SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Audio Converter for Mac and PC. There’s a whole new world of possibilities for Mac and PC Creators — high-speed, high-resolution, and low-latency. Upgrade your rig with the rackmountable UAC-8, and add 18 inputs and 20 outputs to your USB 3.0-equipped Mac or Windows computer—even your iPad. Plug in a microphone, line-level device, or instrument and start bringing your ideas to life, or take the UAC-8 onstage to enable high-res audio playback, all the way up to 24-bit/192 kHz. The SuperSpeed USB 3.0 transfer protocol used by the UAC-8, with a speed of 2.0 ms roundtrip @ 96 kHz / 32 samples, is ten times faster than USB 2.0 and six times faster than FireWire 800. That not only ensures low latency, it provides a data stream that's unaffected by computer jitter (slight variations in timing), so there's no need to connect an external master clock source. INPUTS The UAC-8 provides a wide variety of both analog and digital connectors. 8 front panel combo XLR/TRS inputs accept mic- and line-level signals, and you can even plug instruments directly into Inputs 1 and 2. Dedicated input gain controls and Clip LEDs make it easy to set optimum input levels, and a Phantom Power switch enables the use of condenser microphones. OUTPUTS The UAC-8 has dual balanced analog TRS output jacks for connection to monitors, and there are also 8 discrete balanced TRS analog line outputs for multichannel monitoring or connection to external effects devices. A large front-panel Output knob offers fast control over output level, and there are two independent 1/4 " stereo headphone jacks, each with its own dedicated volume control, for private monitoring. DIGITAL I/O 8 ADAT and stereo S/PDIF digital inputs/outputs allow for the connection of up to 10 external channels, and built-in Word Clock enables easy integration into any system. In addition, MIDI In and Out is provided to allow interfacing with devices such as electronic keyboards and drum machines. The UAC-8 uses high-end components such as the AKM AK5388 analog-to-digital converter and AKM AK4413 digital-to-analog converter. In addition, the UAC-8 performs 4-times upsampling during both analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog conversion. In other words, when the sampling frequency is set to 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz, the UAC-8 processes the signal at high resolution 176.4 kHz or 192 kHz. For A/D conversion, this means less aliasing noise; for D/A conversion, this means increased clarity and fidelity. In standalone mode, the UAC-8 can be used as an 8-channel mic preamp and analog-to-digital or digital-to-analog converter without being connected to a computer. Features at a glance 18-in/20-out SuperSpeed USB 3.0 audio interface Standalone mode allows use as an 8-channel mic preamp and A/D or D/A converter without connection to a computer Support for recording and playback of up to 24-bit/192 kHz high-resolution audio Low latency audio streaming 8 combo balanced XLR/TRS analog input connectors accept both mic and line-level signal High-performance mic preamps with up to +60 dB of amplification Hi-Z switches allow direct connection of electric guitar or bass (INPUT1, INPUT2) Independent gain controls and clip LEDs for each input Switchable +48V phantom power (INPUTS 1-4, INPUTS 5-8) 10 balanced TRS output jacks for connection to mixers, amplifiers, self-powered speakers, headphones, or effects devices Dual front-panel 1/4" headphone outputs with dedicated volume controls Large knob output volume control 4x upsampling during A/D and D/A conversion for reduced noise and enhanced fidelity Asynchronous transfer system unaffected by computer jitter S/PDIF IN/OUT: 2IN / 2OUT, up to 24-bit/192 kHz ADAT Optical IN/OUT: 2 IN / 2 OUT at 192/176.4 kHz (S/MUX4 compatible), 4 IN/4 OUT at 96/88.2 kHz (S/MUX compatible), 8 IN / 8 OUT at 48/44.1 kHz Word Clock in/out Clock source indicator MIDI in/out Rack-mountable (1U space) Robust metal housing Works with all USB 3.0-equipped Mac and Windows computers and Apple iPad