New releases last eight weeks: Studio Equipment

Notes: One of the most trusted names in audio, MOTU deliver as always with the 16A, offering a whopping 32-in/34-out configuration over Thunderbolt or USB, all with pristine audio quality.

Supplier's Notes:
The 16A Thunderbolt audio interface provides industry-leading dynamic range and large console style mixing. With 64 channels of audio I/O (32 ins and 32 outs), the 16A also supports USB 2.0 audio class compliant connectivity that is USB 3.0 compatible.

As an interface, standalone mixer or patchbay, the 16A provides 32 separate inputs and 32 separate outputs, including sixteen balanced TRS analog inputs, sixteen balanced TRS analog outputs, and two 8-channel banks of ADAT optical digital I/O. Powerful DSP delivers large console style mixing with 48 channels, 12 stereo busses, and 32-bit floating point effects processing, including modeled analog EQ, vintage compression and classic reverb. The unit's extensive routing grid patches ins to outs, or splits inputs to multiple destinations.

Use the 16A as a stand-alone mixer and control everything from the 16A's innovative web app running on your iPad, iPhone, tablet, smart phone, and laptop. Connect a second MOTU AVB interface (1248, 8M or 16A) with a simple Ethernet cable. Add more I/O with the MOTU AVB Switch (sold separately). Build an AVB audio network with multiple switches and sub-millisecond latency, even over long cable runs. Stream hundreds of channels among devices and computers on the network. From initial tracking to final mastering, the 16A delivers superb sound quality, state-of-the-art operation, and reliable performance.

This box contains everything you need to turn your computer into a powerful 24-bit/192 kHz digital audio workstation. As a "hybrid" audio interface, the 16A offers flexible connectivity to your computer via ultra-fast Thunderbolt technology or class compliant, hi-speed USB 2.0, with 32 channels of pristine analog I/O, combined with 32 channels of digital I/O, for a total of 64 simultaneous audio channels.

Connect all of your studio gear, including synths, keyboards, drum machines and even effects processors. Record, monitor, route and process all of these live inputs using the professional on-board digital mixer - with no latency and no processor strain on your computer. Apply hardware DSP-driven effects processing to inputs, outputs, and busses independent of your host computer. Add Classic Reverb with lengths up to 60 seconds. Further sculpt your sound with gating, 4-band parametric EQ, and vintage compression modeled after the legendary LA-2A leveling amplifier.

Add more MOTU interfaces as your needs grow, connected to a state-of-the-art audio network using standard AVB Ethernet switches and CAT-5e cabling, with near-zero network latency, even over long cable runs (several hundred meters). Record and monitor up to 128 audio channels in and out, simultaneously, to a host computer through Thunderbolt. Route hundreds of audio channels among multiple devices and computers on the network.

Control all DSP-based mixing and effects, device settings, and network audio routing using your favorite web browser running on your laptop, tablet or smart phone connected wirelessly or locally to the 16A audio network.

From initial tracking to final mastering, the 16A delivers superb sound quality, state-of-the-art operation, and reliable performance.

Notes: Updated version of WMD's exceptional performance mixer. Full stereo design with improved sound quality, revised layout and increased expandability. An even better version of what was already one of the best mixing solutions in Eurorack.

Supplier's Notes:
Enter the WMD Performance Mixer MKII - Eight years after the MKI was released, the MKII builds on all the valuable feedback received. This is a serious upgrade, with feature enhancements and engineering improvements affecting every bit of the design.

Decisions, decisions, decisions!

If you recall, WMD showed a previous version of the PM MKII a year ago. That version was very similar to the original, with a few enhancements. Primarily focused on manufacturability and overall noise floor with some great recording features. WMD moved to an 8-layer board, replaceable channel strips, developed the MIDI and bootloader, pre/post fader headers, and made it work on both AUXs simultaneously.

Noise Performance - The MKI was alright with noise, there was a little bleed too. Going to 8-layer boards meant I could put ground planes between trace layers, and spread the traces out triple the spacing of what they were on the MKI, this reduces bleed/crosstalk by a factor of about six.

Noise Performance 2 - On the Original, the Level VCA was before the Panning VCAs, which saved on parts/power, but it meant that the Panning VCAs were always connected to the mix bus, adding noise floor that couldn't be attenuated. Making all the channels stereo and putting the Pan circuit first eliminated this problem, now the noise add is controlled by the fader. This did force WMD to make every channel stereo, so the design got simpler through figuring this out.

Panning / Crossfader - The above panning/level improvement made it possible to convert the Pan control into a crossfader, buy simply routing the post pan signals through a switch to the opposing channel, summed at the Level control. This huge improvement allowed the A/&/B input switching scheme to still work on the PM MKII, a bit differently, but it's there in spirit.

Modular Design - The channel strips are all now stereo, and identical, which makes assembly much easier, and lowers the cost. It also makes replacing them easier should a mechanical part fail or get spilled into. Further, the Patchbay, Power board, and Master section are all separate parts, so if there's a failure, they can be quickly swapped without having to RMA the whole unit.

Patchbay - The MKI and rev E MKII still had jacks misaligned with channels. This was a source of frustration for d many users of the PM MKI. And I decided to just be done with it. It didn't make sense to try to put jacks over the channel, it wasted too much space on the panel... So all the jacks go left, keeping the mixer clear of cables, this let me space the knobs out a bit to take up all 3U. It's cleaner, simpler to make, and intuitive to use.

Expandability - It's super modular now, the DB25 can connect to any two headers that spits out audio, they're all the same format across PM MKII and Channels MKII. Pre, post, mixes, connect it however you want. And the connectors can't be hooked to power, meaning no more blown opamps and RMAs to the factory. They're all shrouded too so they won't get bent in shipping!

Features Overview:

Everything is stereo. Inputs, Busses, Auxes, and Cue Mix.
INPUTS: IN LEFT is normalled to IN RIGHT.
GAIN: Each channel has a Gain trim range of -12dB to +20dB, this will let you use line level devices easily.
GAIN CLIP LED: lights red 1dB before clipping the input stage.
LVL FADER: smooth intuitive curve for easily adjusting the mix level on the fly. A yellow indicator shows the level.
MUTE: Press the channel button and the channel will soft mute with a red LED indicator.