Tech Specs

Technical Specifications

Sample rates	44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192 kHz
Mic/line/guitar	2 x XLR/TRS "combo jack" mic/line/Hi-Z guitar inputs Independent preamp gain, 48V phantom power and monitor switch for each input
Analog inputs	2 x 1/4" line in
Analog outputs	4 x 1/4" TRS line out (balanced, DC coupled) 4 x RCA (unbalanced) analog out (mirrored) 1 x 1/4" TRS stereo headphone
Computer I/O	1 x USB-C (compatible with USB Type A) 2.0 audio class compliant
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	1 x 1/4" TRS headphone output 2 x XLR/TRS combo inputs 1 x potentiometer • monitor vol 1 x potentiometer • phone vol 1 x potentiometer • input monitor mix 2 x potentiometer • mic/line/guitar input gain 5 x switches • (2) 48V, (2) MON and (1) 3-4 160 x 120 pixel full-colored LCD with input and output level meters
Power	Bus-powered through USB
Dimensions and weight	(width x depth x height, enclosure only) 8.25 x 4.25 x 1.75 inches 20.955 x 10.8 x 4.5 cm 1.55 lbs / 0.7 kg

System Requirements

Mac System Requirements	Intel Core i3 Mac or faster (including Apple silicon Macs) 2 GB RAM; 4 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	1 GHz Pentium-based PC compatible or faster 2 GB RAM; 4 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	MOTU Performer Lite Ableton Live 10 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 Output	1/4" TRS, balanced, tip hot	120dB	-110dB	+16dBu
Line Input	1/4" TRS, bal/unbal, tip hot	115dB	-106dB	+18dBu
Mic input	XLR, balanced, pin 2 hot	115dB	-129dBu EIN	+10dBu (at minimum gain)
Phones	1/4", TRS stereo	115dB	-110dB	+12.5dBu

Compatible Mac Software

The M4 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 M4 ships with standard ASIO and Wave drivers for Windows 7, 8 and 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)

M4 Feature Highlights

4-in / 4-out USB audio interface with studio-quality sound
Best-in-class audio quality driven by ESS Sabre32 Ultra™ DAC Technology
Best-in-class speed (ultra-low latency) for host software processing
Best-in-class metering for all inputs/outputs with a full-color LCD
2x mic/line/hi-Z guitar inputs on combo XLR/TRS
Individual preamp gain and 48V phantom power for each input
2x balanced 1/4-inch line inputs
Hardware (direct) monitoring for each input (mono or stereo for inputs 1-2, stereo for inputs 3-4)
Monitor mix knob to balance live inputs and computer playback
Measured -129 dB EIN on mic inputs
4x balanced, DC-coupled 1/4-inch TRS outputs
Measured 120 dB dynamic range on the 1/4-inch balanced TRS outputs
4x RCA (unbalanced) analog out (mirrored)
1x headphone out (driven by ESS converters) with independent volume control
MIDI in/out

Support for 44.1 to 192 kHz sample rates
USB audio class compliant for plug-and-play operation on Mac (no driver required)
Windows driver with 2.5 ms Round Trip Latency (32 sample buffer at 96 kHz)
Mac driver (optional, for 2.5 ms RTL@32/96 kHz and loopback feature)
iOS compatible (USB audio class compliant)
Driver loopback for capturing host output, live streaming and podcasting
Bus powered USB-C (compatible with USB Type A) with power switch (USB cable included)
Rugged metal construction
Workstation software included (MOTU Performer Lite 10 and Ableton Live Lite 10)
100+ instruments (in Performer Lite)
Over 6 GB of included free loops, samples and one-shots from industry leading libraries
Kensington security slot
Two-year warranty