Looking for the best audio interface hardware, there is no end to how many products are there on the market. Each product will have its own pros and cons, set of features, price tag, functionality, and more. It can be overwhelming for a lot of people, especially beginners in the audio world.
The fact that most singers, streamers, and podcasters are looking for a piece of hardware that only has specific set of features shows that people don’t want something too complicated or bloated with features they don’t need. And this is what MOTU tries to capitalize with their products MOTU M2 and M4.
These products have streamlined design, high-level performance, and high-quality sound. If you’re looking for an easy product to use and budget friendly, stick around and read our review of these products.
M2 and M4 Review
MOTU released their two new USB powered interfaces that support Windows, iOS, and Mac. M2 is priced at $169 and M4 is $219. Both M2 and M4 come with two and four channels of audio I/O respectively, complete with individual 48V phantom power on mic inputs, mono and stereo hardware monitoring. Read also: Yamaha THR5 vs THR10
You’ll immediately notice there is a colorful LCD on the front side that shows the input and output power. We’re pleased to see that they put just enough analog knob to control the audio input and output. You can even mix the audio on the fly with zero latency. For something like a small USB interfaces, M2 and M4 are really impressive. There are proper MIDI connections that are pretty rare on this kind of device.
M2 and M4 are clearly top of their class when it comes to audio quality. M2 and M4 utilize ESS Sabre32 Ultra DAC technology, and able to produce top notch clarity with 120dB of dynamic range. Both M2 and M4 come with MOTU’s mic preamps, low noise-DC with analog outputs, and a headphone output with ESS.
The test result of the latency is impressive, total of 2.5ms at 32-bit/96kHz for a round-trip. Like we already mentioned before, M2 and M4 are specifically designed for streamers and podcasters who like a simple, easy to use yet powerful device to produce their content. There is a loopback function that enables user to blend their mic and other input devices with their computer’s output and then send the mixed signal back to their computer so that it can be recorded. Even better than M4 has a better feature that includes a Mix know to balance the live input with the computer’s playback.
| MOTU M2 | MOTU M4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Best Offer | click here | click here |
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| Shipping Weight | 1.77 pounds | 1.92 pounds |
Recording audio with M2 and M4 is very easy and fun to do. With 1-touch hardware monitoring user can routes all the analog inputs from the hardware to its analog outputs, this makes zero latency operation possible. You won’t notice any delay or lag between what you play, sing, or say and what you’re hearing on your headphone.
Here are the highlights of the features that you should know before making a purchase.
M2 and M4 feature highlights
- 2-in / 2-out and 4-in / 4-out USB audio interfaces 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
- 2x mic/line/hi-Z guitar inputs on combo XLR/TRS
- Individual preamp gain and 48V phantom power for each input
- 2x balanced 1/4-inch line inputs (M4 only)
- Hardware (direct) monitoring for each input
- Monitor mix knob to balance live inputs and computer playback (M4 only)
- Measured -129 dB EIN on mic inputs
- Balanced, DC-coupled 1/4-inch TRS outputs (2x for M2; 4x for M4)
- Measured 120 dB dynamic range on the 1/4-inch balanced TRS outputs
- RCA (unbalanced) analog outs that mirror 1/4-inch outs (2x for M2; 4x for M4)
- 1x headphone out (driven by ESS converters) with independent volume control
- MIDI in/out
- 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 buffers 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 cable included)
- Rugged metal construction
- Workstation software included (MOTU Performer Lite 10 and Ableton Live Lite 10)
- 100+ instruments (in Performer Lite)
- Over 6 GB of included free loops, samples and one-shots from industry-leading libraries
- Kensington security slot
- Built-in the USA
- Two-year warranty
MOTU M2 vs M4
| MOTU M2 | MOTU M4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Best Deal* | Save Money Please click here | Save Money Please click here |
| Brand | MOTU | MOTU |
| Key features | - 2-in/2-out USB-C Audio Interface with 2 Microphone Preamps - 6+GB of Free Content - Mac/PC/iOS - Hardware Moniting - LCD Screen | - 4-in/4-out USB-C Audio Interface with 2 Microphone Preamps - 6+GB of Free Content - Mac/PC/iOS - Hardware Moniting - LCD Screen |
| Price | ||
| Customer Ratings* | 4.6 out of 5 stars | 4.7 out of 5 stars |
Verdict
No doubt, both M2 and M4 are great products. Whether you’re recording, listening or mixing you can always expect top notch audio quality from these interfaces. And the best thing is that M2 and M4 are really cheap for what they are. Easy to use, full of essential features, and without the features that you don’t need. Convenient audio interfaces and more than 6GB of free loops and samples are a nice bonus to get.
The key differences between M2 and M4 are:
- M2 has 2x balanced ¼ inch TRS out while M4 has 4x.
- M4 has 2x balanced ¼ inch line inputs while M2 has none.
- M2 has 2x RCA analog out while M4 has 4x.
On the back panel M4 has 2 more ¼ inch balanced TRS monitor outputs than M2. M2 has no separate ¼ inch input while M4 has two of them. M4 also has 2 more RCA analog outputs and on the front panel M4 comes with an Input Monitor Mix Knob for better balance between live inputs and playback from a computer. Other than that, the two audio interfaces are the same.
NOTE : Product prices, availability, ratings and save money information are accurate as of the date/time indicated on post time (as seen right bellow the tittle) and are subject to change. Any price, ratings, availability and save money information displayed on Amazon Site at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
The price difference is surprisingly not that big, if you want the most out of MOTU’s audio interface, you might want to get M4. But you don’t have to worry if you think M2 is better for you. M2 is already more than enough to make your stream or podcast better.