Description
Equipped with the same ESS Sabre32 Ultra DAC Technology found in audio interfaces costing thousands, the M4 delivers an astonishing 120 dB Dynamic Range on its main outputs. ESS converters also drive the headphone output, which rivals dedicated headphone amplifiers costing hundreds. Ultra-clean preamp circuits produce a measured -129 dBu EIN on the mic inputs. Capture and monitor your audio with pristine clarity.
Speed
The M4 provides best-in-class speed for monitoring live inputs (mic, guitar or keyboard) through your computer, thanks to MOTU’s expertly engineered USB drivers, which deliver class-leading, ultra-low 2.5 ms Round Trip Latency (at 96 kHz with a 32 sample buffer).
Metering
When recording and mixing, nothing is more critical than achieving optimum levels. The M4 is the only audio interface in its class with a full color LCD featuring clear, detailed level meters for all inputs and outputs. Enjoy professional-level volume control and feedback to get your sound just right.
Loopback
The M4 driver provides convenient loopback channels to your host computer, so you can easily route computer output back to the computer, where you can mix it with live mics and/or guitar inputs from the M4 in your host software for live streaming or podcasting. Streaming and podcasting has never been easier and better-sounding!
A Tradition of Engineering Excellence
Decades of award-winning product engineering for hit songs, mega tours, primetime shows and blockbuster movies goes into every MOTU audio interface.
Workstation Software, Virtual Instruments and Loops
Connect the M2 to your Mac or PC and start laying down tracks with the included Performer Lite or Live Lite production software, plus hundreds of loops, one-shots and sounds from industry leaders Big Fish Audio, Lucidsamples and Loopmasters.
Riza –
Been waiting for Motu M2 but always out of stocks everywhere. So, I take Motu M4 which is the same with M2 but has more inputs and outputs. I compare with my old Steinberg UR242 and I’m super happy with the quality and the audio results.
Jonathan –
Perfect for Multitasking with Rhythm Games
Upgraded from a Focusrite Scarlett to the Motu M4 for a couple reason. I heard that this was an upgrade in terms of audio quality, which is good but it’s also just the interface, so it’s not going to be a big change. It can also give more gain to the monitoring headphones, which is something I was looking for since my headphones were starting to hit the maximum of what the Scarlett could give. The main feature I was interested in with this upgrade are the two line in inputs on the back. This is mostly meant for instruments, but I was interested in using this for rhythm games.If you’ve played a rhythm game at home before, you know that you need the lowest latency you can get with your audio. Often times, the best way to make it work is to directly connect speakers to the device or use the device’s own speakers. This works great if that’s the only thing you’re doing, but there are times where that’s not the case. I often find myself on my desktop listening to a video in the background if I’m playing casually or talking to my friends along with screensharing the game. In these cases, there are two options for listening to both at once: buy a dedicated mixer or plug the outgoing audio directly to the computer. Using a mixer does work, but I found it to be a hassle to set up. An extra usb port for power, extra wires being looped around my desk, and carefully setting everything up to not introduce any noise (admittedly, that’s probably because I went cheap on the mixer). All that just to play one game for an hour did not feel worth it. The easiest alternative is to directly connect the audio to the computer and listen to the playback, but Windows likes to introduce extra latency in the process. It’s not enough to ruin every game, but for rhythm games especially, it’s easy to notice the difference between this method and directly plugging in headphones.This leads to why I was interested in the Motu M4. The back 3 and 4 inputs are line inputs, exactly like how I had the audio currently connected to the computer. They’re similarly passed to the computer as an audio input, so I can bring the audio over for screensharing. The real benefit to having this connected to the audio interface itself is that these inputs can be directly monitored. Just like the microphone on the Scarlett, monitoring these inputs directly has practically no latency. Monitoring these inputs still allows the audio from the computer to go through, which gives the exact setup I was looking for!The main concern I still had before getting this was the volume of this input. Many people were complaining that the gain is a little low and would need an external amplifier to make usable in many situations. However, I could never find anyone discussing it in terms of the use case I was looking for, so I wasn’t sure how well it would work. I’m happy to say this this worked very well for me, but I do want to add some details to that. I did find it to be a little low at the start, leading me to raise the volume almost to max while before I had it a little over half. I also had to mess around a bit with the volume of everything involved. There’s a knob that balances between the computer audio and the direct monitored audio, so as long as you have some leeway in headphone volume or computer volume, you should be able to make it work. That doesn’t affect the recorded volume though, so you’ll want to make sure that other’s listening through a screenshare can hear the game fine. Lastly I’m used to listening to things at a bit of a lower volume than others, so if you like to have things loud and would want both of these sources to do that, this setup may not be perfect for you.At the end of the day, the Motu M4 gave me exactly the setup I was looking for without all the extra clutter of a mixer with my previous audio interface. If you have been looking for a setup like this for a similarly specific reason, I think this is worth trying out.
Joseph Ervin Jr. –
Works well with Reason Studio on OS X
I’ve lost count of the number of audio and MIDI interfaces I’ve had to buy for Macs going all the way back to my venerable Power Mac 5600. Seems like every major iteration of the OS calls for a new interface. My latest iMac has two Thunderbolt ports and I bought a USB-C to USB-C cable for the MOTU M4. Once I got past the OS’s insistence that I explicitly enable the M-Series extension, it worked fine. I have to run the gain on the two XLR inputs pretty much full up, but there’s no distortion evident. Host audio comes through the Thunderbolt port in good shape. Haven’t yet tried the loopback function. I can record my clarinet or English horn into a Reason audio track while still listening to the accompaniment tracks, which is just what I need. The #3/#4 inputs on the back can connect to the mixer from my synth, though the mixer outs are unbalanced.
Zaira Arroyo –
Excelente
Excelente interfaz para comenzar en el mundo de producción!
Bizzy Gal –
DON’T Buy Used from ALTO MUSIC. they will screw you with a 20-50% restocking fee w/no warranty
DON’T Buy Used from ALTO MUSIC. they will screw you with a 20-50% restocking fee and no extended warrantyThe MOTU M4 sounded great until the sound just dropped out. It has done it more than once but in no predictable fashion. This was a “used item”, advertised as being “like new” or with a cosmetic defect.This should NEVER have been resold. But as the dropouts are random, and days can go by without a dropout, apparently ALTO MUSIC thought they would just sell it again. There should be clearer indications that an item such is this is NOT FROM AMAZON, with a CLEAR WARNING of a “bullying” 20-50% restocking fee.It was easy to think that false reassurance, having purchased Amazon Renewed products. And I know I would have purchased an extended warranty, as I would use this for my work, but I see no trace that such a warranty is part of my purchase.As such, I mistakenly took it to be a Renewed Product with a 90-day guarantee, backed by Amazon, was not the case. I also selected an Extended Warranty when I originally was considering the product, but that was not transferred into my cart, because it wasn’t through Amazon, much to my surprise.The UPS Return Lable, and a preamble before it, describing all the ways they could or would only make partial refunds, which was greedy and bullying on their side of things. I had purchased some items from the before along the way in Pro-Audio, but that was before the Pandemic, and well, like all the other companies, hiking prices, selling a potentially defective unit, and then giving themselves the options of 20-50% restocking fees is a great way for them to make up the COVID impacted troubled economy; like many other companies, I’m sure those profits are feeling really good for them.But not for consumers like you or me.Don’t buy from Alto Music.
Ripple Patel –
Amazing Product for Studio and Recording
MOTU M4 Amazing Product for Studio and Recording
Sergio –
La mejor tarjeta de su categoria.
Con diferencia la mejor tarjeta del mercado de su categoría.Una construcción robusta y presentación excelente.Instalación, configuración y prestaciones inmejorables por este precio.
Kemi –
Almost Perfect
Everything is great! I love the LCD screen! I wish it had a hard plastic cover over it however. I also wish that there is a way to have output 3-4 mirror 1-2, just like how Focusrite can on their 4i4. I feel like it would be possible through a firmware/software update. I already tried the RCA outputs, which are low, tried using Voicemeeter, which has latency, and a splitter, which reduces signal output (not nearly low enough as the RCAs.) I am currently running a pair of JBL LSR 305s and a pair of LSR310s. However, I wanted them to run independently and have the tops not run through a crossover. Running the subs through the splitter on the headphone out does give me a hardware volume knob to control them and I can just unplug them and use headphones when needed. The Focusrite 4i4 gave me the option to control sub volume through the device control software.Faults aside, I still stand by the MOTU M4, since my 2i2 (2nd gen) glitched on recording and my 4i4 straight up had hardware failure after a couple of years.
Vincentmrl –
Attenzione alla revisione che ricevete!
Ho comprato questa Motu M4 dopo che la stessa, comprata dal warehouse di Amazon, mi dava molti problemi di corruzione audio e così via. Per tagliare la testa al toro ho comprato questa, stavolta nuova, e ho scoperto che esistono 3 revisioni della stessa interfaccia. In sostanza:- La v1 ha problemi con il controller USB, ed è quella che avevo warehouse- La v2 e la v3 hanno cambiato qualche componente, inclusi proprio il controller USB, migliorando anche la resa effettiva in termini di qualità, distorsione e compagnia bella.Da quando ho comprato questa nuova (che è v2 o v3) non ho mai riscontrato problemi, pur tenendo le impostazioni a 48000hz con 128 sample di buffer (che durante la produzione audio posso tranquillamente calare a 64 o meno sample).Ormai in ogni caso dovrebbero essere tutte revisioni v2 o v3, e in ogni caso si può controllare perché la versione del firmware che hanno di base è la 2.0 o superiore.
Thomas Aldershof II –
Get a TB4 cable (from OWC) with iPad Pro M1
Finally, I can say this is an AMAZING BUS POWERED 4×4 Audio Interface!!So I just wanted to help out the MOTU M4 communities, as I finally have solved my problems with the MOTU M4.I used a simple USB-C 3.0 cable and connected the M4 to my iPad Pro M1, results:every 10 seconds crackle crackle, after 1 month, I couldn’t take it, so then…I used a really good TB3 cable and connected the M4 to my iPad Pro M1, results:every 30 seconds crackle, after 6 months, I couldn’t take it, so then…I bought and used an OWC TB4/USB4 cable (0.7 meters), connected the M4 to iPad, results:Not 1 crackle and whisper quiet! Works 100%, bus powered from iPad Pro M1.Summary, literally less noise and crackling as you go from USB3 -> TB3 -> TB4…Even tho it’s “Data” it’s still garbled…As a side note, connecting M4 to a MBP w/M1 using the TB3 cable was fine, unless connected right next to the MagSafe Cable.(USB3 cable, crackle crackle)Laters…