Motu M4 4x4 USB-C Audio Interface

I wanted to upgrade my PC sound card, but still wanted to squeeze the maximum quality from my music collection. Although there are high quality sound cards on the market, I decided to look at outboard USB DAC’s.I looked at a number of USB interfaces, but after looking at a number of manufacturers, I whittled it down to either the MOTU M2 or M4. I eventually decided on the M4 as it had all the in’s and out’s at the rear.Having worked in broadcasting for forty years, I have to honestly say the analog output is, well, brilliant. One of the things that drew me to MOTU was the ESS Sabre32 Ultra™ DAC‘s.For the price, the quality of build and DAC quality it is the best I have ever heard. The detail and stereo imagery is first-class. I am now hearing detail that I was ... MoreI wanted to upgrade my PC sound card, but still wanted to squeeze the maximum quality from my music collection. Although there are high quality sound cards on the market, I decided to look at outboard USB DAC’s.I looked at a number of USB interfaces, but after looking at a number of manufacturers, I whittled it down to either the MOTU M2 or M4. I eventually decided on the M4 as it had all the in’s and out’s at the rear.Having worked in broadcasting for forty years, I have to honestly say the analog output is, well, brilliant. One of the things that drew me to MOTU was the ESS Sabre32 Ultra™ DAC‘s.For the price, the quality of build and DAC quality it is the best I have ever heard. The detail and stereo imagery is first-class. I am now hearing detail that I was not hearing with my PC DAC.I cannot recommend the MOTU M4 enough.

Great Interface, Great Advice

We very seldom are 100% happy with a purchase. I recently had need to upgrade my audio interface. I am a video editor and I just was not getting the quality sound I wanted. My microphones and recording equipment are all very good so I knew they were not the problem. I called my goto Sam Ash store and spoke with their audio expert. I explained my problem and described my studio set up. He said given my current equipment I should upgrade my audio interface. We discussed my needs and budget and he recommended the Motu M2. I purchased it and immediately could hear the improvement in my sound. the his was gone, my upper frequency clearer, no issues with latency and now I could use my cooler mics like the SM58 without cranking the gain all the way up. The Motu M2 was ... MoreWe very seldom are 100% happy with a purchase. I recently had need to upgrade my audio interface. I am a video editor and I just was not getting the quality sound I wanted. My microphones and recording equipment are all very good so I knew they were not the problem. I called my goto Sam Ash store and spoke with their audio expert. I explained my problem and described my studio set up. He said given my current equipment I should upgrade my audio interface. We discussed my needs and budget and he recommended the Motu M2. I purchased it and immediately could hear the improvement in my sound. the his was gone, my upper frequency clearer, no issues with latency and now I could use my cooler mics like the SM58 without cranking the gain all the way up. The Motu M2 was perfect for my needs. This time I WAS %100 satisfied with my purchase. thank you Mofu and thank you Sam Ash.

Great interface

Technically this was a downgrade in terms of how many front panel powered inputs there are (2) compared to my Steinberg interface (4) which was simply poorly manufactured or quality controlled. SO it's worth it because the sound quality at this low price for a MOTU of any kind, is far superior and sounds amazing right out of the box. Only one gripe is that whilst it has drivers for Cubase, you can't use direct monitoring because there is no ASIO support - but at this price and for best-in-class latency you won't really miss it.I got it down to under 2.666ms and 3ms is the amount above which the human ear perceives any latency at all. Seems built well, a little light weight and some leads into the back inputs required a bit of brute force to get the jack plugs to go ... MoreTechnically this was a downgrade in terms of how many front panel powered inputs there are (2) compared to my Steinberg interface (4) which was simply poorly manufactured or quality controlled. SO it's worth it because the sound quality at this low price for a MOTU of any kind, is far superior and sounds amazing right out of the box. Only one gripe is that whilst it has drivers for Cubase, you can't use direct monitoring because there is no ASIO support - but at this price and for best-in-class latency you won't really miss it.I got it down to under 2.666ms and 3ms is the amount above which the human ear perceives any latency at all. Seems built well, a little light weight and some leads into the back inputs required a bit of brute force to get the jack plugs to go into the sockets but nothing got damaged and the Steinberg was comparatively loose with connections so I'd rather have the MOTU for that reason too. Finally, the output seems a tad quieter than my last interface so if you have a sensitivity switch on your monitors, do turn it up, and if not, load up the mixer in your DAW and crank up the main outs. Also I don't think the volume knob minds being turned past 1 o clock so just whack it up!

Great value. But don't get for a really old computer.

Tried on two old Win 10 computers (5 years). Lots of stutters and complete dropouts. Even on YouTube.But, work perfectly on my new i9 notebook.48,000Hz at 256 samples with no clicks or pops anywhere.Sound quality is great - both for studio monitors and headphones. The power to the phones is very decent. Completely destroys my entry level Presonus interface and even some Avid units I've used over the years.Tested preamps and converters on a Neumann TLM 103 with 48V phantom. Sounds great. The monitor button is very useful.Solid build. Buttons don't feel cheap. Front screen looks every bit as good as the photos.

Hard to beat at the price level or a fair bit more

A solid, heavy, well-built interface with incredible converters and subsequent sound. The full metal casing gives real heft and a feeling of quality. Best in class SNR gives a low noise floor and superb audio. Loads of connection options gives great flexibility and connections are made with positive, solid ‘clunks’. Having a dedicated power switch is simple but very useful. The headphone amp has decent power and drives all headphones I’ve tried well. I had a high-end dedicated DAC and headphone amp I was using for listening before this and the MOTU matches the quality at a fraction of the price.Incredibly low latency when used in Ableton or Logic Pro. Allows real-time monitoring via the DAW with no discernible lag. Direct monitoring available on all inputs for ... MoreA solid, heavy, well-built interface with incredible converters and subsequent sound. The full metal casing gives real heft and a feeling of quality. Best in class SNR gives a low noise floor and superb audio. Loads of connection options gives great flexibility and connections are made with positive, solid ‘clunks’. Having a dedicated power switch is simple but very useful. The headphone amp has decent power and drives all headphones I’ve tried well. I had a high-end dedicated DAC and headphone amp I was using for listening before this and the MOTU matches the quality at a fraction of the price.Incredibly low latency when used in Ableton or Logic Pro. Allows real-time monitoring via the DAW with no discernible lag. Direct monitoring available on all inputs for times when you need to claw back the 6ms latency (!) or just monitor inputs without having a DAW running.The balanced outputs sound pristine and having the second set is ideal for driving multiple monitors. I have my main outputs (1 & 2) - which are controlled by the front volume control - going to studio monitors, and the secondary set which are direct (no volume) a DJ mixer and additional speakers. The whole setup is perfect for my needs and works a treat.Delivery and support from Scan is always first class. I had to contact MOTU regarding a question about use in Ableton, and their support also is quick and helpful.Can’t say much more other than a brilliant product. I’ve used lots of audio interfaces and this is the best at the price range and even above. Highly recommended.

I'd LOVE to rate this highly, BUT... it's incompatible

This has the makings of a really excellent box. The features, display, and specs are all great on paper.However, it is not compatible with the Gigabyte Aero 15 laptop with i9 10980HK processors, 64GB RAM, and Windows 11 Pro I was pairing it with. I encountered serious and debilitating audio artifacts and the diagnostics in the M-series app returned, The computer's USB host controller has dropped audio.While MOTU provided excellent support, after following all the advice including re-flashing the bios on the laptop, all remedies failed. If they do something to make it work with a high-end Windows workstation like this, it will be an awesome product. For now, it's useless to me.LB

Incredible, detailed sound. Beyond my expectation

ESS converters usually have the reputation of sounding thin and lifeless. But these new ES9026PRO's that are used in 2022 M4 are breathtaking. I would have never imagined they sounded even more clear and crisp than my older interface with cirrus logic CS4398 converter. I opened my M4 up to check the parts; indeed they use ESS for ADC as well, and it sounds extraordinary. They use very good quality opamps and a superb Burr Brown amplifier (OPA1688) for headphone output. Though I would have preferred larger coupling capacitors (they only used 22uF), so that will result in a small roll-off in the low frequencies for the ADC, maybe a dB or two below 30Hz, which isn't really noticeable.The thing I love about it the most is the fact that its so Linux friendly. Runs on ... MoreESS converters usually have the reputation of sounding thin and lifeless. But these new ES9026PRO's that are used in 2022 M4 are breathtaking. I would have never imagined they sounded even more clear and crisp than my older interface with cirrus logic CS4398 converter. I opened my M4 up to check the parts; indeed they use ESS for ADC as well, and it sounds extraordinary. They use very good quality opamps and a superb Burr Brown amplifier (OPA1688) for headphone output. Though I would have preferred larger coupling capacitors (they only used 22uF), so that will result in a small roll-off in the low frequencies for the ADC, maybe a dB or two below 30Hz, which isn't really noticeable.The thing I love about it the most is the fact that its so Linux friendly. Runs on Ubuntu with no drivers needed. All the levels and monitoring and mixing controls are right there on the interface with no need for software headache. Just fantastic. They really have a winner product here. Compared to the run-of-the-mill Scarletts and other mediocre interfaces on the market, it stands a head and shoulder above, with state-of-the-art digital conversion resulting in extremely low noise and distortion, and some meticulous analog engineering that in my opinion, pushes the limits of budget audio interfaces today. Highly recommended.

Nice!

I'm no audio expert, I'm not a musician, I don't do voiceovers, and I'm not a podcaster. I'm just a typical guy who unexpectedly needed an XLR connector. After a lot of looking/reading, I decided this was the one. Was this more than I needed? Yes. Would I downgrade and save a couple bucks now having it in my possession? No.Quality/Style:Fairly compact, feels solid. Could use a 3.5mm front jack (picky).Setup:Easy-peasy (install software/driver before connecting tho).Use:I haven't read the instructions so I'd say smooth, like buttah.System:Windows 10 ProFinal Recommendation:Yes and no. In and of itself, I'd say buy this (without a doubt), if you need something now. But if you can wait 3 mo - 1 yr, I'd say wait. Not because this isn't worth it, but ... MoreI'm no audio expert, I'm not a musician, I don't do voiceovers, and I'm not a podcaster. I'm just a typical guy who unexpectedly needed an XLR connector. After a lot of looking/reading, I decided this was the one. Was this more than I needed? Yes. Would I downgrade and save a couple bucks now having it in my possession? No.Quality/Style:Fairly compact, feels solid. Could use a 3.5mm front jack (picky).Setup:Easy-peasy (install software/driver before connecting tho).Use:I haven't read the instructions so I'd say smooth, like buttah.System:Windows 10 ProFinal Recommendation:Yes and no. In and of itself, I'd say buy this (without a doubt), if you need something now. But if you can wait 3 mo - 1 yr, I'd say wait. Not because this isn't worth it, but rather this area of audio is a hotbed in the PC space at the moment.Some of the devices set to be released are taking devices like the MOTU and adding a bunch of noisegate (noise-blocking) and channel isolation features (the ability to set dials to control different audio sources on your pc, which is friggin awesome). The end result of some of the newer devices is, they are taking audio controllers (existing), combining them with high-end xlr connectors (existing), and adding mixing capabilities through hardware and/or software (existing) into one fairly compact device, adding a bunch of functionality in case you want the device to grow with you.

The MOTU M4 is a Game Changer!

I use the M4 with Cubase and WaveLab on a Win10 PC, (the MOTU ASIO driver was found quickly by my all various software, Steinberg, Izotope, Waves standalone VSTis, and Windows). The DAC and ADC is performed by the ESS Sabre32 Ultra DAC chip, the same chip used in interfaces costing much more, the same chip currently used by RME, the more expensive MOTU 8 channel units and more. The clock jitter is quite good here, a benefit of the ESS chip, and the fidelity of the recordings are beautiful on an honest set of monitors; the playback is quite good (excellent with a well engineered and produced record!), and with good stage imaging. I will add that there seems to be a slight midrange bump to adjust to here so take note. This took maybe a day and a half of listening to ... MoreI use the M4 with Cubase and WaveLab on a Win10 PC, (the MOTU ASIO driver was found quickly by my all various software, Steinberg, Izotope, Waves standalone VSTis, and Windows). The DAC and ADC is performed by the ESS Sabre32 Ultra DAC chip, the same chip used in interfaces costing much more, the same chip currently used by RME, the more expensive MOTU 8 channel units and more. The clock jitter is quite good here, a benefit of the ESS chip, and the fidelity of the recordings are beautiful on an honest set of monitors; the playback is quite good (excellent with a well engineered and produced record!), and with good stage imaging. I will add that there seems to be a slight midrange bump to adjust to here so take note. This took maybe a day and a half of listening to sort things, but I've adjusted easily enough. Worth hanging in there IMO. The payoff (fidelity and detail) is definitely there. In fact, although it was not my reason for buying the M4, listening back to various tracks in a large music library has been a good experience. Almost as if I am hearing things for the first time. It doesn't come with a USBC to USBC cable so I had to pick one up (my PC has USBC), but in fairness the cable they do supply is USBC to USBB and the unit is rated at USBB transfer rates. Overall I think this is a great bargain on so many levels.

great interface with caveats

This interface has a very good signal path. For monitoring it sounds excellent. I would say crystal clear, but that kind of implies a bright profile. Rather I would say it is very, very neutral.I'm working on headphones and aside from possible bass issues I'm very confident in the output.I've only had a handful of opportunities to use the preamps. They are not Neve's or APIs by any margin. But they are very good. Not getting any of that 'running out of headroom' fizz which is so typical of interfaces in this price range.I would say this is the best deal on a buss powered interface that is more than 2x2 IO.Caveats;The headphone amp can barely drive my 55 ohm headphones. I have to run it wide open. It sounds great, but it's lame when I'm trying to zoom in on ... MoreThis interface has a very good signal path. For monitoring it sounds excellent. I would say crystal clear, but that kind of implies a bright profile. Rather I would say it is very, very neutral.I'm working on headphones and aside from possible bass issues I'm very confident in the output.I've only had a handful of opportunities to use the preamps. They are not Neve's or APIs by any margin. But they are very good. Not getting any of that 'running out of headroom' fizz which is so typical of interfaces in this price range.I would say this is the best deal on a buss powered interface that is more than 2x2 IO.Caveats;The headphone amp can barely drive my 55 ohm headphones. I have to run it wide open. It sounds great, but it's lame when I'm trying to zoom in on a source and all I have left to do is reach for the gain in the application. I'm out of headphone gain.(I should mention that I am recording with plenty of headroom, either aiming for -14dbfs or -20dbfs).I really dislike the monitoring setup. Some may like it, but I find it to be unintuitive. First time I plugged in a mic I thought there was no input monitoring because the knob which varies the ratio of direct to DAW return is right above the 3/4 input button. So you would THINK it control the gain of that.This knob is also only active when you engage input monitor on one of the inputs. So you could go months without using it.The form factor is bigger than I though it would be.It's hard to gauge the size from the photos, but look at the XLR jacks and kind of extrapolate. It's very light and feels like it can't possibly be more than a single board in there, with a small daughterboard for the display.The display irks me.It is great at metering, that is not an issue. But I can see by the way it shows the MOTU logo on power up that it's not hard-coded to only showing strictly the 4x4 levels.It would be fantastic if a future update gave us some more tools like RTA/frequency analysis, stereo correlation, or at the very least a page that confirms the sample rate/bit depth. It just feels underutilized.Of course there are no software buttons so it would have to be some kludge with holding two buttons down.Really wish they had left the silly RCA jacks and power switch off and used the savings to put in a software switch for this reason. M4 MKII?(really why a power switch, it's buss powered)It would also be great if there was an option to power it by an AC adapter for those laptops that are stingy on USB power. My old Mac Air was like that.Just so I don't end on a negative, I do really like the pots and knobs. They feel very smooth and not cheap. The metal knobs are reminiscent of an old pro tape deck I once had.