Tech Specs

Technical Specifications

Sample rates 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192 kHz
Mic/line/guitar inputs 2 x XLR/TRS "combo" jacks 1 MΩ impedance on the line/instr inputs
Analog inputs 6 x 1/4" TRS line in (balanced)
Analog outputs 10 x 1/4" TRS line out (balanced, DC coupled)
Digital I/O 1 bank (8 ch) of ADAT optical at 1x sample rates 1 bank (4 ch) of SMUX optical at 2x sample rates Switchable to stereo TOSLink (optical S/PDIF) 1 x stereo S/PDIF on RCA (up to 96 kHz)
Computer I/O 1 x USB-C 2.0 audio class compliant Compatible with USB Type A (with adapter or C-to-A cable)
Total audio I/O 18 in / 22 out (40 total) at 1x sample rates 14 in / 18 out (32 total) at 2x sample rates 8 in / 12 out (20 total) at 4x sample rates
MIDI I/O 1 x MIDI IN 1 x MIDI OUT 16 MIDI channels to/from computer host
Headphone 1 x 1/4" TRS stereo phone
Phantom power 2 x individual +48V
Front panel 2 x XLR/TRS combo inputs 1 x 1/4" TRS headphone output 1 x potentiometer • phone/monitor vol 2 x potentiometer • mic/instr input gain 4 x switches • (2) 48V and (2) pad 1x high-resolution white OLED display for metering/status
Power Multi-blade international 15V DC power adapter 1.0A max • tip pos or neg Supports 100-240V power sources (US/Japan, EU, UK, Australia)
Dimensions and weight (width x depth x height, enclosure only) 8.6 x 6.9 x 1.75 inches 22 x 17.5 x 4.5 cm 2.875 lbs / 1.31 kg

System Requirements

Mac System Requirements Intel Core i3 Mac or faster (including Apple silicon Macs) 4 GB RAM; 8 GB or more recommended macOS version 10.11 or later (Optional driver requires 10.13 or later) Available USB port A large hard drive (at least 500 GB for recording)
Windows System Requirements Intel Core i3 PC (or AMD equivalent) 4 GB RAM; 8 GB or more recommended Windows 10 or later (x64 AMD/Intel only) Available USB port A large hard drive (at least 500 GB for recording)
Class-Compliant Support USB audio class compliant for plug-and-play operation on Mac or iOS (no driver required)
Included Software CueMix 5 MOTU Performer Lite 6GB of loops and sounds from Big Fish Audio, LucidSamples, Loopmasters and MOTU

Analog I/O

Connector Type Dynamic Range (A-weighted) THD+N (unweighted) Max Level
Line Input 1/4" TRS, balanced, tip hot 120 dB -114 dB (0.0002%) 24 dBu
Line Output 1/4" TRS, balanced, tip hot 125 dB -114 dB (0.0002%) 21 dBu
Mic input XLR, balanced, pin 2 hot 115 dB THD+N: -113 dB EIN: -129 dBu Max level: 0 dBu Preamp gain: +74 dB
Phones 1/4", TRS stereo 118 dB -110 dB (0.0003%) Max level: 14 dBu Output Impedance: <1 Ohm

Compatible Mac Software

The UltraLite-mk5 ships with standard Core Audio drivers for macOS for compatibility with virtually all Core Audio-compatible apps, including:

  • MOTU Performer Lite
  • MOTU Digital Performer
  • Avid Pro Tools (version 9 or later)
  • Apple Logic Pro
  • Apple Logic Express
  • Apple Garage Band
  • Apple SoundTrack Pro
  • Ableton Live
  • Presonus Studio One
  • Propellerhead Record & Reason
  • Steinberg Cubase
  • Cockos Reaper
  • Native Instruments Kontakt
  • Waves stand-alone apps (and plug-ins, via compatible host)

Compatible Windows Software

The UltraLite-mk5 ships with standard ASIO and Wave drivers for Windows 10 for compatibility with virtually all ASIO- and Wave-compatible audio apps, including:

  • MOTU Performer Lite
  • MOTU Digital Performer
  • Avid Pro Tools (version 9 or later)
  • Ableton Live
  • Cakewalk Sonar
  • Cockos Reaper
  • Image Line FL Studio
  • Native Instruments Kontakt
  • Presonus Studio One
  • Propellerhead Record & Reason
  • Sony Vegas Pro
  • Sony Sound Forge
  • Sony Acid
  • Steinberg Cubase
  • Waves stand-alone apps (and plug-ins, via compatible host)

UltraLite-mk5 Feature Highlights

  • 18 x 22 USB audio interface with DSP, mixing and effects
  • Superb analog audio performance driven by ESS Sabre32 Ultra™ DAC Technology
  • Ultra-low latency for host software processing
  • Precision front-panel metering for all analog I/O with high-resolution OLED display
  • 2x mic/line/hi-Z guitar inputs on combo XLR/TRS
  • Individual preamp gain and 48V phantom power for each mic input
  • Measured -129 dB EIN on mic inputs
  • 10x balanced, DC-coupled 1/4-inch TRS analog outputs with 125 dB dynamic range
  • Hardware (direct) monitor mixing for each analog output pair (6 mix busses)
  • 6x balanced 1/4-inch TRS analog inputs with measured 120 dB dynamic range
  • 1x optical digital I/O (8-channel optical or 2-channel TOSLink)
  • 1x stereo RCA S/PDIF digital I/O
  • 1x headphone out (driven by ESS converters) with independent volume control
  • MIDI in and out/thru
  • Precision boost for all analog inputs and trim for all analog outputs in 1 dB steps
  • Wi-Fi control from CueMix 5 app on multiple mobile devices (via a USB-connected computer on the same network)
  • Network management features (discovery for multiple devices on the network and password protection for each device)
  • Support for 44.1 to 192 kHz sample rates
  • DC-coupled TRS outputs for CV control of modular synths from a host DAW
  • USB audio class compliant for plug-and-play operation on Mac (no driver required)
  • Windows driver with 2.4 ms Round Trip Latency (32 sample buffer at 96 kHz)
  • Mac driver (optional, for 2.4 ms RTL@32/96 kHz and loopback feature)
  • iOS compatible (USB audio class compliant)
  • Loopback for capturing host output, live streaming, and podcasting
  • Guitar re-amping with near-zero loop-thru to record the dry guitar signal and mic'd amp simultaneously
  • Control room features include Talkback, A/B Monitor Select, and Monitor Grouping
  • DSP-driven 22 x 6 monitor mixer (separate monitor mix for each analog output pair)
  • On-board effects including reverb, 4-band parametric EQ and dynamics
  • Rugged steel construction
  • CueMix 5 app to control mixing and settings from your Mac, PC or iOS device
  • MOTU Performer Lite 11 workstation software included
  • 100+ instruments (in Performer Lite)
  • Over 6 GB of included free loops, samples and one-shots
  • Rack-mountable as a single unit or side by side (mounting kits sold separately)
  • Two-year warranty