MOTU 896mk3 Hybrid - BOO

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 5 May 2016 11:19 am

I just got a new MOTU 896mk3 Hybrid. It will be my prime recording interface unit. I have been using a Roland Octa-Capture but its had some hardware reliability problems and will be relegated to backup unit.

I checked the Latency of this unit, with Buffer set to 64 samples/44.1Khz (what was suggested by Jim Roseberry on the Cakewalk/Sonar forum). I'm on Windows 10 and using Sonar Platinum.

Sonar reports the following:
Input 2.7msec 121 Samples
Output 3.3msec 146 Samples
Total Roundtrip 6msec 267 Samples

("unscientifically")Testing the analog channels, with an AT2050 condenser mic, each channel is clean, does not color the signal in any way and the noise floor is very low (basically non existent). I ran my Franklin direct and it too was clean, although through a tube preamp or miked is better.

DG Whitley · Post by **DG Whitley** » 5 May 2016 3:05 pm

Jack, I always look forward to your posts, especially equipment reviews. I looked at this unit and like the specs, but it is just out of my range right now.

Awesome unit though, nice choice!

Best wishes on your recording adventures.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 5 May 2016 3:54 pm

It was more than I wanted to pay (I was looking at the $500 to $600 range) but I got talked out of the one I was looking at, by several on a recording forum, and this was the next unit with 8 analog preamps. There were a couple of brands (I'm not going to say what they are) that I discounted and the more I looked the better the MOTU 896mk3 Hybrid looked.

My other option would have been to buy one without preamps and then buy preamp channel strips. All the "decent" channel strips would have brought the total price way above the price of the 896mk3 Hybrid.

I'm using the USB interface. I don't have a T.I Firewire chipset in my PC.

For a "home" studio this will work great.

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 6 May 2016 12:51 am

Nice Jack..use it in good health !

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 9 May 2016 2:11 am

Well, that was a bust. The unit is going back.

They "complicated the ham sandwich" with their software control (CueMix). I had to fumble around to find out how to direct hardware monitor (the manual land all the on-line tutorials and FAQ's never mentioned it). I had to connect my headphone distribution amp to the front panel headphone jack, rather than have it fed from the rear, like is shown in the manual. Never could find how to route the headphone out to the rear channels.

I went ga ga over the Latency but obviously there is more to it than just low latency.

Bill D. Terry · Post by **Bill D. Terry** » 9 May 2016 6:53 am

Cuemix can be a little daunting, any input can be directed to any output, but you need to spend an hour or so learning Cuemix. I have 4 of the older Motu boxes that interface my studio. I don't use the converters, but cuemix controls over 125 possible in and out combinations(analog and digital) We route all of the outputs to a mixer and then to a Furman system. I do wish Cuemix was a little more intuitive, but it does work well...even though I flinch every time we decide to make a routing change...luckily that is seldom!

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 9 May 2016 8:32 am

Bill, it took me 3 days of reading the manual, searching the internet and my "computer techie" skills just to figure out how to set it to monitor the inputs (as it turned out this function was muted by default in CueMix).

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 9 May 2016 10:17 am

RME uses a similar computer routing interface called Total Mix. The ability to route anything anywhere at any point can be a real problem. I'm not into it. Lucky for me the default settings link to pro tools. I avoid it for the most part.

Bill D. Terry · Post by **Bill D. Terry** » 9 May 2016 11:43 am

Jack Stoner wrote:Bill, it took me 3 days of reading the manual, searching the internet and my "computer techie" skills just to figure out how to set it to monitor the inputs (as it turned out this function was muted by default in CueMix).

I know that you have computer skills from reading posts from you. Like I said it's not intuitive, and yes all inputs are muted by default. I am not a big fan of software routing, but it is the only we to do this as economical as it is. Hopefull you find something better.

Let us know what you get, in the next 5 years or so I may revamp my system, but I need aes-ebu,spdif,lightpipe, occasionally toslink.

Rick Campbell · Post by **Rick Campbell** » 9 May 2016 3:57 pm

I use Presonus 1818 VSL with Presonus Studio One and I don't have any of those issues. You can monitor the source outside of the DAW, but with reverb, delay, etc.... and that eliminates any latency to have to deal with. You can choose to only hear the effects while recording, or print them to the track.

RC

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 10 May 2016 2:22 am

Bill, it was an output that was muted by default, nothing to do with the inputs (which are also muted by default).

Rick, most units allow default direct monitoring. The Roland Octa-Capture that I'm now using is that way. I used to have an M-Audio unit when I was dabbling in Pro-Tools and it too had default direct monitoring. However in MOTU's attempt to have as much user control as possible they complicated things.

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 10 May 2016 5:03 am

I was a motu performer guy and the digital performer user from the very beginning. They upgraded themselves with so many ridiculous features that it became near impossible to record a basic track. I dumped them for pro tools about 7 years ago. I sorta prefer machines/software that do one thing well rather than the behemoths that can do anything.

A nice feature to the RME Total Mix interface is that the default works like the routing system wasn't there in the first place and it's easy to reset to default.

Les Cargill · Post by **Les Cargill** » 11 May 2016 5:06 pm

Jack, I have the option of a zero-latency cue mix, but I don't use it very often.

I run cue mix using REAPER, then track with an old copy of n-Track 3.0 ( or sometimes with the same instance of REAPER itself for overdubs and punchins ) .

REAPER reports 6.9 msec latency for 89 samples @ 44.1 which leads me to believe that's round-trip.

I haven't put a scope to it - it's noticeable but not obnoxious.

This is with a Scarlett 18i20 interface.

This allows adding plugins to the cue mix, mainly for reverb, EQ and gain control in the headphones.

Bill D. Terry · Post by **Bill D. Terry** » 11 May 2016 5:41 pm

Jack Stoner wrote:Bill, it was an output that was muted by default, nothing to do with the inputs (which are also muted by default).

Gotcha, for users like myself that only use the routing, we need to assign which input goes with what output because my inputs during recording have already been converted to digital and I would need to tell it how to output to my mixer for monitoring ( I wouldn't want it to direct output to aes 1 just because the input was aes 1. Direct output corresponding with your input channel is all most people need so your frustration is understandable. The good news is that today we are blessed with a plethora of options...simple and not so simple.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 12 May 2016 2:21 am

Les, I looked at the Focusrite's. I had a Saffire Pro40 for a while and really liked it until I heard other brands preamps. I was told the newer Scarlett has the same preamps as the Saffire Pro 40 so that did not make my "final list".

Les Cargill · Post by **Les Cargill** » 13 May 2016 5:45 pm

Jack Stoner wrote:Les, I looked at the Focusrite's. I had a Saffire Pro40 for a while and really liked it until I heard other brands preamps. I was told the newer Scarlett has the same preamps as the Saffire Pro 40 so that did not make my "final list".

I'm just happy to have 16 inputs at once

.