The Motu 4pre packs four mic inputs into an impressively small half-rack form factor, along with a healthy complement of additional professional-grade audio connections. Just think of the possibilities. You can record and mix vocals plus guitar for two musicians simultaneously. Or mic a drum kit with overheads and close-ups. Or record lead and background vocals in one take. With an interface this flexible, capable, and great-sounding, you'll be ready for any situation your music throws at you.
The 4pre is an impressively small 8.5 by 7 by 1.75 inches, which means that it slides easily into your backpack. It also sits nicely next to your laptop or desktop computer.
The four inputs are not just for mics: they are combo jacks that also accept a quarter-inch plug. Inputs 1-2 take line-level signals, such as the output from a synth or keyboard. Inputs 3-4 are "hi-Z" DI inputs with proper impedance for plugging in your electric guitar directly, without an amp or cabinet, to process your guitar sound through amp and cab simulation plug-ins in your host software.
Thanks to MOTU’s Hybrid interface technology, the 4pre connects to any Mac or PC via FireWire or high-speed USB 2.0. Connect your mic, guitar, keyboard, and digital input, and you are ready to make pro-quality recordings.
No power supply needed. The 4pre can draw power from its FireWire connection to the computer, so you can operate remotely on laptop battery power.
The 4pre can record and play all channels simultaneously, and high-speed USB 2.0 provides plenty of bandwidth, even at 96 kHz.
Quickly balance the levels of mics, guitars, a keyboard, or other inputs right from the front panel. Each input has its own volume control. Route inputs directly to any output pair, each with its own unique mix: main outs, line outs, S/PDIF out, and phones.
The included CueMix FX software for Mac OS X and Windows gives you graphic, on-screen control of the 4pre's on-board audio mixer, with up to four separate stereo mixes (a separate mix for each output pair). For example, you can mix all the inputs to the main outs, but also mix them to the line outs with completely different levels than the main outs. Advanced features include a tuner, oscilloscope, FFT/spectrogram, and phase analysis tools.

Key features:

• A great audio interface for desktop and laptop recording rigs
• Compact and rugged all-metal chassis fits easily in a backpack, but comes with the hardware you need to rackmount it
• 4 x ultra-clean and highly transparent microphone preamplifiers let you record without coloring your sound
• All analog inputs are on combo jacks, providing you with the connectivity you need to record 2 x balanced line-level sources as well as 2 x hi-Z instrument sources
• 2 x channels of S/PDIF I/O
• 2 x independent headphone outputs make collaboration easy
• Independent hands-on mixer lets you use the 4pre even without your computer
• Connects via USB 2.0 or FireWire 400
• CueMix software lets you control four mixes and 8 buses with simple tabbed interface (includes tuner, oscilloscope, real-time FFT, spectrogram waterfall, X-Y phase analysis, and other tools)
• Functions as a stand-alone 4-channel mixer, even without a computer
• Includes AudioDesk recording software

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