The MOTU 16A is a Thunderbolt audio interface built for studios and live sound engineers who need large-format console-style mixing combined with extensive analog I/O. It’s the first interface to combine Thunderbolt connectivity with AVB audio networking, delivering 32 physical analog and digital inputs and outputs plus a 48-channel digital mixer modeled after large mixing consoles. Ultra-low 1.4ms round-trip latency and 123dB of measured dynamic range make it suited to demanding tracking and monitoring work, not just basic recording.
32 channels of analog/digital I/O: 16 balanced/unbalanced TRS analog inputs and outputs plus 2 8-channel ADAT optical ports deliver 32 inputs and 32 outputs total.
Studio-grade converters: ESS Sabre32 Ultra converters achieve a measured 123dB dynamic range on balanced TRS analog outputs.
Ultra-low latency: Round-trip latency over Thunderbolt is just 1.4ms at 96kHz with a 32-sample host buffer.
48-channel digital mixer: Modeled after large-format consoles, with 7 stereo aux busses, 3 groups, a reverb/4th group bus, and modeled British analog EQ, compression, and LA-2A-style leveling.
Matrix routing: Routes any source — analog input, computer channel, mixer bus, or network stream — to any destination, including splitting a single input to unlimited outputs.
Networked and standalone operation: Expands with up to 5 MOTU interfaces over AVB Ethernet, and can run standalone with wireless mixing control from a phone or tablet.
