Using Motu DSP effects with Pro Tools

[Dale-c]

I just picked up a Motu interface that has some onboard DSP effects.


Can I use that with Pro Tools? Should I or is it a waste compared with the bundled plug-ins?

I just need to know if I can and if it is worth it. If so I can research the manual and figure it out.

[Emi]

Well you can’t. Or you could but you’d have to do a routing loop through the internal mixer and a physical I/o. It’s a hassle. And while the la-2a sounds decent, it’s nothing you can’t do with a plug-in.

I don’t use motu plug-ins nor the motu’s mixer at all. I did live gigs with pro-tools set to 32 samples buffer size on my Mac mini m1 with plugins (plugins that doesn’t use lookahead delay) and was a blast. I will not do any live gigs with a regular desk being digital or whatever anymore. Pro tools native on an m1 and motu avb interfaces is the best setup I had.

[Dale-c]

Thanks. That was exactly the answer I was looking for. YOu would loop it like a hardware unit. The only reason would be if somehow the end product was better than dverb or the included compressor etc.

[Dale-c]

Originally Posted by Emi

Well you can’t. Or you could but you’d have to do a routing loop through the internal mixer and a physical I/o. It’s a hassle. And while the la-2a sounds decent, it’s nothing you can’t do with a plug-in.

I don’t use motu plug-ins nor the motu’s mixer at all. I did live gigs with pro-tools set to 32 samples buffer size on my Mac mini m1 with plugins (plugins that doesn’t use lookahead delay) and was a blast. I will not do any live gigs with a regular desk being digital or whatever anymore. Pro tools native on an m1 and motu avb interfaces is the best setup I had.

Have you used Motu for a long time? The original 828 was one of the first interfaces I wanted over 20 years ago but of course since I decided on Pro Tools, I had to go with an Mbox back then. Then the 002 came out shortly after that. I just got this Ultralite. I am not sure how long I will keep it. The features are good but it is an older one than I thought. But for now, I still have thunderbolt to firewire so I am set.

[Emi]

Since the 828 mk2 FireWire.

My experience with motu is they have stunning stability but the converters quality on older interfaces were not that great. Now on the avb line interfaces I think it’s very very good and the way they are calibrated (+24dbu on the inputs) makes them great if you want to use your preamps or hardware units as insert at, I’d say, a professional level.

The avb network is what I use a lot at recordings on location. I usually use the 828es as monitor interface hooked up via thunderbolt and than I ran 50m of cat6 to the other interfaces on stage using the motu avb hub to connect the 16a and the 1248.

And the latency in these is quite low.

[Dale-c]

Good to know. I am pretty sure this unit I got was the same generation as the 828mk2.
It appeared to have come out in 2007. They still sell the Ultralite Mk3 at sweetwater so I thought this was just a slightly older version with firewire only. BUt apparently it's older than that. Still, for my purposes it should be fine and If I like it, I could replace it with a Mk5 at somepoint.

[TNM]

A bit of a necro, but I am lost by the reply...

Are you saying that you can use the near zero latency monitoring features of the DSP plugins in the Motu Mixer (like, for example I do with the Apollo) and then send those tracks directly into pro tools for dry recording? Pro tools doesn't see Motu inputs, is that what you are saying?