8A· Interfaces audio

The 8A provides 8 x 8 balanced analog connections, 8-channel ADAT optical and an independent headphone output, giving 16 inputs and 18 outputs in total. The optical ports can also carry stereo TOSLink (optical S/PDIF). Converters use ESS Sabre32 Ultra DAC technology, with a stated dynamic range of 123 dB, and round-trip latency is quoted as low as 1.6 ms at 96 kHz over Thunderbolt and 1.9 ms over USB.

A built-in digital mixer offers 48 inputs, 7 stereo aux busses, 3 groups and access to 64 network inputs. DSP effects include reverb, a 4-band EQ, gate and compression, with an LA-2A-style compressor model and EQ modeled on British analog consoles, all processed at 32-bit float precision. A matrix lets any input be sent to one or more outputs, including to and from the computer and network devices. A full-colour LCD shows metering for all analog and digital I/O.

The unit connects by Thunderbolt, USB 3.0 (class-compliant, works with iOS via a camera connection kit) or AVB/TSN Ethernet, supporting up to 256 channels (128 in, 128 out). Mixer, settings and network routing are controlled by a web app served from the hardware, usable from any browser on the same network, including the touchscreen-oriented Touch Console. AudioDesk software for Mac and Windows is included.