As a synthesizer programmer for Broadway productions, I’ve been a longtime user of MOTU audio and MIDI interfaces. At times, I’ve tried other products, but have always been disappointed in one way or another, and whenever I’ve returned to using MOTU I’ve been fully satisfied with the quality of the products, reliability, and the excellent customer service I receive from the company.
Using MOTU for Priscilla, Queen of the Desert on Broadway
My first exposure to using MOTU products on Broadway was while working as the Associate Conductor and synthesizer programmer for Priscilla Queen of the Desert. For the synth rigs everything was hardware based, though we also ran backing tracks through MOTU’s Digital Performer.
We sent audio to front of house using the MOTU 896mk3 Hybrid
Digital Performer worked absolutely flawlessly for us. We recorded sweetener tracks of double-tracked strings and horns directly into Digital Performer and ran it in “chunks” mode to trigger sequences during the show. In 18 months on Broadway and a year on tour, the combination of Digital Performer and the 896 sounded fantastic and never once did we have any malfunctions or crashes. The system was completely rock solid. It’s no wonder that Digital Performer is the go-to sequencer of choice for so many folks who run backing tracks in live performance.
I occasionally rent equipment to live theatrical productions to provide rigs for MainStage and Ableton Live
How I currently use MOTU on Broadway productions
In my rental rigs and my own personal rigs, I always use MOTU interfaces for several reasons. First, MOTU offers the largest variety of products of any company in the industry and offers an audio or MIDI interface for any need. Second, they sound fantastic, and at a very reasonable price. Third, MOTU products are rock solid. While some other competing interfaces have known issues when interacting with various USB connections, the MOTU products never produce any issues. I know that when I’m working on a project, their products will work totally reliably without any problems.
Here is a rearview peek at one of my rental rigs using the MOTU 828mk3 Hybrid Firewire Audio Interface
You can see 2 of the mk3 Hybrid in the middle of the rack:
My MainStage/Ableton rental rig revolves around redundant setups running in tandem using two MOTU 828mk3 Hybrid Firewire Audio Interface
With 8 outputs, this provides more than enough for live performance. If I need more outputs for running backing tracks, it’s an easy matter to create an aggregate audio device to combine the two interfaces to send 16 outputs. I’m now using the MOTU 828mk3 Hybrid on nearly every production of Disney’s Aladdin worldwide, my personal rig, and my rental rigs. It’s also been used on 4 Broadway cast recordings, several Off-Broadway productions, the Tony Awards, various regional productions, and has even been shipping back and forth from New York City to Tokyo for recording the cast album for the Tokyo production of Aladdin. Always rock solid, always great sound, and a fantastic value.
Here is a look at the back of the keyboard one rig from the Australian production of Disney’s Aladdin, which uses the MOTU 828mk3 Hybrid:
And here is a look at the front of one of the keyboard rigs on the US tour of Aladdin, which is nearly identical to its Australian counterpart:
Using MOTU for Ableton on the Finding Neverland national tour
When running backing tracks in Ableton, I often prefer to use the MOTU 16A
With 16 TRS analog outputs, it’s ideal for running backing tracks. Like all of the other MOTU products, it sounds fantastic and is 100% reliable. However, the audio matrix feature is absolutely indispensable. I can create customized routing for different situations. For example, I can route audio from Ableton to send to a general stereo mix for rehearsals while continuing to send click to its own channel, but can load a separate mix for show situations that utilizes all 16 outputs to send a complete mix to front of house. This avoids having to create multiple versions of the audio routing in Ableton, so it’s much safer not having to have multiple versions of the Ableton session floating around. At the moment, I’m using the MOTU 16A on the national tour of Finding Neverland. It’s worked brilliantly for us providing fantastic audio quality, flexible audio routing, and rock solid reliability.
Here is a look at the Ableton rack for the national tour of Finding Neverland, which uses the MOTU 16A audio interface:
And here is a front view of the same rig in the orchestra pit:
MOTU customer service
MOTU also provides some of the best customer support in the industry, which is absolutely essential when working under the tight deadlines of mounting a live theatrical production. The MOTU tech support team has always been there for me, even when traveling overseas. I’ve received quick responses to my queries even when dealing with multiple time zones and emailing back and forth from onsite in Germany, Australia, and Japan.
With a product to suit every possible need and budget, competitive pricing, top notch sound quality, rock solid reliability, and the industry’s best customer support, I see no reason to consider any MIDI or audio interfaces other than those offered by MOTU.
MOTU 828mk3 Hybrid Firewire Audio Interface
If you have any additional questions, feel free to contact me anytime at:
+1.917.338.7427