Cambridge, MA (November 5, 2025)—MOTU’s latest rack-mounted audio interface is out—the 10pre, serving up 40 Gbps Thunderbolt 4 or USB4 to deliver 10 mic/line/instrument inputs, 54 total channels of I/O, 64-channel mixing with effects and 128 channels of AVB network input and output.
The 10pre (which is also compatible with Windows) connects to a Mac, PC or iOS device with the included 40 Gbps Thunderbolt-compatible USB4 C-to-C cable (compatible with USB3 and USB2) for up to 256 audio channels (128 in and 128 out). The unit and adjoining drivers reportedly provide roundtrip latency (RTL) lower than 1.9 ms at 96 kHz with a 32 sample host buffer. A second Thunderbolt port connects additional computer peripherals, such as a second monitor, hard drive, USB hub or Thunderbolt dock.
Sporting 10 mic/line/instrument (hi-Z) analog inputs on XLR/TRS “combo” style connectors equipped with preamp circuits (118 dB dynamic range), the 10pre is said to offer quiet performance (-129 dBu EIN), neutral sound, low noise (-114 THD+N) and preamp gain (+74 dB). Users can rack-mount the 10pre and hard-wire a full bank of eight mic inputs (channels 1-8) into their studio system, and also have two additional mic/line/instrument inputs (9-10) on the front panel for as-needed connections during recording sessions. As “primary” recording channels, inputs 1-2 (on the rear panel) offer a dedicated send/return insert for outboard gear processing.
The front panel keeps users in the loop via a 3.9-inch full-color TFT display presenting metering for all analog and digital I/O. A pair of headphone outputs have independent volume control and fully programmable source selection, including analog or digital inputs or outputs, mixer buses (with built-in reverb), host audio channels, or network channels. The INPUT channel select knob (with accompanying +/- buttons) lets users choose any input and then adjust its individual preamp gain (+74 dB), -20 dB pad, and 48V phantom power switch.
MOTU Ships 848 Audio Interface
Control room features include talkback with front panel “Talk” button and “A/B/C” monitor select, Mute, and (sum to) Mono buttons for the designated monitor outputs, to compare mixes on up to three sets of studio monitors.
The 10pre features an integrated AVB switch with two Gigabit Ethernet ports, allowing users to daisy-chain as many as eight 10pre, 848, and/or 16A units using standard network cabling, with full access to all units from the host computer. The interface also has the same 32-bit floating point DSP engine as the 16A and 848, helping it deliver 64-channel mixing from any source.
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The 10pre ships with the CueMix Pro App and Thunderbolt/USB drivers for macOS, Windows, iOS and iPadOS; MOTU Performer Lite workstation software for macOS and Windows; and 6GB of loops and sounds from Big Fish Audio, LucidSamples, LoopCloud and MOTU.
