MOTU OctaLite

MOTU OctaLite – USB Audio Interface and Optical Expander

A versatile 16 x 12 USB audio interface and optical expander featuring eight high-quality microphone preamps, onboard DSP, mixing, and effects. Its compact half-rack format and rugged steel enclosure make the MOTU OctaLite suitable for studio recording, mobile recording, and live mixing. It can operate as a USB audio interface, standalone mixer, or optical expander for additional audio channels.

Sound Quality and Performance

Eight microphone preamps with Burr-Brown op-amps and up to +74 dB of gain.
ESS Sabre32 ES9026PRO DAC for analog output.
125 dB dynamic range on the output.
THD+N of -114 dB.
Equivalent input noise (EIN) of -129 dBu on microphone inputs.
Low-latency USB drivers for Mac and PC.
Round-trip latency (RTL) of 2 ms at 96 kHz with a 32-sample host buffer.

Connectivity and I/O

8 microphone, line, and Hi-Z instrument inputs for microphones, line-level sources, and guitars.
2 balanced 6.35 mm TRS outputs.
1 optical input supporting ADAT or TOSLink.
1 optical output supporting ADAT or TOSLink.
1 additional optical SMUX output for channels 5–8 at sample rates of 88.2 or 96 kHz.
1 stereo headphone output with volume control.
USB-C connectivity with USB Audio Class compliance.
USB Type-A compatibility.
Loopback channels and three virtual mix buses for alternative loopback mixes during streaming and podcast production.

Studio and Live Features

Onboard DSP, mixing, and effects.
Operates as a USB audio interface, standalone mixer, or eight-channel optical expander.
Optical expansion via ADAT or TOSLink.
Compatible with iPad and other Apple iOS devices through USB Audio Class compliance.
CueMix 5 mixing and control software for Mac, Windows, iPad, and iPhone.
Performer Lite music production software.
Compact half-rack format with a rugged steel enclosure.
Rack-mountable with a separate mounting kit.
Two units can be mounted side by side to provide 16 microphone inputs in a single rack space.

System Requirements

macOS 12 or later.
Windows 11.
iOS 13.5 or later.
Windows ASIO and WAVE drivers, plus an optional low-latency Mac driver.
iOS connectivity via USB-C or Lightning with an adapter.

Accessories

Rack-mounting kit and coupler kit for mounting two units are sold separately.