, you don't really need the manual to navigate the interface, although it would make it easier. The CueMix software obviously makes things easier. I have found the software mixers that come with PreSonus products to be more intuitive and better laid out.

Sound quality is alright. I wasn't blown away by it, but nothing sticks out as being a negative.

Where do I start? I first had an 8pre unit that started acting flaky on me after about a month; kept having to fiddle with it to get my G5 tower to recognize it. I ended up selling that out of frustration, and ended up picking the 828mkII up because someone local was selling it at an incredible price. Yet again, I had issues with it. I had to ship it back to MOTU and now I'm currently waiting on a replacement.

The person who I bought this from also had issues with his original unit (the LCD burned out), and the one he sold me was the replacement from MOTU. Also, my friend who graduated from Berklee almost didn't when his MOTU interface stopped working while he was tracking his final project.

Every time I called, the tech support was pleasant, except they didn't seem like they cared about the problems I was having. They kept wanting to go back to reading the script (did you try updating the drivers?), having me debug and diagnose step by step, even when I had done all the prior to calling. It took me almost 20 minutes to convince the person on the other end my unit was defective (which was confirmed on three different computers).

After that was all said and done, it cost me $80 to order a replacement. It doesn't seem right to me that the unit I bought from a private sale WAS a replacement (in mint condition), yet I have to pay for ANOTHER replacement? That is not good business.

The unit is solid and sounds good when it works, but when all is said and done, I will probably sell this interface when I receive the replacement. I've had way too much trouble with MOTU products to keep using them.

The Cuemix control software is very simple to use, but still professional feeling. The controls on the front of the unit take a little while to get used to, but they are simple and straight forward, giving you access to all of the unit's settings. Initial setup was no problem, truly plug & play in Windows XP Pro. Read the manual and the FAQ's on MOTU's site, and you will learn all you need to know. Direct monitoring in Cubase SX also works great, and with no hassles. The meters on the front panel are great for detecting signals, as far as levels and clipping they aren't very helpful...but at least they are there.

Sound quality is very good. The unit is very quiet, and has uncovered other noisy hardware that had been hidden behind my previous A/D converter's noise. The outputs are also very clean, and work great for running DAW tracks through outboard gear and back in again. I am very satisfied with the sound for its low price.

The unit is very durable, made of thick metal, and really solid feeling. I have been using it for a whole month now, and have had a few Windows related crashes, but I was having the same problem before using the 828mkii. There are no software problems attributed to the 828mkii or its drivers. It always works when I arm tracks and hit record, just like you would expect. There is nothing worse than getting into a sweet groove and you think the computer is recording, but when you hit stop something has gone wrong and you've lost the groove. I haven't had this problem since I plugged in the 828. The only problem I have with the unit is the power supply buzz that other users have reported. I noticed it right away, and was tempted to send it back, but after using it for a day it didn't bother me anymore. This unit sounds so good, works so well, and is so cheap, that I decided the buzz was not worth worrying about. I have AC adapters on effect pedals etc. that buzz louder, and it is not noticable with a computer running nearby. The buzz does not bleed into the converters, they sound pristine. Just remember: This is a $750 10 input A/D converter, not a $3000 dual channel Apogee. It opened a lot of new doors in my studio, I still can't believe you get all this power for under $1000.

I had read hundreds of complaints about MOTU support, so I was not expecting to deal with them at all. I knew the hardware was good, and had the features I wanted. After getting everything setup, I had a question about using a patchbay with the 828's autodetecting balanced/unbalanced inputs. I thought I'd give their email support a shot, not expecting any help at all. I got a lengthy reply that completley answered my question, and even gave me some extra tips for using the outputs and a patchbay. I was suprised at this response because of all the negative reviews MOTU support had. I have no complaints. Also the FAQ's on their site have a ton of useful info for their products too.

I use the 828mkii in a project studio with some vintage analog synths, new digital synths, guitar, and bass. It records all of them beautifully, and easily. Also, the 828 is awesome for VST instruments and effects. The ability to run a virtual instrument out of the computer to effects and back is very nice. I don't play or record to make money, I do it for fun. I have been making music with Windows PC's since 1996. I still can't believe all of the work I have gotten done since purchasing the 828. It was a great revolution for my studio. I also plan on taking it out of the studio with my HP laptop to record at other's studios and live shows. I haven't done this yet, but I don't anticipate any problems. I wanted the original 828 when it came out 5 or 6 years ago, and since then I had been looking at other brands for a similar piece of equipment. There is still nothing like it. It has all the features I needed, and none of the crap I don't. I just wanted line level inputs, so I can use my own preamps, but most of the other firewire boxes come with pre's on all or most of the channels. The 828's two front panel pre's are nice for a quick patch-in, but I mostly use its balanced line inputs. The only problem I have is that when using the S/PDIF or TOSLINK ins the unit's sample rate steps down to the incoming signal. I use a Boss GT-8 for guitar, and I like to use its digi out, but it is only 44.1khz, so I have to upconvert the guitar tracks, or do the whole project at 44.1. This can be resolved with a master clock and sample rate converter, but I can't afford all that right now. It would be nice if it could automatically upconvert and keep in sync, but for the price, it is not a big deal at all. The 828mkii is a very professional piece of equipment at a nice hobby studio price. If you need quality inputs for a low price buy it now. I was expecting it to be a cheap crutch to get me by until I could buy "real" A/D & D/A (like Universal Audio or Apogee) but now I have everything I need, and I can focus on getting more instruments and preamps/compressors etc. I am overly satisfied.

While you might need the owner's manual to use if from the front panel controls, software control from a Mac is absolutely easy. You get a very nice virtual console, and a well laid-out control panel. That's all, and there is no need for more. Level meters on the front panel are a great help to trace signals and set levels.

Converter's (better, codec's) sound quality is excellent. Powerful, detailed, with a sound of its own that you can call "brown" and "airy" at the same time. I might prefer some RME or Yamaha converters, for the added air and clarity, but this one is good and pro-quality even with classic music and acoustic instruments.
Preamps and instrument DIs are more than decent, as in any low/mid grade mixer today, but I don't like their lack of power and slightly 'veiled' sound. However, they are perfectly usable next to better preamps, as additional inputs.

The internal build quality is not very high. Mine came with a screw flying around free. The power supply buzzes, probably for not well tigthened screws. However, it has not failed one year of everyday use.

I record rock, acoustic and classic music insturments and vocals. It works nicely, even if I sometimes wish for even more transparent converters for classic music. Keep in mind we are discussing of small bits, here, not radical differences.
Overall, a very well thought product, at the right price. Perfect for the evolved project studio, and the small pro-studio on the road.

It would be hard to make this unit easier to understand or operate. The operating system, drivers, and CueMix routing/monitoring software (all included) are all excellent. Also, the AudioDesk DAW software included with the unit is excellent. It has many features. Some may find it to be all they ever need for basic audio recording/editing/mixing (no midi). The plugins sound good and the program is easy to use. From what I've read, it's basically the audio part of MOTU's Digital Performer. In addition, four separate mixes for monitoring, eight outputs, great software and layout; all far above all other devices.

Some other reviewers have reported poor sound quality. This not my experience. I've used a variety of sample rates and have recorded using the onboard preamps, through the 1/4" inputs, using inserts, with condensors and dynamics, with and without the onboard phantom power enabled, etc...I can report nothing but great quality and consistent sound.

The unit was replaced by MOTU two months after I bought it. (More about that in the next section) The current unit is working fine. I'll need more time to see if this one will work long-term.

I bought a unit via eBay, slightly used, but never registered...After two months of daily use, it started locking up after a few minutes use. I had to turn the unit off and back on to get it to work again. I already registered the unit and software, so I called MOTU...and yes, the line was busy, but I eventually got through. I spoke to a knowledgeable tech who took me through a few tests and we deduced that the unit needed to be sent back. MOTU has a unique warranty...for less than $80.00 they will repair or replace the 828mkII, offer a free warranty on that work for 90 days, and that goes for the life of the unit. In five years, if it goes down, the same applies. They replaced my unit, sent it back just as I sent it in (2nd day air), all in a one business day turn around. Outstanding support as far as I'm concerned.

The software/hardware/feature combination is hard to beat. I did my research before buying the 828 mkII. It has 10 simultaneous analogue ins (more than any other unit except for the Hercules unit), multiple monitor mixes, and a great user interface...and it's expandable. you can chain more units together for a larger system. I'm recording drums, guitar, bass, keys, vocals, brass, etc...all sound great. I'd replace it in a heartbeat...quite honestly, I see no competition for the 828 mkII for anyone wanting to do computer-based multi-track recording.

This unit is very easy to use. The manual goes over the basic setup without confusing you. The unit is very accurate but the advertising is misleading when you compare the Green LCD (This is what you will get when you purchase the unit) to the blue screen that you see in every picture on the internet. You will get use to the green screen over time. It's easy to get lost in navigating the front LCD Mixer window. You will over come this as you keep playing with the unit...so don't get discouraged.

****MAKE SURE THAT YOUR FIREWIRE CARD FOLLOWS THE SPECS AS STIPULATED BY MOTU PRIOR TO BUYING THIS UNIT. THIS ONLY APPLIES IF YOU USE A PC.****

If you use a Mac you will have no problem at all. My make is a 1.25Ghz G4.

I use a /PC 1.25 GhzAMD80 gig/40gig G4 512 Ram, 80 gig hd / 200 gig Hd/ Tapco Monitors/ Tascam DA60MKII/Vestax Turntables/Tascam CDX 1700's/PV900 Amp/ Peavey 215 (2) speakers/ Rane TTM56 Mixer/ MC909/ Roland PC170/Headphone distributor.

I also have my pc studio connected to the in's of the unit, my Turntable Battle setup and my G4 system all at the same time. You can digitally label the internal mixer on the Firewire Cuemix console (It makes it easier know what being played when setting up).

**I have my PA system and Studio Monitors Connected at the sametime. This way I can hear how it sounds on the PA right after Mixdown.**

This machine has a diverse array of setup options. You can connect your midi to it and have 20 other things connect at the same time. Keep in mind that 20 ins and 22 outs doesn't mean that you get all those on 1/4 inch plugs. They do a play on words to get your attention. You really have to add up the spdif, adat conn, analog in's/outs so you will get a grand total of 20in's and 22 outs but they add up all of the connections together. If you get a chance, take a look at the back of the 828 mkII on the net and you will see what I'm talking about.
I get real good sound quality on this bad boy. It beats my Audigy card in the ground.

The only thing that I didn't like was that my fuse blew within the first 2 days of having the unit. I just popped open the unit and replaced the fuse (I WAS REAL SCARED AT FIRST) with a new one. I had to go onto the Motu website to get the right specs for the fuse. You will not be able to find this fuse at your local radio shack. You may have to special order it over the net.

This unit is very dependable. A BIG bang for your buck.

**If you have more personal questions...by all means email me. I'm a pretty kool kat and may be able to give you more info before laying down a bunch of $$$$$.

I've never dealt with customer NO service as of yet.

HIp HOp/ Jungle/ DrumNBass/ R&b

well ... i'm re-reviewing after 6 months of use (you can see my previous report down in this page)

No changes here. Very easy to use.

absolutely excellent. Only thing I don't like: The MIC input is VERY low and can't be boosted :(

9/10 . There is no fucking way of locking this card. Believe me I've tried everything.

Only thing I've found so far: If you are using the audio interface with audio and midi and disconnect it, the drivers inform you have to turn it on again to continue. Ok. You do, it continues. Ok. *BUT* the MIDI port does not survive. Looks like the only driver with "poweroff survival" is the audio driver and not the midi driver.

This is not as stupid as you might think: I use a lot Ableton Live for live performances that use audio and midi, and the 4 pin firewire is very very fragile. Sometimes I happen to move it and the soundcard looses connection. I turn it on again, LIVE continues playing perfectly, all the synths, effects, etc etc BUT the MIDI gear attached to the MIDI ports (usually a master keyboard and a synth) no longer work. I need to restart live for it to rescan the MIDI ports.

never had to contact them.

About features: I *badly* miss a feature the FW410 and FW1814 had: You can't send the computer output to as many outputs as you want using the internal mixer. I needed this to feed 2 mixers in a big club and was unable to do it. I contacted technical support and confirmed it's impossible: It's OK to route the "real" analog inputs to any combination of outputs, but unfortunately this does NOT apply to the computer output. I miss this a lot and hope MOTU people will upgrade soon the card.

8

very easy to get the hang of it even if you havent used an audio interface before. your better of reading the manual to find out what this baby can do.

10

beautiful, the is 0% noise when you use it diretly with your monitor speakers. i use an Rode NTK2 Variable Pattern Tube Microphone and it sounds amazing with the tracks i have made.
i have a pair of Mackie HR626 connected to it and i couldnt ask for any thing els.

8

i'm a Pc user.
my set up

WINDOWS XP CORP
AMD 64 3500+
SAMSUNG 400MHz 1GIG OF RAM
HIS ICEQ RADEON 9800 PRO
320 GIGS OF HDD
160 GIGS EXTERNAL HDD
ASUS AV8 PRO WIFI MOTHERBOARD

works like a dream with this set up but was unstable with a previous windows xp on the same system.

for me it is very easy to install and get working on all types of pcs and laptops with windows xp but can be very easy to get wrong even with a lot of experience with windows

i don?t really no because i never had to contact them

9

i make Drum a Bass UK HipHop and Urban Music with it and im happy and so are my listeners

I've had it for 2 years and its still going strong all the music producers i know are Jealous of it and all my pc gamer friends are Jealous too :)

i wouldnt really want anything else If it were stolen or lost i would just buy it agian

i love everything about it except the didy little green screen on the front and the stupid little knob buttons. The best feature for me is all the outputs and the freedom of them.

There are lots of different ways to set up monitoring of inputs and outputs. The manual is pretty good at describing everything.

When it worked, I didn't notice much difference between it and my Layla 20. However, the audio that I recorded in a multitrack recorded showed up as being delayed by about 30 ms. Add to that the intermittent CPU spikes. Top it off with audio dropouts. Add several dashes of high pitched tones. This gives you an audio interface that I just returned.

Terrible. I'm using a PC setup with Windows XP Professional. Now, my buddy who is running a Mac G5 hasn't had any problems with his Motu 828m k II. The lesson here, if you want to use Motu, buy a Mac. Me, I'm gonna stick with a company who has proven to be reliable - Echo Audio.

Clueless. Took forever to contact them on the phone (lines were busy all morning). Offered a couple of suggestions which I had already done and couldn't offer any other suggestions. Which is another reason I returned it.

From a features standpoint, it had everything I needed. After a week of fighting with it, I decided to go back to the company that I started with. I've never had an issue with my Layla 20, and I'm going to give the Layla 3G a whirl so that I can move into the 24 bit recording world.