Recording - March 2011 - 38

BY DARWIN GROSSE

MOTU UltraLite-mk3 Hybrid Audio Interface
One of the more difficult decisions that the recording enthusiast has to make is choosing between mobility vs. flexibility. While having a large rack of interfaces, effects and dynamic processors can be useful in a set-location studio, it is pretty difficult to throw this setup into the trunk of the car to record a local singer or to enhance your own performance. MOTU has been meeting this challenge with its UltraLite and Traveler series of audio interfaces, which not only feature impressive input and output configurations, but also include a formidable array of DSPbased processes that add great value to these small packages. In this review of the MOTU UltraLite-mk3 Hybrid, we will look at exactly how much flexibility can be packaged into a simple half-rack of gear. The box The UltraLite-mk3 Hybrid, like its predecessors, is an engineering marvel. It sports 10 analog inputs, eight analog outputs and both MIDI and S/PDIF I/O into a 1U high, half-width module. Two of the inputs include a microphone preamp with front-panel access to the trim controls and combo inputs that allow you to directly plug in either an XLR mic or 1/4" instrument cable. This front panel also provides access to all of the routing controls (so that you can work with the unit when disconnected from a computer) as well as some basic metering. This new version of the UltraLite can now be used with either FireWire 400 or USB 2.0 computer connection, and can either be externally powered or bus-powered. Since no computer’s USB port or hub can provide enough power to drive the UltraLite (the USB 2.0 spec is the limit here), USB users will have to use the provided power adaptor. Even with this limitation, the amount of functionality packaged in this backpack-friendly interface is amazing.
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RECORDING MARCH 2011

Audio and MIDI flexibility, DSP punch... and hidden talents
Smart software When you use the UltraLite with your DAW software, it will appear as a standard audio and MIDI interface, providing direct access to all of the inputs and outputs as you’d expect. However, there is a second layer of access to all of these inputs and outputs: the CueMix FX software. This application provides one of the most advanced software-based mixing systems imaginable, and is perfect for small-studio mixing and overdub monitoring. CueMix FX, available for both Macintosh and Windows, provides direct access to incoming audio on any of the available inputs, and allows you to create mixes that you can then route to any of the available outputs. Each output pair can receive its own mix, so it is perfect for creating customized headphone mixes during overdubbing, and is also a viable mixer replacement for the project studio. It’s important to understand the limitations of the system; CueMix is an input mixer, not a system mixer. This means that the outputs of your DAW are not exposed to CueMix as input strips. However, the CueMix mixes can be sent to any of the available audio outputs, and will automatically be mixed in with whatever audio your DAW sends to that same output. Therefore, it is easy to create multiple headphone mixes that combine your DAW audio and live recording, and to do so without the delays that can come from monitoring audio through your software. You can also assign any of the outputs to be managed by a built-in monitor management system, which provides control room control over volume level, and has talkback, listen-back (dimming) and overload protection. This feature alone makes the CueMix software a valuable addition to the package, and an important part of a project studio setup. DSP and metering In addition to its mixing capabilities, the CueMix FX software also provides a useful set of DSP processes that can be used on the inputs and monitoring mixes. Each input features an EQ button that accesses MOTU’s “Vintage EQ”. The five primary bands provide gain, type, frequency and Q controls, while another section provides highpass and lowpass controls ranging from 6 dB to 36 dB/octave cutoff settings. The sound of the eq can go from subtle to aggressive, and is a great way to tune the sound of incoming sources. There is also a miniature version of the eq settings provided in each input “strip” so you can make changes in context. There are also Dynamics buttons on each input, with a full peak-or-RMS compressor and the Leveler from MOTU’s MasterWorks plug-in bundle (providing either further compression or limiting) with gain reduction and makeup controls. The metering on the compressor is a typical breakpoint display, while the Leveler has only a reduction bar-graph for response display. These processors were also useful for input taming, although I found myself leaning on the Leveler (designed as an LA-2A emulation) as a quick-grab option for cleaning up the unruly inputs. Perhaps the most useful additions to the CueMix FX package are the metering devices. These include an oscilloscope, FFT Analysis, X-Y and Phase Analysis plotter, and a digital tuner. Since this is served up as a complete system, it means that the FFT Analysis provides edit access to the selected channel’s eq settings, and switching among channels is done at the meter (rather than by switching plug-in channels, as would be done in a typical DAW environment).

Recording - March 2011

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