Hello how are you, I have several questions about the Motu audio interface:

I don't understand how I can download the famous "CueMix" to edit the board's channels and route them however I want, I know there is a Motu page where you can search for the exact model of your board, but at no time does it give you a link to download "CueMix" Software, only let you download drivers for Mac up to "Mojave" or "Windows 7 64bit.

The second is if there is any way for this audio interface to work on "Windows 10", and to be able to use it to record, in Cubase...ableton, has anyone tried it? Has anyone invented modified drivers to make it work on " Windows 10"?

Thank you so much

 

CueMix is installed with drivers

https://motu.com/en-us/download/product/14/?download_type=driver&platform_family=any#333

You can see last versions are Windows 8 64-bit and Mojave

 

I have this interface and gave up on it as an interface when I migrated to Windows 11. It did work in Windows 10, but could be buggy, with things like CueMix not opening at times and being unable to change routing, sample rate, and so on at times due to apps not opening properly. It would also get more problematic if trying to use alongside something like Sonarworks Systemwide or similar, with MOTU apps refusing to open at all if installed alongside some other software packages. This is not MOTUs fault, it's just that it's not designed for beyond Windows 7/8, which they clearly state. Firewire is also a dead technology in terms of audio interfaces.

Even though I say I gave up on it, notice I said as an audio interface. I still have mine as I liked the way it sounded. Therefore, I now use an Audient ID14 MKII and connect my MOTUT 828MkII FW into it using ADAT, giving me an additional 8 MOTU quality inputs into my system. I use it to perma-connect some of my hardware synths into my MOTU, though do have a re-routable patchbay to change the routing if I ever wanted to.

Therefore, I no longer use the MOTU software nor any of the drivers, CueMix, or anything else, but instead just set it as master on the hardware, connect via ADAT to the Audient, which is set as slave, and this setup still makees use of my device and fits into a more modern Windows 11 workflow instead of having to purchase a new 8+ in/out audio interface.

 

Last edited: Jun 30, 2023

Most likely, you would need to install legacy FireWire drivers (like Steinberg explains here). Without them many hardware devices won't work correctly. After this the latest MOTU drivers for this interface should also work with Windows 10.

 

My Pro 40 FW worked under win 10. Did win 11 break the driver install? I have not migrated to win 11 yet since I hate those stupid mac menus. I right now have mine hooked up to a Presonus 2626 via adat cables.

 

I have TC StudioKonnekt 48 working with Windows 10 superlite and it works without issues from what I can tell only with legacy Firewire driver which you get to choose when you install the driver for the interface.

 

This is my interface, use it on Windows 10, works fine. Drivers don't usually break with new versions of Windows because Microsoft hardly ever depreciates their old system code. MacOs is a different story; each version of the OS is its own thing. That being said, device drivers tend to last a bit longer, but the switch from Intel processors to ARM will definitely be killing lots of legacy devices.

This interface has served me well for many years; had to replace the power transformer, but those pretty much eventually all break in the electronics that I have owned.

 

Hi. Can you please tell me what is it lowest latency that you can get with that Presonus 2626 interface? Can it really go as low as sub 1 ms round-trip latency? What Thunderbolt card do you use wit it? I'm in search for secondary, or primary, interface with ultra low latancy, for live guitar playing with NAM profiles, and great thing is that Presonus 2626 have ADAT, so I can keep my MOTU, witch transparency of the sound I really appreciate and love.

 

.7 at 192 / 128 buffer. in Reaper yes it's great about 3 ms 48 / 128. Very good for me it's better than FW but more expense.
Way better than any USB on the market.
Link to image
https://pasteboard.co/pGE7mtKhlsg5.jpg

I have a ASUS z490- F board with ASUS ThunderboltEX 3-TR.
I am a guitar player also that is why I went with thunderbolt also.
I was very skeptical also before I got it. Very happy with it.

Yes 2 pairs of ADAT, I have my pro 40 Adated to it and also a ADA 8200.
THE ADA 8200 will not record at 192 but I usually use 48/128 all the time anyways. 3 ms is good enough.
The only misconception is that I thought it would do sub 1 ms at 48 it will not. It is not a biggie since 3 ms is good enough for live guitar playing with Guitar rig or any VST amp plugin and 48 /128. I was looking at the MOTU TB units before I got the 2626, I can not vouch for how it sounds to a MOTU but if you get one maybe you can tell me in sound quality if it's better or worse.
If you search the tread I upload raw guitars of the pro 40 versus the 2626 pre amps. Comments were either were usable.

 

Last edited: Jun 30, 2023

Thanks for the awesome informative reply! That's really impressive latency figures.

I didn't have a chance to to take any audio performance measurements of Presonus, but I did measure my current Motu 896 Mk3 Hybrid and the specs are great across the board. Motu really know how to design super clean and transparent audio path for some of their interfaces. They are vanguards and leaders with numbers like 0.0005 THD, for interface that is designed, and first hit the market 10 or more years ago, and that is still production, and impressively competent, to this days. There is some MOTU-s Windows driver glitches, but I would bypass any Windows driver anyway, I use MOTU ASIO driver for Windows and other non ASIO apps also, by runing VoiceMeter with MOTU ASIO driver for the whole system sound. Reaper report it as 3ms latancy 192khz over USB, and around 2.8, if I remember correctly, for FireWire conection, but I must sead that I don't believe this drver reported numbers, and I will need to check this reported latency soon, with some manual latency measurements. I can somehow feel and hear discrepancy between acoustic string noise of the pick atack and sound coming from monitors, even when I am at close proximity to monitors. Till recently I didn't even bother with latency, i use interface for mixing and listening only, until I didn't heard quality and realism of NAM guitar amp profiles. I used real guitar and bass amps.

If yo want peace of mind knowing what, and how's, your interface audio path perform, why don't you try to make some measurements yourself with RightMark Audio Analyzer software. It is great peace of software, and great free way to find how in general your interface performs. It isn't as precise as dedicated measuring equipment, but it will give you great and precise overview of yours interface general audio performance. It was quick and easy test, and I will definitely encourage you to try it.

If you need any assistance, just shoot me a PM, or here in thread, I will be more than happy to help you, and would be curious to see how that Presonus 2626 performs myself.

In the end, I don't think you should really worry much about your interface audio performance this days, other than headphone-amp out impedance. They almost all can be considered pretty much transparent, certainly perform far superior and transparent than even best monitors, headphones, or mics on the market today.

Sorry on my bad English.

 

What excellent feedback this forum has, incredible thanks to everyone for the amount of information that you are sharing and that no other part of the internet is. Thank you

 

You are most welcome for the info. I am glad I could help you. As far as the specs on the 2626 most new stuff is good enough for me. I think it would be pointless since most use the same Chips now a days and all are very close is headroom and cleanness. If this was a no name unit I would be more worried about it. Presonus is a good reputable company. There are many you tubes videos, some have taken it a part to look inside at the components I have not heard one bad thing about the components used to built it to make me question the quality.

I did try a Focusrite 18i20 before getting this. Trust me USB 2 is not even close to the OLD FW on latency. FW was dang fast and thunderbolt is way faster. What I have noticed is that the pro 40 FW driver, 2626 thunderbolt driver versus the USB 2 driver, The USB 2 driver was heavy on my CPU the FW was less and thunderbolt even less. Now for the FW versus the TB it was maybe 1 % overhead where are as USB 2 was like 12 percent.
I have a MOTU midi express XT , I have had it for at lease 10 years. I did have and issue with the unit where there was a defect in the chip that would over load it when you send sysex data to an external unit. I called MOTU they replaced the unit for $99. I was a little disappointed in MOTU since the unit was defective from a chip / design fault since day one and they changed me the $99 to swap out the unit. It did not influence my decision to go Presonus though, My reason was the Thunderbolt 3 MOTU was 2 also Presonus has good gear also.

The previous audio test that I posted on Audiosex was sort of the reason. I wanted to see if any one could hear a difference. I mean not matter how good your specs are if it sounds like poop what good are specs. Also the sound is what really matters.

Well if you want me too hit me up with and email and let me know how to run the tests you want. I would like to compare the Pro 40 to it also.

 

Thanks!
I just created conversation here on forum. Can you please check it out. I have sent you my email adres, and measurement report of my MOTU interface, so you can see how's full measurement report looks like.

 

For those who are interested the specs they are very close. The MOTU has a lower IMD + Noise, %. But this could be due to me using a TR and not TRS cable on the Quantum 2626. Which I had to turn up the preamp in the 2626 to get -1.0 which the led on the 2626 was started to flash yellow. Which is not good. Other than that both units are excellent. I am working on getting a few TRS cables to retest.