The 896mk3 is really two devices in one: an audio interface plus a 28 x 16 digital mixer. In fact, you could even think of the 896mk3 as a digital mixer in a double rack-space form factor.
Operating as either a computer interface or stand-alone, the 896mk3 provides DSP-driven digital mixing with effects processing (reverb, EQ and compression) for all 28 inputs. You can connect all your gear and then mix, process and monitor everything from the 896mk3’s main outs or headphone jacks.
All I/O is routed to the on-board 16-bus (8 stereo) digital mixer driven by hardware-based DSP with 32-bit floating point precision. The mixer allows you to apply no-latency effects processing to inputs, outputs or busses directly in the 896mk3 hardware, independent of the computer. Effects can be applied when the 896mk3 is operating stand-alone (without a computer) as a complete rack-mounted mixer. Input signals to the computer can be recorded wet, dry, or dry with a wet monitor mix (for musicians during recording, for example).
All of the mixer settings in the 896mk3 are accessible from the programmable front-panel backlit LCD. You can also launch the CueMix FX™ control software for Mac OS X, Windows XP and Windows Vista. CueMix FX provides complete on-screen access to the 896mk3's on-board, hardware-based mixing environment.
CueMix FX gives you comprehensive graphic control over your mix.
CueMix FX is a completely new software front-end with attractive graphic mixing, graphic editing of parametric EQ and a convenient tabbed interface for quick access to all 896mk3 mixing features, digitally controlled trims and other settings.
CueMix FX can be operated side by side with any host audio software for Mac or Windows, and it can be controlled from the Mackie Control Universal Pro automated worksurface.
One window with convenient tabs
Three separate tabs show inputs, mix busses and outputs. Click the "Focus" button on any channel or bus to edit its settings in the area on the right-hand side, which provides separate tabs for graphic editing of parametric EQ, compression and other effects. Each channel strip displays a graphic thumbnail of EQ curves, compressor settings and other channel specific parameters. There is also a section for talkback and listenback.
Eight stereo buses
The 896mk3 supports up to eight separate stereo mixes assigned to any eight digital or analog output pairs. For example, you could set up separate monitor mixes for the main outs and headphone outs, while two additional stereo buses could be used for send/return loops to reverb units or other outboard gear. Each mix can support all 28 inputs (8 analog, 16 ADAT optical digital, stereo SPDIF and stereo AES/EBU digital).
DSP resources for mixing and effects
The 896mk3's flexible effects architecture allows you to apply EQ and compression on every input and output (a total of 60 channels), with enough DSP resources for at least one band of parametric EQ and compression on every channel at 48 kHz. However, DSP resources are allocated dynamically and a DSP meter allows you to keep tabs on the 896mk3's processing resources.
Each input, output and mix bus provides a send to the Classic Reverb processor, which then feeds reverb returns to mix buses and outputs, with a selectable split point between them to prevent send/return feedback loops.
Talkback and Listenback
CueMix FX provides Talkback and Listenback features. Talkback allows an engineer in the control room to temporarily dim all audio and talk to musicians in the live room. Conversely, Listenback allows musicians to talk to the control room. For Talkback, you can set up a dedicated mic in your control room and connect it to a mic input on your 896mk3. For Listenback, you can set up a dedicated listenback mic in the live room for the musicians and connect it to another mic input.
Stereo operation
Two channels can be grouped to a single fader for stereo operation. Two stereo panning modes are available: balance and width. Balance mode works much like a normal stereo balance control, one channel fades in and the other fades out. Width mode collapses the stereo image to mono by adjusting the relative pans of each channel gradually to center.
For stereo inputs, an optional M/S (mid-side) decoder can be enabled with adjustable width control and software-swappable inputs.
Software metering
Signal activity of all inputs, busses and outputs can be monitored via the meters pane. In addition to the meters present on individual channels, a high-resolution meter and output bus activity associated with that channel can be displayed in the primary status window.
Effects programming
The EQ, compression and reverb tabs give you complete access to the 896mk3's on-board effects, and because they are driven by hardware DSP inside the 896mk3, they won't tax your host computer's CPU. You can even use the effects without a computer connected.
The tabs shown above let you focus on one channel at a time and edit its settings using the high-resolution graphic display. But EQ and dynamics settings can also be edited on all channels in line (within each channel strip), where you can compare critical settings side-by-side, as shown below.
Front-panel LCD access to all mix settings
All of the mixing features described on these pages are available during stand-alone operation, and all of them can be accessed from the front panel LCD. This means you can program your mixes with the CueMix FX software in the studio and then take the 896mk3 on the road as a stand-alone digital mixer. Tweak your mix on location from the front panel.
896mk3 Classic Reverb
Apply smooth, detailed reverb with several room models, three independent frequency bands and length up to 60 seconds.
The 896mk3's Classic Reverb™ provides five different room types, three frequency bands with adjustable crossover points, shelf filtering and reverb lengths up to 60-seconds.
Each input, output and mix bus provides a send to the Classic Reverb processor, which then feeds reverb returns to mix buses and outputs, with a selectable split point between them to prevent send/return feedback loops.
896mk3 7-band EQ
Modeled after analog British console EQ's, known for their highly musical gain/Q settings, the 896mk3's EQ provides a high pass filter, low pass filter, two shelving or parametric filters and five parametric bands.
The 896mk3's EQ section provides 7-band parametric EQ modeled after British analog console EQ's, featuring 4 filter styles (gain/Q profiles) to effectively cover a wide range of audio material. LP and HP filters are also supplied with slopes that range from 6 to 36 dB per octave.
EQ settings can be adjusted graphically by dragging control points on the large graph in the main EQ tab, as shown above, or using the knobs for individual bands in each channel strip.
896mk3 Vintage compression
The 896mk3's flexible dynamics processing includes a high-quality conventional compressor, plus a leveling amplifier modeled after the legendary LA-2A™ optical compressor.
Conventional compressor
The 896mk3 offers a conventional compressor with standard controls for threshold, ratio, attack, release and gain.
Adjust the threshold graphically while viewing accurate, long-throw metering in the compressor section of the CueMix FX software.
Leveler (automatic gain control)
The 896mk3 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.
Conventional compression and limiting with threshold, attack, ratio, release, etc. do not apply here: 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, from vocals to bass guitar to full-program mixes, without destroying perceived dynamics.
The 896mk3 Leveler faithfully models the LA-2A using the on-board DSP with 32-bit floating point precision. Its controls match the front panel of the original LA-2A: Gain Reduction and Makeup Gain knobs, along with Limiter/Compressor buttons.
896mk3 Clock and sync
The 896mk3 uses extremely accurate Direct Digital Synthesis™ for internal clocking and for resolving to external word clock or SMPTE time code sources. The 896mk3 can resolve directly to time code, with no additional sychronizer required.
Direct Digital Synthesis™ clock
The 896mk3 is equipped with Direct Digital Synthesis™ (DDS), a DSP-driven phase lock engine and very high frequency digital clock source that produces imperceptibly low jitter characteristics (well below the overall noise floor), even when the 896mk3 is resolved to an external clock source via either word clock or SMPTE time code. This technology represents the very latest in extremely high-performance, yet cost-effective digital audio clocking. DDS also allows the 896mk3 to maintain an extremely stable clock while resolved to incoming clock sources that have substantially more jitter than the 896mk3 itself.
On-board SMPTE time code synchronization
You can slave your 896mk3 system directly to SMPTE time code, without a dedicated synchronizer, via one of the 896mk3's analog input jacks. The 896mk3 provides a DSP-driven phase-lock engine with sophisticated filtering that provides fast lockup times and sub-frame accuracy.
SMPTE Console software
The included MOTU SMPTE Console™ software (for Mac OS X, Windows XP and Windows Vista) provides a complete set of tools to generate SMPTE for striping, regenerating or slaving other devices to the computer. Like CueMix FX, the synchronization features are cross-platform and compatible with all audio sequencer software that supports the ASIO2 sample-accurate sync protocol.
896mk3 Expansion & drivers
Expand your 896mk3 system and run it with all your favorite audio software.
Adding more I/O to your 896mk3 system
As with other MOTU FireWire interfaces, the 896mk3 supplies two FireWire jacks so it can be daisy-chained with additional MOTU FireWire audio interfaces or other devices.
The 896mk3 is also fully compatible with the 8pre, a single rack MOTU interface that adds 8 mic preamp inputs to the 896mk3. Because the 8pre connects to the 896mk3 via ADAT optical, its mic inputs are fully integrated into the 896mk3's on-board CueMix FX digital mixer.
Drivers and AudioDesk workstation software
The 896mk3 provides CueMix FX and drivers for Mac (OS X) and Windows (XP and Vista) for cross-platform compatibility with virtually all audio software via WDM/ASIO/Core Audio drivers.
The 896mk3 includes AudioDesk®, the advanced workstation software for Mac OS X with 24-bit recording and editing, along with 32-bit mixing, processing and mastering.
