MOTU 8PRE

This unit was very easy to install - absolutely no probs, syncs to computer instantly after connecting.
Manual is good, covers all necessary topics in an understandable manner.

As opposed to other reviewing this thing I have zero noise problems. I recorded without connented mics, preamps open, and had very, very low hiss - even the dithering plugin made more noise. No 60cycle hum or high pitched squealing to be observed on my side. The Mic Preamps are nothing to write home about but for the price... gimme a break! They sound good and neutral, low noise. No comparison to the rather dull preamps of the Behring ADA 8000 for example.
Gain knobs make noises while turned but I guess they had to skimp somewhere to arrive at this price.

Makes a great impression out of the box, worked flawless for me so far. Internal power supply is a big plus. Had much less hassle with installing and runnig the unit than with my old Presonus Firepod.

Never had to deal with them.

Amazing for the price. Good sound quality, easy installation, great operation. The drivers kick ass. On my "old fashioned" 3 Ghz PC with Win XP SP2 im able to run the thing click-free with a total latency of 4 ms input to output!!! Thats amazing and even lower than whats possible with my Delta PCI card. And significantly lower than what my Firepod was able to obtain (apprx. 12 ms input to output.).

I found the 8pre to be very easy to set up. If you are familiar with software mixers, you will have no problem getting this guy going. The manual is very clear and well written. I have to admit that this is my first experiance with MOTU, and I am very impressed.

To tell you the truth, I've used several different interfaces in this price range over the years, and none of them have come close to the quality of the 8pre. The preamps are the quietest I've ever used - amazing. I do professional orchestral recording, so quiet equipment is a must for me, and this unit delivers.

I've been using this unit for the last month now with no glitches or problems. I'll admit that I still bring along a backup unit, but I've never had to use it (and maybe that's just good practice anyway).

Haven't had a need to call for support.

My overall rating is a 9 mainly because the channel 1 pot does not turn smoothly - its kind of hard to turn. The other 7 pots are just fine. The other thing I don't like is the pad and phantom power switches. They are definitely solid, but I would have preferred a button. Oh well, as you can see, I am very pleased with the sound quality - and that's all that matters to me in the end.

I've had this for a month, and i've decided to return it. It has been a huge pain. I've tried everything I can think of, but i still get pops or clicks during playback, during recording, even when i'm not playing back or recording. It also will occasionally loss connection with the computer, for no reason that i've been able to determine.

Having said this,please note that I've owned the Motu 828, the Motu Traveler, and the Behringer fca202. I've used them all on this same computer and have not had these problems before. I am also a former professional in the Audio Industry (audio systems design, circuit design and repair, programming). Now that i'm returning this 8pre, i'm using my behringer fca202 in the meantime, and let me tell you that it is working flawlessly and is a joy to use after my recent struggle with the 8pre. (i know...it's behringer)

But that's not all!

I could live with the clicks, if it's just a "new product with buggy drivers" issue, but the real killer is the buzz. Buzz as in annoying hum from the powersupply. The 8pre has a built in, on board power supply, so it's not powered via firewire. The problem is that you can hear both a higher pitched buzz (think flourescent lights) and a lower pitch buzz (60 cycle hum?). I'm guessing it's from the power transformer. It's a problem for me because i record acoustic guitar and vocals in a 100 sq. foot room, and the buzz is picked up in my recordings. it's no so noticible on one track, but as you begin to stack the tracks, the buzz becomes more noticible. (8 tracks of buzz is louder then one track of buzz). I hear the buzz through my monitors as well. The buzz is present with nothing plugged into the 8pre, (except for the AC cord).

I doubt this is a fluke. I base this on the fact that this is the exact sound that my 828 used to make. The MOTU 828 also has an internal powersupply. I called motu about this and they had no idea what i was talking about. Well, i returned the 828 back then, and thought it was maybe a bad unit....but now i think this is just inherant in the design and i'm guessing they are using the same design as the 828.

so....

i'm giving this catagory a 5 because when it works (no clicks) it's a piece of cake, but when it doesn't, it's very very frustrating.

I will say that the preamps are pretty quiet. I feel like they are subpar compared to the motu traveler, but i guess you can't expect 8 channels of traveler pres for $550.

They seem sort of flat, or dull to me. i think the sound alot like the original 828's preamps. I chose not to use them because my electroharmonix 12ay7 tube pre and my art mpa tube pre blows the 8pre's out of the water. i'd say they are good for less important stuff like micing an entire drum kit or backing vocals. (i guess you can see i'm not a drummer...haha)

i've found this unit to be very unreliable, and for the sake of all of you that buy this unit, i hope it's just a software driver issue. i'm guessing they'll have to address it, and maybe this review will help speed up the process.

I gotta say that motu support is awesome.

so, i've said some pretty bad stuff about this unit.

on the postive side i very much like:

how you can control the volume of the headphones or the monitor outputs via the same control. If you press the button down a few times it controls the monitor (main) outs, press it a few more times and you are controlling the headphone mix. very nice feature when you a recording without a mixer.

every channel has it's own phantom power switch.

every channel has it's own -20db pad

every channel has it's own trim knob on the front of the unit

the zero latency monitoring is awesome. works great and is one reason why i bought this to begin with