60 simultaneous audio channels
28 inputs and 32 outputs, all independent
Connect all your studio gear, including microphones, guitars, synths, keyboards, drum machines, outboard processors, MIDI gear, optical expanders - even a foot pedal. All I/O is available simultaneously.

Superb analog audio quality
Renowned ESS Sabre32 Ultra™ DAC technology
New in the 828es, renowned ESS Sabre32™ DAC technology delivers 123dB dynamic range and the same proven, award-winning audio quality as MOTU's flagship 1248.

High-performance Thunderbolt and USB drivers for Mac and PC
Ultra-low latency and renowned rock-solid performance
Round-trip latency (RTL) performance as low as 1.6 ms at 96kHz over Thunderbolt™ with high-performance DAW hosts.


Universal connectivity
USB and Thunderbolt for Mac, PC and iOS
Connect to your Mac or PC with Thunderbolt™ or Hi-speed USB 2.0, with up to 256 audio channels (128 in and 128 out) over Thunderbolt. Or stream dozens of audio channels to and from your Mac over AVB/TSN Ethernet using a standard, affordable CAT-5e cable up to 100 meters long. Class-compliant firmware and industry standard drivers work with any audio apps. Connect to your iPad™ with a standard camera connection kit (adapter).

Redesigned mic channels
Cutting-edge components deliver ultra-transparent sound
Capture your recorded material in its truest, most natural form with -108 dB THD+N, 118dB dynamic range and -128dBu EIN performance. Each mic channel has individual preamp gain, pad, 48V phantom power and digital remote control. Do you work with outboard EQs and compressors? Each 828es mic input offers a pre-converter, hard-wired send for mono or stereo mic channel outboard processing.

Control room features
Take control of your recording sessions
Take control of your recording sessions with the built-in talkback mic and front-panel talk button. Connect two sets of speakers and check your mixes instantly with front-panel A/B speaker select buttons.

DSP mixing and effects
Console-style mixing with 48 channels and 12 busses
A full-fledged 48-input digital mixer delivers 7 stereo aux busses, 3 groups, access to 64 network inputs, and DSP effects including reverb, 4-band EQ, gate and compression. If you know your way around a large-format mixing console, you'll feel right at home. If you've ever wished to mix on a large console, the driver's seat is now yours.

Modeled vintage effects processing
Vintage processing with 32-bit float precision
Classic reverb. Compression modeled after the legendary LA-2A compressor. EQ modeled after British analog console EQs. The 828es DSP engine delivers virtually unlimited headroom and the utmost in sound quality.

Flexible matrix routing and splitting
Route your audio anywhere with one-click ease
Send any input to any output, or multiple outputs. Includes routing
to and from the computer, plus any devices on the audio network.

Web app control from any device
Control everything from your laptop, tablet and smartphone
The software that you use to control the 828es doesn't reside on your hard drive. It's a web app served from the hardware itself. This means you can control the 828es on-board DSP, mixing, device settings, and network audio routing from your favorite web browser on a laptop, tablet or smartphone connected by wire or Wi-Fi to your local area network. Use any web client on any platform - Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android - as long as it shares the same network.

Touch Console
The art of the mix on your touchscreen
Designed specifically for touchscreen operation, Touch Console™ delivers a whole new mixing experience. Access Touch Console from your tablet or smartphone to effortlessly control the powerful 48-channel mixer and effects in the 828es. With large targets for your fingers, multi-touch operation and intuitive design, you can tap, swipe and pinch your way to a perfect mix, every time.

Stand-alone operation with wireless control
No computer or laptop needed
Connect an Apple® Airport™ or other Wi-Fi router with a standard Ethernet cable for wireless control of device settings, powerful 48-channel mixing and DSP effects.

MPN: 828ES

• Sample rates 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192 kHz
  
• Mic/line/instr inputs 2 x XLR/TRS "combo style" inputs
  
• Preamp gain: 0 to +63 dB (digitally controlled)
  
• Analog inputs 8 x 1/4" TRS line inputs (balanced/unbalanced)
  
• Max level: +24 dBu (digitally adjustable -96 to +22)
  
• Analog outputs 8 x 1/4" TRS line out (balanced, DC coupled)
  
• Max level: +20 dBu (digitally adjustable -4 to +20)
  
• 2 x male XLR with +20 dBu max
  
• 2 x 1/4" TRS stereo headphone
  
• 2 x 1/4" TRS sends (pre-converter)
  
• Digital I/O 2 banks (16 ch) of ADAT optical at 1x sample rates
  
• 2 banks (8 ch) of SMUX optical at 2x sample rates
  
• 1 bank switchable to TOSLink (optical S/PDIF)
  
• 1 x stereo S/PDIF on RCA (up to 96 kHz)
  
• Total I/O 28 in / 32 out (60 total) at 1x sample rates
  
• 20 in / 24 out (44 total) at 2x sample rates
  
• 10 in / 14 out (24 total) at 4x sample rates
  
• Computer I/O 1 x Thunderbolt 1 (Mac and Win)
  
• Thunderbolt 2 & 3 compatible
  
• 1 x USB 2.0 audio class compliant
  
• USB 3.0 and iOS compatible
  
• Computer I/O channels
  
• Thunderbolt 128 in/out at 1x or 2x (44.1 to 96 kHz)
  
• 64 in/out at 4x (176.4 to 192 kHz)
  
• Computer I/O channels
  
• USB 64 in/out at 1x (44.1 to 48 kHz)
  
• 32 in/out at 2x (88.2 to 96 kHz)
  
• 24 in/out at 4x (176.4 to 192 kHz)
  
• MIDI I/O 1 x MIDI IN
  
• 1 x MIDI OUT
  
• 16 MIDI channels to/from computer host
  
• Foot switch 1 x 1/4" pedal input
  
• Sync I/O 1 x BNC word clock in/out
  
• 1 x 1/4" time code in/out
  
• Network I/O 1 x RJ45 AVB/TSN Ethernet (1 Gbps)
  AVB streams
  
• (8 channels per stream) 4 in / 4 out @ 44.1 or 48 kHz
  
• 4 in / 4 out @ 88.2 or 96 kHz
  
• 2 in / 2 out @ 176.4 or 192 kHz
  
• Headphone 2 x 1/4" TRS stereo phone (assignable)
  
• Phantom power 2 x individual +48V
  
• Front panel 2 x 1/4" TRS headphone output
  
• 2 x XLR/TRS combo inputs
  
• 2 x digital rotary encoders • phone vol
  
• 2 x digital rotary encoders • mic/instr input gain
  
• 2 x large digital rotary encoders • main vol / menu
  
• 4 x small switches • (2) Pad / (2) 48V Phantom pwr
  
• 8 x large switches • menu nav / A/B mon select, etc.
  
• 2 x LCD (128 x 160) for level meters / menu nav
  
• Power International 100-240V autoswitching supply
  
• 50-60 Hz • 0.5A max
  
  Dimensions and weight (width x depth x height, enclosure only)
  
• 19 x 7 x 1.75 inches
  
• 48.3 x 17.75 x 4.5 cm
  
• 4.1 lbs / 1.9 kg
  
• with rack brackets removed:
  
• 17.25 inches (43.8 cm) wide
  
• 4.0 lbs / 1.8 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 1/2/3, USB 2/3 or AVB/TSN Ethernet port*
  
• A large hard drive (at least 500 GB for recording)
  
• *AVB/TSN Ethernet audio interface operation requires OS X El Capitan 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 1/2/3 or USB 2/3 port
  
• 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.
  
  Included Software
  
• Thunderbolt and USB 2.0 drivers
  
• 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 for Mac & Windows (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