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The latest in MOTU's award-winning UltraLite series, the UltraLite-mk4 is a USB audio interface with 40 simultaneous I/O channels (18 in, 22 out). It also delivers exceptional sound quality, new ultra-low latency drivers and expanded DSP for studio-grade mobile audio recording.
Superb audio quality
Analog outputs deliver 117dB dynamic range at sample rates up to 192 kHz. Renowned drivers deliver rock-solid performance and industry-leading low latency.
Ultra-low latency
New, optimized drivers for both Mac and PC deliver ultra-low latency performance. With a high-performance DAW such as Digital Performer, the UltraLite-mk4 delivers an astonishing round trip latency (RTL) of 1.83 ms (milliseconds) on OS X and 1.84 ms on Windows over USB (at 96 kHz with a 32-sample host buffer).
USB 2 audio class compliant
USB 3 and iOS compatible
Built for studio and stage
Housed in a compact, aluminum-alloy
enclosure you can take anywhere, the
UltraLite-mk4 is equally well-suited
for studio and stage, with or without a
computer. As an interface or mixer, the
UltraLite-mk4 provides 18 ins and 22
outs, for a total of 40 simultaneous
I/O channels.
All the I/O you need
Connect all of your audio gear, including speakers, headphones, mics, guitars, synths, keyboards, drum machines, effects processors and even MIDI devices.
Large console-style mixing
Record, monitor, route and process all live inputs using the on-board 48-channel, console-style mixer, with no latency and no processor strain on your computer.
Modeled analog EQ
and compression
Further sculpt your sound with 4-band parametric EQ featuring filter types carefully modeled after British analog console EQs. Choose between two forms of compression: a conventional compressor and the Leveler™, an accurate model of the legendary LA-2A™ optical compressor that provides vintage, musical automatic gain control.
Advanced Extras
Analyze and scope your audio with advanced diagnostic tools, including a full-screen real-time FFT display, spectrogram "waterfall" display, full- featured oscilloscope, X-Y plot and phase analyzer.
Mobile recording and mixing
After recording and mixing in the studio, take the UltraLite-mk4 on the road with your laptop for mobile recording and live mixing.
Web app control
The software that you use to control the UltraLite-mk4 doesn't reside on your hard drive. It's a web app served from the hardware itself. This means you can control the UltraLite-mk4's on-board DSP, mixing, and device settings from the web app software running in your favorite web browser on the computer, or even a tablet or smartphone on the same Wi-Fi network as your computer.
Solid Metal Chassis
The UltraLite-mk4 aluminum chassis is lightweight, yet incredibly sturdy and durable, and designed to withstand the rigors of the studio, stage, and tour bus. In a world awash with cheap plastic, the cool touch of the UltraLite-mk4's metal exterior in your hands is a reassuring reminder that you are holding quality engineering and construction built to last.
Rack mounting brackets
Use included brackets and hex bolts to mount the UltraLite-mk4 on rack rails, as shown here with a companion MOTU micro lite MIDI interface.
Use the included jointer bracket to connect another MOTU half-rack interface (MIDI or audio). You can then mount them together in a standard 19-inch equipment rack.
The UltraLite-mk4 Mixer
Large console style mixing from your laptop, tablet or smartphone
48 channel mixing
A flexible, dynamic, scalabe mixing experience
With almost twice the DSP power of MOTU's award-winning line of "mk3" audio interfaces, the UltraLite-mk4 mixer provides up to 48 assignable input channels.
Aux bus mixing
Long-throw faders for aux sends
The Aux Mixing tab lets you zero in on a single aux bus and control send levels with long-throw faders, just like hardware consoles that let you temporarily "flip" aux sends to the channel faders... perfect for detailed mixing on any aux bus.
Monitor Mix / Solo Bus
Convenient dedicated monitoring
The monitor Mix is specifically designed for monitoring. It can mirror any other bus, or act as a solo bus for isolating all currently soloed inputs, aux busses or groups. You can, of course, create additional monitor mixes with seven available aux busses.
32-bit floating point processing
Virtually infinite headroom
UltraLite-mk4's mixing and DSP effects engine employs 32-bit floating point processing, which produces virtually infinite headroom for complex mixing and processing calculations, along with an infinitesimally low noise floor.
Modeled analog EQ
Precise and musical equalization
British analog mixing consoles are renowned for their musical EQ profiles. UltraLite-mk4 meticulously models these classic EQ curve to give you the very same, magical EQ settings found on these coveted desks. Four separate filters are available on every input, including optional low-shelf and high-shelf.
Classic reverb
An all-around verb with tails up to 60 seconds
UltraLite-mk4's Classic Reverb™ provides three frequency bands with adjustable cross-over points, predelay, spread and reverb lengths up to 60 seconds. Perfect for monitor mixes when tracking in the studio or for treating vocals during a live show.
Leveler
Finely crafted vintage compression
The Leveler™ is an accurate model of the legendary Teletronix™ LA-2A™ optical leveling amplifier, known for its unique and highly sought-after Automatic Gain Control (AGC) characteristics. The heart of the LA-2A is the T4 opto-coupler, a photoelectric device with almost magical (signal dependent) self-adjusting behavior that makes optical compressors the tool of choice for smoothing out just about any audio material.
Gate and HPF
Gating and high-pass filtering on every input
Each input is equipped with a standard high-pass filter and gate module for removing rumble, environmental noise, and other signal clean-up tasks.
Technical Specifications
| Sample rates | 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192 kHz |
| Mic/guitar inputs | 2 x combo XLR/TRS mic/guitar inputs Preamp gain: 0 to +60 dB (digitally controlled) Instrument gain: 0 to +30 dB (digitally controlled) |
| Analog inputs | 6 x 1/4" TRS line inputs (balanced/unbalanced) Max level: +24 dBu (digitally adjustable -96 to +22) |
| Analog outputs | 10 x 1/4" TRS line out (balanced, DC coupled) Max level: +20 dBu (digitally adjustable -4 to +20) 1 x 1/4" TRS stereo headphone |
| Digital I/O | 1 bank (8 ch) of ADAT optical at 1x sample rates 1 bank (4 ch) of SMUX optical at 2x sample rates Switchable to stereo TOSLink (optical S/PDIF) |
| Total I/O | 18 in / 22 out (40 total) at 1x sample rates 14 in / 18 out (32 total) at 2x sample rates 8 in / 12 out (20 total) at 4x sample rates |
| Computer I/O | 1 x USB 2.0 audio class compliant USB 3.0 and iOS compatible |
| Computer I/O channels | 64 in/out at 1x (44.1 to 48 kHz) 32 in/out at 2x (88.2 to 96 kHz) 24 in/out at 4x (176.4 to 192 kHz) |
| MIDI I/O | 1 x MIDI IN 1 x MIDI OUT 16 MIDI channels to/from computer host |
| Headphone | 1 x 1/4" TRS stereo phone (assignable) |
| Phantom power | 2 x individual +48V |
| Front panel | 1 x 1/4" TRS headphone output 2 x XLR/TRS combo inputs 1 x digital rotary encoders • main/phone vol/pwr 2 x digital rotary encoders • mic/instr input gain 4 x switches • (2) Pad and (2) 48V Phantom pwr 128 x 48 pixel LCD for level meters / menu nav |
| Power | External 12-18V DC power supply 1.0A max • tip pos or neg |
Mac System Requirements
- 1 GHz Intel-based Mac or faster
- 2 GB RAM; 4 GB or more recommended
- Mac OS X version 10.8 or later
- Available USB 2.0 or 3.0 port
- A large hard drive (at least 500 GB for recording)
Windows System Requirements
- 1 GHz Pentium-based PC compatible or faster
- 2 GB RAM; 4 GB or more recommended
- Windows 7, 8 or 10
- Available USB 2.0 or 3.0 port
- A large hard drive (at least 500 GB for recording)
Web App Support
- Any web client platform: Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
- Any web browser: Safari, Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Explorer, etc.
Included Software
- MOTU Discovery App for Mac & Windows (finds connected MOTU interfaces)
- MOTU Discovery App for iOS (available from Apple App Store)
- MOTU Control web app (served from the hardware itself)
- AudioDesk 4.0 for Mac & Windows (separate download)
Operating Systems
- For computer audio I/O: Mac OS X 10.8 or later; Windows 7 or later
- For web app control: Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
Analog I/O Specifications
Connector type | Dynamic range (A-weighted) | THD+N (unweighted) | Max level | Trim range (in 1 dB steps) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Line output | 1/4" TRS, balanced, tip hot | 117 dB | -101 dB | +20 dBu | 24 dB (-4 to +20) |
| Line input | 1/4" TRS, bal/unbal, tip hot | 110 dB | -102 dB | +24 dBu | 118 dBu (-96 to +22) |
| Mic input | XLR, balanced, pin 2 hot | 112 dB | -104 dB | +24 dBu (with pad) | 56 dB |
| Phones | 1/4", TRS stereo | 112 dB | -94 dB | Max. 80 mw | 128 dB |
Compatible Mac Software
The UltraLite-mk4 ships with standard Core Audio drivers for Mac OS X for compatibility with virtually all Core Audio-compatible apps, including:
- MOTU Digital Performer
- Avid Pro Tools (version 9 or later)
- Apple Logic Pro
- Apple Logic Express
- Apple Garage Band
- Apple SoundTrack Pro
- Ableton Live
- Presonus Studio One
- Propellerhead Record & Reason
- Steinberg Cubase
- Cockos Reaper
- Native Instruments Kontakt
- Waves stand-alone apps (and plug-ins, via compatible host)
Compatible Windows Software
The UltraLite-mk4 ships with standard ASIO and Wave drivers for Windows 7, 8 and 10 for compatibility with virtually all ASIO- and Wave-compatible audio apps, including:
- MOTU Digital Performer
- Avid Pro Tools (version 9 or later)
- Ableton Live
- Cakewalk Sonar
- Cockos Reaper
- Image Line FL Studio
- Native Instruments Kontakt
- Presonus Studio One
- Propellerhead Record & Reason
- Sony Vegas Pro
- Sony Sound Forge
- Sony Acid
- Steinberg Cubase
- Waves stand-alone apps (and plug-ins, via compatible host)
UltraLite-mk4 Feature Summary
18 x 22 USB audio interface with 40 simultaneous audio channels
2 mic/guitar inputs, 6 line ins, 10 line outs, phone out, S/PDIF digital I/O and 8-channel optical I/O for 18 inputs and 22 outputs.
Superb analog quality with ultra-low latency
Analog outputs deliver 117 dB dynamic range. New, optimized drivers deliver rock-solid performance and industry-leading low latency.
DSP mixing and effects processing
Flexible 48-input digital mixer with 7 stereo aux busses, 3 group sends, access to eight network inputs, and DSP effects, including reverb, 4-band EQ, gate, and compression.
Modeled vintage effects processing
Classic reverb. Compression modeled after the legendary LA-2A compressor. EQ modeled after British analog console EQs.
Flexible matrix routing and splitting
Send any input to any output, or multiple outputs. Includes routing to and from the computer.
Web app control
Control everything from your favorite web browser on a laptop or mobile device (table or smartphone) through a shared Wi-Fi network.
Universal connectivity
Connects to any computer with hi-speed USB 2.0 (audio class compliant, compatible with USB 3.0 and iOS). Compatible with all audio software.
Comprehensive metering
The large backlit LCD lets you view all signal activity at a glance with detailed metering for all analog and digital I/O. Access hardware settings from a simple and convenient menu.
AudioDesk
Includes AudioDesk workstation software for Mac and Windows with 24-bit recording, sample-accurate editing and 32-bit mixing and mastering.
| Variant | 1 |
| Specials | No |
