MOTU 8pre 16x12 FireWire Audio Interface
Add 8 crystal-clear mic preamps to your home recording setup with the MOTU 8Pre 16x12 FireWire interface, featuring high-resolution 96 kHz/24-bit converters.
Overall User Ratings (based on 50 ratings)
Submitted August 16, 2009 by a customer from gmail.com
"Top-Tier For a Mixerless Setup"
Verified Customer
zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I am very satisfied with the 8pre. I own two, daisy-chained via lightpipe and they have worked very well for my needs so far. I am hoping to use the units to record small ensembles in the near future. The only reason I may consider switching away from the 8pre is the lack of output channels; this is a big deal if you want to use outboard effects or other equipment, but not so much if you're just interested in recording an ensemble.
Sound
Sound is clear, and very quiet even with the preamps turned near max.
Features
ADAT Lightpipe is very useful; LED's for each input is also a big help. Each channel has its own preamp and phantom power option for each individual channel. The only thing that kills me is that there is only a headphone jack and one balanced pair of main outs. I would like more output channels to route to effects or other equipment.
Ease of Use
There are driver problems when daisy-chaining two or more 8pre's together. Hardware-wise, the unit is easy to use.
Quality
A very well-built product. The phantom power switches feel a bit cheap, but that's the only apparent con in quality.
Value
Competing against the FP-10, I'm not sure the 8pre is worth the extra $150 in retail price if only because of the lack of output channels. However, the 8pre does have a phantom power switch for each channel (which isn't really a problem in the FP-10), and importantly lightpipe ins and outs for daisy-chaining or whatever else.
The Wow Factor
The unit looks sharp, and it performs.
Musical Background:
Musician, Aspiring recording engineer
Musical Style:
Jazz/Rock
9 of 9 people (100%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!
Submitted December 26, 2008 by a customer from verizon.net
"I"m Luke warm"
Verified Customer
zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Ease of Use
I had to roll back to Windows XP service pack 1 to get two units working in conjunction. This is a known bug with the unit. I also tried Vista but the drivers didn't work, and I could never get any sound out of the unit.
Quality
I accidentally hit the button on my power strip which turned the units off when it they were still booting, and one of them fried. You will probably want to invest in some power conditioning. (I plan to do that ASAP)
Value
Overall it's still a pretty good product, but could be cheaper.
Manufacturer Support
Yep, the other guy's right. The support reps will do anything just to get you off of the phone. It's probably how they are measured (length of call) They also will not talk to you usually if you do not register with them. I just don't like registering my purchases due to the fact that more people now have your address and contact info. I get plenty of spam as it is.
Musical Background:
Gigging musician part time, also part time recording engineer and videographer
Musical Style:
Rock, Alternative, Rhythm and Blues
9 of 14 people (64%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!
Submitted October 8, 2009 by a customer from yahoo.com
"Don't waste your money get an Echo Audio fire 12 and a freaking Allen and Heath mixwizard and have a killer set up. Skip this to"
Verified Customer
zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
The thing died after 5 months and 2 recording projects. Wow that's awesome.
Sound
The sound was good while the unit was working.
Features
It has a tone of cool things that would be great if the unit was working. I like the fact that it is a single rack space I like that each channel has it's own phantom power the little led meter is great.
Ease of Use
It was a little strange to set up. It went faster than my old Project mix I/O and sounds a little better.
Quality
What a complete piece of junk. The box they put it in is awesome and it seems like a great unit but when you plug it in it seems like any little thing will freak it out. I upgraded it with the factory upgrade and since then it has not worked. Get an M-Audio.
Value
If they company was any good at customer service this would be a good product but if you have a problem with your unit you are on your own. good luck
Manufacturer Support
The company is impossible to deal with. You can't get anyone on the phone. They have no voice mail to leave a message and when you try to get in touch with them they make you jump through a bunch of hoops for service. You think you have a warranty... you don't
The Wow Factor
I thought I wanted this but now I know the truth. It is terrible.
Musical Background:
part time musician
Musical Style:
cover slut
5 of 7 people (71%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!
Submitted May 13, 2009 by a customer from excite.com
"Customer Support is Non-Existent"
Verified Customer
zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
When the 8pre is working...it's great. But mine has been 'down' more than I care to talk about. The customer support is non-existent.
I wouldn't buy another MOTU product if my life depended on it.
Sound
When it's working...it sounds great. Very clean, crystal production. It's a 10 when working. It's a zero right now...so I've averaged it out to a 5. But it's really a 'zero.'
Features
No
I wish that it worked.
Ease of Use
When it works, it's easy to use.
Quality
The toggles and knobs are very small and flimsy.
Value
It's of no value to me right now. It is dead in the water.
Manufacturer Support
Over 50 phone calls. Either busy or won't answer. Not sure which. Requests for email support online have gone unanswered for 3 weeks.
The Wow Factor
I've owned it for over a year. The machine has a split personality. It cannot be relied upon.
Musical Background:
Professional
Musical Style:
rock, country, ballads
4 of 5 people (80%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!
Submitted October 3, 2007 by a customer from hotmail.com
"Flawless."
Great buy, I recomend it to anyone. Very portable and very sturdy.Ive seen pros using this as much as I use it in my home studio.
Sound
As expected, very good preamps.
Features
Its just the 8pre a firewire cable the manual and drivers cd. Not like they could throw more stuff in the box. (Other than maybe another firewire cable thats 4-6 pin rather than 6-6 pin)
Ease of Use
Had some minor trouble with installing the drivers where I ended up doing what the manual said not to. But still works perfectly.
Quality
Couldnt be better built unless you want it made out of metal. All mic inputs are firm and nothing is loose. Although the volume controls on the 8 lines all have a different "feel" for example my volume knob on channel 7 I have to turn with all my strength while the one on channel 8 could be moved with a straw.
Value
$549 is $49 too much, although theres only one VERY similar interface (the now discontinued tascam fw-1804) it is a lot cheaper than this one although knowing what it does and what its capable of, its worth $600
Manufacturer Support
Ive only tried emails, but many many emails and they always answer within a day with nice complete answers.
The Wow Factor
...it looks pretty nice on the rack, although a bit shy to be the brain of my home studio.
Musical Background:
hobyyist
Musical Style:
hardcore, alternative, drum and bass, acoustic, r&b and more.
36 of 39 people (92%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!
Submitted February 21, 2008
"Good interface, for some...."
Manufacturer Support
I've been trying to troubleshoot a driver issue using Vista and tech support is insistent on blaming me. The arrogance is astounding, and the support for actual problems is untennable.
4 of 11 people (36%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!
Please wait.