Motu 10Pre Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 Audio Interface

MOTU is now shipping the 10pre, a 1U rack-mounted audio interface for macOS, Windows, iOS and iPadOS. The 26x28 10pre connects to a Mac, PC or iPad with 40 Gbps Thunderbolt™ 4 or USB4 with low-latency, high-performance drivers to deliver ten mic/line/instrument inputs, 54 total channels of I/O, 64-channel mixing with effects, and 128 channels of AVB network input and output.

Universal connectivity with Thunderbolt 4, USB4, USB3, and USB2

Similar to MOTU’s recently introduced 16A and 848 interfaces, the 10pre connects to a Mac, PC or iOS device with the included 40 Gbps Thunderbolt-compatible USB4 C-to-C cable (compatible with USB3 and USB2) for up to 256 audio channels (128 in and 128 out). Class-compliant firmware and industry standard drivers work with any audio apps and deliver roundtrip latency (RTL) less than 1.9 ms (at 96 kHz with a 32 sample host buffer). A second Thunderbolt port connects additional computer peripherals, such as a 2nd monitor, hard drive, USB hub or Thunderbolt dock.

Ten mic/line/instrument inputs

The 10pre offers a unique array of ten mic/line/instrument (hi-Z) analog inputs on XLR/TRS “combo” style connectors equipped with advanced preamp circuits (118 dB dynamic range), delivering extremely quiet performance (-129 dBu EIN), intentionally neutral sound, very low noise (-114 THD+N), and plenty of preamp gain (+74 dB). You can rack-mount the 10pre and hard-wire a full bank of eight mic inputs (channels 1-8) into your studio system, while also enjoying two additional, identical, fully independent mic/line/instrument inputs (9-10) on the front panel for on-the-spot connections during recording sessions. As “primary” recording channels, inputs 1-2 (on the rear panel) offer a dedicated send/return insert for outboard gear processing.

Front Panel

In addition to mic inputs 9-10 on the front panel, a large, bright 3.9-inch full-color TFT display provides luxurious, high-resolution metering for all analog and digital I/O. Two headphone outputs provide independent volume control and fully-programmable source selection, including analog or digital inputs or outputs, mixer buses (with built-in reverb), host audio channels, or even network channels. The INPUT channel select knob (with accompanying +/- buttons) lets you choose any input and then adjust its individual preamp gain (+74 dB), -20 dB pad, and 48V phantom power switch. Phase invert is also provided via included software, and all input settings can be controlled remotely from a computer or iOS device. Control room features include talkback with front panel “Talk" button and “A/B/C” monitor select, Mute, and (sum to) Mono buttons for the designated monitor outputs, to quickly compare mixes on up to three sets of studio monitors.

Rear Panel I/O

The 10pre rear panel provides eight mic/line/instrument inputs (channels 1-8) on flexible “combo” style XLR/TRS jacks, with two sets of quarter-inch send/return inserts for inputs 1-2. In addition, eight balanced TRS analog (line-level) outputs equipped with ESS Sabre32™ 32-bit DACs deliver a measured dynamic range of 125 dB with -114 dB THD+N. Also included are two banks of 8-channel ADAT optical digital I/O (switchable to stereo optical S/PDIF on bank A). All analog inputs and outputs can be calibrated with boost or trim in precise 1 dB increments. All line outputs are DC-coupled, so they may be used to manipulate and sequence voltage-controlled modular synthesizers from a host DAW. Also included are BNC word clock I/O (with optional Thru), two Thunderbolt 4/USB4 Type-C ports, and two AVB Ethernet ports.

Flexible networking

Similar to the 16A and 848, the 10pre features an integrated AVB switch with two Gigabit Ethernet ports, allowing you to daisy-chain as many as eight 10pre, 848, and/or 16A units using standard network cabling, with full access to all units from the host computer. An external AVB switch can be added to expand the network further with multiple interfaces, computers, and ultra-low network latency, even over long cable runs (hundreds of meters). Each 10pre can transmit and receive 128 audio channels to and from the network, with hundreds of audio channels streaming among devices and computers on the network. The 10pre is compatible with previous-generation MOTU AVB devices.

Mixing and effects processing

Driven by the same powerful 32-bit floating point DSP engine as the 16A and 848, the 10pre delivers 64-channel mixing from any sources: the physical inputs on the 10pre interface itself, audio channels from host software, audio network streams, or even mixer outputs. Accessed in the included CueMix Pro™ app for macOS, Windows and iOS, the mixer provides 26 aux busses, plus main, reverb, monitor, and solo buses. All mixer inputs and output buses provide 4-band double-precision parametric EQ and a compressor at all sample rates up to 96 kHz. Additionally, all input channels include a High-Pass Filter and Gate. The 10pre can be used for monitor mixing while tracking in the studio or for stand-alone mixing for live sound, with Wi-Fi control of all mix settings from an iPad or iPhone.

Comprehensive routing and splitting

Using intuitive, virtual patch cords in CueMix Pro, or a comprehensive routing grid, you can easily route any source signal to any destination. Sources include analog or digital inputs on the interface, computer channels, mixer bus outputs, or audio network streams from other devices on the network. Destinations include interface outputs, host software inputs, mixer inputs, or any other device (or computer) on the network. You can even split any single source (or stereo pair) to unlimited multiple output destinations.

Included Software

The 10pre ships with the CueMix Pro App and low-latency Thunderbolt/USB drivers for macOS, Windows, iOS and iPadOS, MOTU Performer Lite workstation software for macOS and Windows, and 6GB of loops and sounds from Big Fish Audio, LucidSamples, LoopCloud and MOTU.