Motu 828 - What is a $1200 interface even good for?

The Motu 828 is a really huge audio interface with a big price tag. This thing has a very good sound quality of course, instead of dwelling about how great it is, I take the opportunity to show you, what all the connections are used for! Stay tuned, maybe you´ll learn something! 😉
And if you already know everything I´d appreciate if you´d stay anyways. ❤️

Buy the Motu 828 here:

More Info:

Klemm Music Technology (german site):

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[astrangeandmysteriouspodca]

I love my motu 828es...the sound quality is excellent. I have a RME UFX also and the sound quality is the same. No real difference. Highly recommended.

[jaydeebishop]

Bought this interface the day of the release. I then purchased a mint condition Midas analog 32 channel console for the price difference of a RME interface with the same feature. Never had an issue!

[FrankHyperion]

Definitely would love to see a latency test. That is one of the critical things that I look for in reviews.

[uglyfingersmusic]

Great teaching style. Very entertaining while being educational

[Scott__C]

Good info. MOTU doesn't get enough praise from the YouTube world, probably because they're not blanketing 1000 channels with things on the day or release. I had an 896HD for 18 years and they only stopped supporting it in 2021 or 2022. It was firewire, but was great.
Really $1200 isn't expensive for high quality equipment. I came up in the days of 24 track tape machines that were $30k then. 4 track cassette recorders were hundreds of dollars.

[alexlechanteur]

I had Tascam, Steinberg, Focusrite, and UAD for a while before switching to the MOTU 828es, and I don't even miss the UAD, especially now that the plugins can run without their interface. No doubt this version will perform really well. It's rock solid and never crashes.

[Kralasaurusx]

Really good info - makes sense of a lot of the otherwise mysterious features.
The constant background music was a bit excessive though imo

[audiction]

I'm rewatching this while taking a break re-wiring my rig, a MOTU828 (2024 Rev) to which, I just added a spanking new Ferrofish8 AE. ( Other ADAT is a ADA8200 )

My rig grew really fast, and perhaps a typical ITB kinda guy would be set, w perhaps a 8ch mic ADAT unit.

Be it GAS or a practical choice of going fully hybrid... I've found myself wanting to use hardware preamps, comps and EQs chains purposely built for both recording better inputs, and reprocessing in the mixing stage, perhaps I should have gone to a Motu 16A (2025 Rev.), saved myself the expense of an additional expensive converter ( Ferrofish ) to run another 8 I/Os with superb conversion, instead of running through an 8ch preamp unit which may impart unwanted noise, color and perhaps less stellar conversion.

Srry for the long post, but I just thought I'd define that once the 828 league, this shows commitment to the studio being hybrid, and your likely to fill up the Analog inputs real fast just with a Drum machine, looper, synth, piano or Amp sim.

The Ferrofish is an amazing converter, and it compliments the 828 in a fantastic way, but the same money gets you a Motu 16A, a pair of DBX 560 Comps. You still get 16 ch of ADAT avaliable on top of the 16 Analog inputs, and you save 1u in the rack.

[ppaolosan]

it's a pity that it has only 2 mic pre and no auto gain you know what kind of circuitry does it have the two mic pres? I mean if discrete with transistors or op amps or chips as PGA2500 or THAT etc...?

[aleksamrkela]

Thanks for the video! As someone who wants to build a music studio, I'm very interested in this interface. :D

[Rhythmattica]

Had a Motu MKII back in the Day... Solid Upgraded to an Love it! But, with Apple dropping FW Core Audio support with OSX12, ive been looking into a new I/O.. Was going to go RME, but I think youve just sold me on this.. Thanks..
Subbed.

[nickosparkol]

Thank you for the review.
Arturia AudioFuse 16Rig or Motu 828 (2024)?

[gixi]

Hey !Can you help me with a question since you know far more than me?I prioritize ANC and comfort and I have these options;(edifier WH950NB, sony wh750b, 1more sonoflow, anker soundcore q30 and space one)what option is better?you can sugest something else if you know

[johndo]

Motu really upped there prices since I last bought one of these (older generation) interfaces 🤔

[robainscough]

Brilliant video, love how you present, sub'd. The only "minor" complaint for my 828 is that the headphone amps aren't suited for my Sennhieser HD 650 (300 ohms).

[pastilance]

I had to put like for the Spit-DIF port.

[VernConnor-zi]

Does MOTU 828 usb c work well with windows

[littlegoose]

Nice explanations (and funny)! This helped me understand separate monitor/headphone mixes. Does each new monitor mix require a pair or L/R outs? I have a Motu 624 and was considering the inexpensive (cheap) Behringer ADA8200 to gain extra inputs via ADAT. I believe the 624 has: x2 1/4" guitar ins, x2 XLR mic ins, and x2 (pair L/R or x4 mono) analog ins, x1 ADAT, x2 (pair L/R or x4 mono?) analog outs, and x1 (pair L/R) main out. I'm cornfused about the inputs on the Behringer ADA8200. They are XLR and say mic/in but also have line/in on each of the 8 inputs. Could you pair these for a stereo input, e.g. use 1 & 2 on the Behringer as an L/R pair for a keyboard, or other instrument that has L/R outs?

[firebirdn]

Liked your review and presentation style, shame you didn't get into the Cuemix 5 mixer's capabilities but thanks anyway.

[AlBfR]

To my understanding the adat connectors are already included in the overall count of in and outs. And also the mic inserts are just inserts for the two microphone channels on the front and no input for microphones. Perhaps you can use the output of an external mic preamp to get it into the 828 through those return jacks. But that would interrupt the signal flow from the 828‘s own mic inputs. At least that‘s how my 828 (even if it‘s an older version) works. I have the older firewire versions from motu. And by versions I mean I also have an Ultralite mk3 which can be daisy chained with the 828 mk3 via Firewire in and output.