MOTU announces new 828 interface

aflynt · Post by **aflynt** » Sat Jan 13, 2024 10:19 am

The new Ultralite MK5 firmware allows remote control via the new CueMix 5! Just logged my MacBook Pro connected Ultralite via my iPad!

-Aaron

jduber · Post by **jduber** » Sat Jan 13, 2024 11:25 am

Seems you were able to connect your iPad wirelessly to your Ultralite MK5. I've updated firmware and CueMix 5 but all my attempts to connect my iPad have failed. I tried "IP connect..." and used the IP address of my MK5. No luck. I tried the IP address of my local network. No luck.

I even tried RTFMing...Here's item #3 from page 47 regarding the new Discovery Tab and this issue:

"Connect to IP address lets you connect directly to a MOTU device by entering its IP address on the network. You can then view all of its settings in the other CueMix 5 tabs."

Still no luck. Can you please let me know what procedures work?

Thanks!
jd

aflynt wrote: ↑Sat Jan 13, 2024 10:19 am The new Ultralite MK5 firmware allows remote control via the new CueMix 5! Just logged my MacBook Pro connected Ultralite via my iPad!

-Aaron

jduber · Post by **jduber** » Sat Jan 13, 2024 12:39 pm

jduber wrote: ↑Sat Jan 13, 2024 11:25 am ...Can you please let me know what procedures work?...

I got it to work--the "trick" was setting the new "Network Control" field to "Enabled" in the Device Tab of CueMix 5 on my laptop.

Hurrah! /jd

aflynt · Post by **aflynt** » Sat Jan 13, 2024 12:41 pm

jduber wrote: ↑Sat Jan 13, 2024 11:25 am Seems you were able to connect your iPad wirelessly to your Ultralite MK5. I've updated firmware and CueMix 5 but all my attempts to connect my iPad have failed. I tried "IP connect..." and used the IP address of my MK5. No luck. I tried the IP address of my local network. No luck.

I even tried RTFMing...Here's item #3 from page 47 regarding the new Discovery Tab and this issue:

"Connect to IP address lets you connect directly to a MOTU device by entering its IP address on the network. You can then view all of its settings in the other CueMix 5 tabs."

Still no luck. Can you please let me know what procedures work?

Thanks!
jd

aflynt wrote: ↑Sat Jan 13, 2024 10:19 am The new Ultralite MK5 firmware allows remote control via the new CueMix 5! Just logged my MacBook Pro connected Ultralite via my iPad!

-Aaron

In the CueMix app on the PC that has the UltraLite plugged into it, you need to go to the "Device" panel and set "Network Control" to enabled. Once I did that CueMix5 on my iPad just auto-discovered it and I was able to connect. I wasn't able to get the password option working, but I didn't really try that hard.

-Aaron

Edit: I see you've already figured that out.

Lol.

YouTube · Post by **James Steele** » Sat Jan 13, 2024 4:54 pm

HCMarkus wrote: ↑Sat Jan 13, 2024 8:39 amIt is nice to know that, should my 828ES fail and the power supply I have on hand not fix it, a drop-in-place replacement is available, and my studio productivity wouldn't suffer in the short or long term.

Ugh... not so for me. I rely on the AVB connection on the 828es to connect my 24Ai.

YouTube · Post by **James Steele** » Sat Jan 13, 2024 4:56 pm

Although if I get to use CueMix 5 and not deal with the cryptic and (to me) opaque AVB web interface, that would be welcome. I still do not "grok" fully the AVB setup.

YouTube · Post by **James Steele** » Sat Jan 13, 2024 6:18 pm

Here’s a little update. Looks like just about an hour ago MOTU posted a video about the new 828.

Also in the video they refer to the next video in the series, but it is not yet uploaded to YouTube. It might be an eventful evening. MOTU may be in the midst of uploading a series of videos. They also uploaded the version for Windows users just now.

YouTube · Post by **James Steele** » Sat Jan 13, 2024 6:31 pm

By the way, just thinking off the top of my head— but if this new 828 is better laid out, and CueMix5 is easier for me to wrap my head around, then I might consider selling my 828es and my 24Ai, and see about getting one of these and maybe an ADAT expander attached to the 8282 as a way to bring my outboard synth modules into my system. I really don’t use them that often. I noticed in the video the installer says “Gen 5” which seems to imply that my current 828es is “Gen 4?” Maybe I want to get out ahead of technology a little bit more.

I would be really interested to see if the new 828 supports “Direct hardware playthrough” in DP? That is really one of the features I miss most from the PCI hardware.

monkey man · Post by **monkey man** » Sun Jan 14, 2024 9:09 pm

James Steele wrote: ↑Sat Jan 13, 2024 6:31 pm By the way, just thinking off the top of my head— but if this new 828 is better laid out, and CueMix5 is easier for me to wrap my head around, then I might consider selling my 828es and my 24Ai, and see about getting one of these and maybe an ADAT expander attached to the 8282 as a way to bring my outboard synth modules into my system. I really don’t use them that often. I noticed in the video the installer says “Gen 5” which seems to imply that my current 828es is “Gen 4?” Maybe I want to get out ahead of technology a little bit more.

My thinking exactly James!

I'm used to 72 ins 'though so I'd have to ditch most of my synths, but having held out on AVB 'cause I know I'll find it confusing (still on PCI-424), I know something will have to change when I upgrade from my cheese grater.

James Steele wrote: ↑Sat Jan 13, 2024 6:31 pmI would be really interested to see if the new 828 supports “Direct hardware playthrough” in DP? That is really one of the features I miss most from the PCI hardware.

Agree 100%.

YouTube · Post by **James Steele** » Sun Jan 14, 2024 9:15 pm

monkey man wrote: ↑Sun Jan 14, 2024 9:09 pm
James Steele wrote: ↑Sat Jan 13, 2024 6:31 pmI would be really interested to see if the new 828 supports “Direct hardware playthrough” in DP? That is really one of the features I miss most from the PCI hardware.
Agree 100%.

Yeah... honestly, things seemed so much easier with the PCIe-424 based system. You could enable "Direct hardware playthough" in DP and did not have to mess around with CueMix (or in my case) the AVB Mixer app as much. Yes... if you wanted some "confidence delay/reverb" you had to use CueMix, but it wasn't that big a deal. Plus, again, I found the CueMix app so much easier to deal with than the web-based AVB mixer and router.

So yeah... I might seriously consider selling off my 828es and 24Ai (now might be a good time due to shortages of units in stock) and go with the new 828 and then get a couple of those cheap Behringer ADAT expander units for the times I want to bring in a hardware synth.

monkey man · Post by **monkey man** » Sun Jan 14, 2024 9:19 pm

My thinking exactly, again brother.

bayswater · Post by **bayswater** » Sun Jan 14, 2024 9:50 pm

monkey man wrote: ↑Sun Jan 14, 2024 9:09 pm I'm used to 72 ins 'though so I'd have to ditch most of my synths, but having held out on AVB 'cause I know I'll find it confusing (still on PCI-424), I know something will have to change when I upgrade from my cheese grater.

I had the same question when I stopped using the older 828 and 2408. A lot of synths but never used them all at the same time. So I got a good patch bay so I could route 48 lines to 8.. Along with a template that always renders synths to audio, so all those channels were not needed.

The new 828 looks perfect and has what I’d like, but more channels than I need.

monkey man · Post by **monkey man** » Mon Jan 15, 2024 12:16 am

Funny, I went down the patch-bay route(!) too Brother Stoivo, but it turned out that it only created more work when switching from project to project.

If a sysex setup dump to the synths is all that's required, I'm fine with that.

HCMarkus · Post by **HCMarkus** » Mon Jan 15, 2024 9:22 am

From the new 828 manual:

Quarter-inch line outputs are not cross-coupled. Therefore, when connecting them to an unbalanced input, use a TRS plug with the ring disconnected. Not floating the negative terminal will short it to the sleeve ground and cause distortion.

Just posting this to be sure folks connecting gear with unbalanced Inputs to 828 Outputs note the requirement. I had to create special cables when wiring my 828ES to my multi-channel headphone amp and Surround amp. In most 1/4" to 1/4" situations, using TRS > TRS cables does the trick, as the ring is floated when plugged in to the TS Jack on an unbalanced input.

The 828 does not support Direct Hardware Playthrough in Digital Performer, or the Direct ASIO Monitoring feature (or similar) offered and other DAWs, which lets you control no-latency hardware monitoring from within the host application. Instead, you can use the CueMix 5 app mixer (“Mix tabs” on page 47) to set up these monitor mixes manually.

The CueMix 5 app does look very well thought out with excellent yet easy to understand routing options like a "pre- post-FX to USB" switch on each channel. The fact it runs via an App, as opposed to via a Web Browser (like the AVB Mixer) has me encouraged that it will be more immediately responsive to user input. Tough to beat the AVB Matrix for flexibility, but it looks like Cue Mix 5 hits all the right notes.

daniel.sneed · Post by **daniel.sneed** » Mon Jan 15, 2024 11:16 am

HCMarkus wrote: ↑Mon Jan 15, 2024 9:22 am[...] In most 1/4" to 1/4" situations, using TRS > TRS cables does the trick, as the ring is floated when plugged in to the TS Jack on an unbalanced input.

Sorry to disagree somewhat, HCMarkus. I've encountered many situations where unabalanced inputs are sleeve AND ring to ground. On these devices, using TRS-TRS cable will short negative terminal of the sender-device (here Motu 828).
In case of doubt, it is easy to check ring-sleeve connection (or non-connection) on receiver side. You only need a TRS-TRS cable and a basic multimeter.

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