STEINBERG UR-22-MKII Audio Interface

he U46XL is a powerful multi-purpose 4-in 6-out multi-channel audio interface designed for various recording applications at home or on the road. The U46XL is the successor of to ESI Audio's famous U46DJ interface.

As its predecessor, it provides 2 stereo line inputs, a microphone input with +48V phantom power and a headphone output. A main difference is the improved analog circuitry improving the audio quality as well as the professional microphone preamplifier with XLR input. This makes the U46XL the perfect solution to record signals from dynamic or condenser microphones on the road or in your studio.

The unit also features an instrument input (Hi-Z), typically to connect a guitar directly to it. Two totally separate stereo line input on the backside provide 4 simultaneously usable input channels at one time. There are also 6 independent individual outputs on the backside, perfect for multi-channel playback applications like to provide individual outputs for software synthesizers, to provide independent playback channels for DJ software or to provide surround playback capability via a 5.1 setup. A separate mix output with professional TRS outputs could be used to connect U46XL to professional stereo studio monitors.

A cool feature is the DirectWIRE support in the driver, allowing you to record signals from one application to another internally. U46XL works with this driver based on our EWDM technology under Windows XP and Windows Vista/7, however U46XL is also Mac OS X compatible.

U46XL ships with Cubase LE 4 from Steinberg for Mac and PC to start recording on a professional level right out of the box.

MOTU FireWire audio interfaces are fully compatible with FireWire 800-equipped Macs. All you need is a standard FireWire 400-to-800 cable. Just plug in and go. The FireWire bus operates at 400 Mb/sec, providing the same high speed, low latency and rock solid reliability that MOTU FireWire interfaces are known for.

The 8pre is the perfect way to instantly add eight more mic inputs to any audio interface or digital mixer with optical I/O. If you have a MOTU interface with on-board CueMix DSP mixing, such as the 828mkII, 896HD or Traveler, the 8pre inputs appear directly in the host interface's CueMix mixer to becomes a transparent extension of your system, operating together with your primary interface as a single, integrated unit — even when the host interface is not connected to a computer and is instead operating as a stand-alone mixer.

If you have a 2408mk3, digital mixer or other audio device that supports 96kHz optical and also has two optical inputs, the 8pre connects to it via both optical ports to provide a full eight channels of analog to optical conversion at the 88.2 or 96kHz sample rates.

Features:

USB 2.0 Desktop Recording Studio
44.1kHz to 96kHz sample rates, 24-bit resolution
Pantheon II VST/AU reverb plug-in with 6 legendary Lexicon reverbs
dbx® 60V high-voltage, ultra-low noise microphone preamps
Superior sonic performance
2 analog combi-jacks for mic/line inputs
2 analog 1/4" TRS balanced outputs
Zero latency monitoring
Low latency ASIO drivers
Streamlined monitor form factor puts all recording controls at your fingertips
Separate level meters and gain control per channel
1 side panel 1/4" instrument input
1 side panel headphone output with dedicated volume adjustment
MIDI in and out

Technical Specifications

Microphone Inputs:    Female XLR Pin 2 Hot
Input Impedance:    3kΩ balanced
Phantom Power:    +48 Volts
Maximum gain:    +58 dB
E.I.N. (at max gain):    -125 dBu @ 58dB gain typical (150Ω source) -129 dBu @ 58dB gain typical A-weighted (150Ω source)
Maximum Input Level:    +21 dBu at minimum gain
Frequency Response:    +0/-1 dB, 20Hz - 20kHz
THD+N:    +18 dBu maximum
Impedance:    32Ω Balanced, 16Ω Unbalanced
Headphone Output:    1/4" stereo jack 350mW per channel at 50Ω
MIDI Interface:    5 pin DIN connectors for MIDI in and MIDI out (5 volt signal)
Sample Rate:    44.1, 48, 88.2, or 96 kHz (determined by computer application)
Dynamic Range:    A/D (24 Bit) 108 dB typical, A-weighted, 20Hz - 20kHz
(44.1 kHz sample rate)
D/A (24 Bit) 110 dB typical, A-weighted, 20Hz - 20kHz
A/D/A (24 Bit) 102 dB typical, A-weighted, 20Hz - 20kHz
Power Requirements:    12W 9VAC
Power adaptors available for:
US and Canada: 120 VAC, 60 Hz Adapter: PS0913B - 120
Japan: 100 VAC, 50/60 Hz Adapter: PS0913B - 100
Europe: 230 VAC, 50 Hz Adapter: PS0913B - 230
UK: 240 VAC, 50 Hz Adapter: PS0913B - 240
Australia: 240 VAC, 50 Hz Adapter: PS0913B - 240-AU

• Hybrid FireWire/USB2 connectivity — connect to your computer via either bus-powered FireWire or hi-speed USB2.
• CueMix FX™ — flexible 10 input/14 bus mixer with on-board DSP effects, including reverb with sends/returns, plus EQ and compression on every input and output.
• 10 inputs / 14 outputs — there's no channel sharing in the UltraLite-mk3 Hybrid; the mic inputs, S/PDIF I/O, headphone out and main outs are all handled as separate channels.
• Classic Reverb™ — provides five different room types, three frequency shelves with adjustable crossover points, shelf filtering and reverb lengths up to 60 seconds.
• Two forms of compression — a standard compressor with conventional threshold/ratio/attack/release/gain controls and the Leveler™, an accurate model of the legendary LA-2A optical compressor, which provides vintage, musical automatic gain control.
• Modeled EQ — provides 7-band parametric EQ modeled after British analog console EQs, 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.
• CueMix FX cross-platform mixing software — attractive graphic mixing, graphic editing of parametric EQ and a convenient tabbed interface for quick access to all features in one window. Also provides full-screen real-time FFT display, spectrogram "waterfall" display, oscilloscope, X-Y plot and linear or polar phase analysis.
• Front-panel control — access any setting in your entire UltraLite-mk3 Hybrid mix directly from the front panel.
• “Reverb return" stream — allows users to record or mix UltraLite-mk3 Hybrid reverb output separately in their DAW. Effects can also be applied when the UltraLite-mk3 Hybrid is operating stand-alone (without a computer) as a complete stand-alone mixer.
• Stand-alone operation — program your mixes at the studio and then bring the UltraLite-mk3 Hybrid to your gig — no computer needed. Just plug in the included power adapter and you are ready to go. Need to tweak the mix? Do it on site using the back-lit LCD and front-panel controls.
• Multiple CueMix FX mixes — for example, create different monitor mixes for the main outs and headphones. Or add send/return loops for outboard gear — with no latency.
• Two combo jacks provide hi-Z 1/4” guitar input or low-Z XLR mic input with phantom power, pad and plenty of gain.
• Eight 24-bit 192kHz analog inputs and outputs on balanced/unbalanced 1/4" TRS jacks
• Precision Digital Trim™ — Digitally controlled analog trim on all analog inputs (mic/guitar inputs + quarter-inch TRS inputs) provides accurate adjustements in 1 dB increments. Fine-tune the balance of your analog inputs and then save/recall trim configurations.
• Direct Digital Synthesis™ (DDS) — a DSP-driven phase lock engine and internal clock source that produces imperceptibly low jitter characteristics (below the noise floor), even when the UltraLite-mk3 Hybrid is resolved to an external clock source via SMPTE time code.
• Time code support — directly resolves to (or generates) time code via any quarter-inch input or output, without the need for an extra synchronizer.
• Sample-accurate MIDI — connect a MIDI controller and/or sound module with no separate interface needed. MIDI I/O is sample-accurate with supporting software.
• Expandable — add additional interfaces for more I/O as your needs grow.
• Separate TRS main outs with front panel volume control.
• Stereo 24-bit 96kHz S/PDIF in/out.
• Includes drivers for Mac & PC, including ASIO, WDM, Wave, Core Audio, and Core MIDI. Supports all popular Mac and Windows audio software.
• 100% compatible with all host-based effects processing in today's popular audio programs.
• Includes AudioDesk full-featured sample-accurate workstation software for the Mac with recording, editing, mixing, real-time 32-bit effects processing & sample-accurate sync.
• Plug-and-play operation with your Mac or PC via FireWire or USB2.
• Front panel volume control for monitoring. Stereo, Quad, 6.1, 7.1 and user-defined surround monitoring setups available.
• Front panel headphone jack with volume control.
• Bus-powered FireWire operation. No need for external power when operating as a FireWire interface connected to a computer. A power supply is included for stand-alone operation.
• Chassis dimensions, excluding rack ears and front and back panel knobs and connectors: 9.5 x 7 x 1.75 inches (24.13 x 17.78 x 4.45 cm). Knobs and connectors extend up to 0.5 inch (1.27 cm) from front and back panels, adding 1 inch (2.54 cm) to depth. With rack ears attached, fits one half of a standard 19 inch (48.26 cm) rack at 1U high.