Tech Specs

Technical Specifications

Sample rates 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192 kHz
Mic/line/guitar 4 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) 2 x 1/4" TRS stereo headphone with independent volume
Computer I/O 1 x USB-C 2.0 audio class compliant Compatible with USB Type A host (*see power below) USB C-to-C and C-to-A cables included
MIDI I/O 1 x MIDI IN 1 x MIDI OUT 16 MIDI channels to/from computer host
Headphones 2 x 1/4" TRS stereo headphone with independent volume 1 x 3-4 switch for optional monitoring of Line Out 3-4
Phantom power 4 x individual +48V
Front panel 2 x 1/4" TRS headphone output 1 x potentiometer • monitor vol 2 x potentiometer • phone vol 1 x potentiometer • input monitor mix 4 x potentiometer • mic/line/guitar input gain 11 x switches • (4) 48V, (5) MON, (1) A/B and (1) 3-4 160 x 128 pixel full-colored LCD with input and output level meters
Power Bus-powered through USB* Optional multi-blade international 15V DC power adapter (included), 1.0A max • tip pos or neg, supports 100-240V power sources (US/Japan, EU, UK, Australia) *USB bus power available with USB-C hosts only. For other hosts, use the included DC power adapter. For iOS devices with a Lightning port, an Apple Lightning to USB3 Camera Adapter is required (sold separately).
Dimensions and weight (width x depth x height, enclosure only) 9.21 x 4.75 x 1.8 inches 23.4 x 12.0 x 4.57 cm 2.15 lbs / 0.975 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 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 Lite 11 6 GB 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 120 dB -110 dB +16 dBu
Line Input 1/4" TRS, bal/unbal, tip hot 115 dB -107 dB +18 dBu
Mic input XLR, balanced, pin 2 hot 115 dB -129 dBu EIN +10 dBu (at minimum gain)
Phones 1/4", TRS stereo 115 dB -110 dB +12.5 dBu

Compatible Mac Software

The M6 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 M6 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)

M6 Feature Highlights

  • 6-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
  • 4 x mic/line/hi-Z guitar inputs on combo XLR/TRS
  • Individual preamp gain and 48V phantom power for each mic input
  • 2 x balanced 1/4-inch line inputs
  • Hardware (direct) monitoring for all inputs (in mono or stereo)
  • Monitor mix knob to balance live inputs and computer playback
  • A/B switch to compare mix output on two sets of studio monitors
  • Measured -129 dB EIN on mic inputs
  • 4 x balanced, DC-coupled 1/4-inch TRS outputs
  • Measured 120 dB dynamic range on the 1/4-inch balanced TRS outputs
  • 2 x headphone out (driven by ESS converters) with independent volume control
  • 1 x 3-4 switch for optional headphone monitoring of Line Out 3-4
  • MIDI in/out (16 channels to/from USB host)
  • 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 cables included)
  • Multi-blade international DC power adapter for stand-alone operation without a computer
  • Rugged metal construction (extruded case, faceplates and knobs)
  • Workstation software included (MOTU Performer Lite and Ableton Live Lite 11)
  • 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