MOTU Announces Track16 Desktop Studio Interface

CAMBRIDGE, MA -- Tuesday, June 12, 2012. Today MOTU announced  Track16, a 16 x 14 desktop studio interface with mixing and  effects. Track16 connects via FireWire or hi-speed USB 2.0 to a Mac or  PC computer and features elegant design, compact size, simple one-touch operation, and studio-grade sound quality. Together, the  Track16 base unit and included breakout cable provide a total of sixteen  inputs and fourteen outputs, hybrid FireWire/USB connectivity, optical  digital I/O, MIDI I/O, and SMPTE time code sync. Advanced features include a 16-bus digital mixer (with reverb, EQ, and  compression), audio analysis tools such as an FFT with spectrogram  "waterfall", and an instrument tuner.

"Track16 combines studio-grade recording with one-touch operation,"  said Jim Cooper, MOTU Director of Marketing. "Just push the button for  the channel you want to control and turn the knob. Track16 delivers all  the I/O you need for a well-equipped desktop studio, combined with a smart-looking design that brings high-end feel  to your system."

Track16 consists of a base unit and breakout cable. The base unit  (approximately 5 x 8 x 1 inches) is constructed from solid aluminum cast  metal, with a sleek, brushed-aluminum top. The top panel provides a  large, multi-function knob, ten backlit buttons, and four pairs of 7-segment level meters. The front panel provides  several connectors, including a hi-Z guitar input, eighth-inch stereo  "mini" line input, and two mirrored headphone jacks (on quarter-inch and  eighth-inch connectors). The rear panel provides a DB25 connector for the breakout cable, a FireWire 400 connector (on a  9-pin Type B  jack, similar to other MOTU "hybrid" audio interfaces), a  standard USB 2.0 port, and optical in/out jacks, which provide eight  channels at 1x sample rates, four channels of SMUX at 2x samples rates, and stereo TOSlink (optical S/PDIF) at rates  up to 96 kHz. The optical ports are ideal for system expansion, such as  adding eight more mic inputs with a MOTU 8pre interface.

The custom-designed DB25 breakout cable is 44 inches long (tip to  tip), with twelve female connectors for the rest of Track16's I/O  connections, including two XLR mic inputs, stereo balanced quarter-inch  line inputs, stereo balanced quarter-inch main outs, stereo quarter-inch line outputs, a second hi-Z guitar input, MIDI  IN/OUT, and a DC power input for the included power adapter.  Individually shielded twisted pairs and balanced analog connections  ensure optimum audio quality and integrity. An optional breakout box with the same connectors as the included breakout will be sold  separately (pricing and availability TBA).

Track16 can draw bus power from the FireWire port, which supplies  enough power to drive 48V phantom power for two independent mic preamps.  Under bus power, users have the option of operating Track16 without the  breakout cable, allowing them to record from the guitar input and listen on headphones with just their laptop  computer.

The included DC adapter connects to the breakout cable (or breakout  box) and powers Track16 for stand-alone use or connection to a computer  using USB. Track16's USB 2.0 connection provides across-the-board  compatibility with Mac and PCs, including forward compatibility with the USB 3.0 connections on Apple's latest MacBook and  Mac Pro computers.

Track16 operation is simple. The top-row buttons select input  channels; the bottom-row buttons select output channels. Turn the knob  to adjust the selected channel volume. The large, multi-function knob  (1.75 inches in diameter and 0.5 inches tall) is a slightly detented rotary encoder with a smooth, solid feel. Push it to  mute/unmute the selected channel or to toggle phantom power or pad for  each mic input. Users can also control CueMix bus input level by  pressing both the input and the desired output bus. For example, to control the mix bus volume for the 2nd guitar input  being routed to the line outputs, press GUITAR 2 and LINE OUT. They both  illuminate and you are now controlling the CueMix bus fader for GUITAR  2.

Track16's buttons are backlit with multi-color LEDs to facilitate  operation in dark studio or stage environments. From the factory, the  bottons glow amber (orange), except for the currently selected channel,  which glows bright green. Six other color schemes are available in various combinations of green, red and amber.

Four pairs of 7-segment level meters provide monitoring of all  analog inputs and outputs. Press the METERS button to toggle between the  channels labeled in white and those labeled in blue. The main out  meters remain dedicated to the main outs at all times.

In most other respects, Track16 is a close sibling to MOTU's  current line of "mk3" hybrid audio interfaces, such as the popular  UltraLite-mk3 and 828mk3 interfaces, sharing their hybrid connectivity  to Macs and PCs, 16-bus CueMix FX mixing engine, on-board effects processing (including classic reverb, modeled console EQ, and  vintage compression), stand-alone operation, Precision Digital Trim™,  SMPTE time code read/write capabilities, included AudioDesk™ workstation  software, audio analysis tools, and an instrument tuner. A complete feature summary can be found here:

Track16 will ship in Q3 of 2012. Price is $595 USD.