MOTU M2 Reviews

Did not expected a huge difference

I was shocket by the sound and build quality. A big step forward.

Big Sur and M1 compatible

Excellent converters and sturdy build.

It requires an extra step to work on macOS Big Sur, but after that it gets recognised by the Mac and any DAWs as expected.

All I need for my guitars

The preamps in this unit are quiet. I have upgraded from another brand that is widely recommended when people are buying their first interface. This will stay with me forever.

Very happy with the purchase

Works correctly and design-wise looks great. It is easy to use and thanks to various metal parts feels quality too. I used it with my beyerdynamic dt 880 and it improved the overall volume output in the headphones, they are no longer too quiet. A small, nice to have feature that I feel is missing from Motu M2 is pan control.

Sturdy

Sturdy, stylish, minimum latency, very good performance, and modern USB-C connection (especially handy for mac users). Almost ideal interface for those who don't need more than two input channels.

Highly recommend

Compared this my previous interfaces which were M-Audio Fast track as well as Presonus, this one is only slightly more expensive but absolutely fantastic for the price point. I recently got this interface along with an Aston Origin mic and the sound is stunning, especially for what I would consider to be very affordable equipment. I would recommend this interface to anyone doing home recording for sure.

Best in class "Value for money"

I picked this audio interface for recording virtual instruments while listening to audio mix in real-time. Can output to high resistance headphones and has amazing studio grade pre-amplifiers for condenser microphones available in way more expensive hardware. I like on/off hardware switch and the visual indicator (display) for input and output levels. I like everything about this device. The price is best in class if you consider what you get for it. For real-time low latency monitoring I need to increase buffer to 2048 and calibrate latency in DAW (Ableton Live).

Replaced Scarlett 2i2 mk2

The upgrade of DAC/Amp was probably the biggest surprise. I couldn't believe the warmth compared to minutes prior. need a 2tk? get this

Excellent entry level usb interface

This is the first usb interface I purchased. I chose it after reading many reviews. This seems to be priced slightly above the competition of under 200 euros interfaces but this is an absolute winner. Super low noise, great product quality, very good DAC for its category and the front screen is very useful. On/off switch, separate 48v switch for each input channel, great dials and usb type c! I would recommend it!

A great entry level audio interface

A friend had bought me this interface as a birthday gift. I didn't own any sound card much better than PC motherboard integrated one. For me this one is a league apart -- headphones amp crystal clear, capable of driving 250 Ohm headphones -- no more background noise, no idle hiss in my ears.

Also tried it with 2 different microphones, a dynamic Rode Podmic and a large diaphragm condenser Audio Technica AT2035: this interface's pre-amp had enough "juice" to boost Podmic's signal to a comfortable level without becoming very noisy, had to crank the gain to about 90%, AT2035 fares much easier gain-wise: 50% level is loud and clear and crisp. Visual eq meters are quite useful to understand whether I'm about to make the mic clip.

Can't say anything about MIDI I/O or balanced output quality as I don't own any hardware to test it.

But all in all it's a great interface worth every penny of its price. If it has any cons, I didn't find any just yet.

easy!

This is soooo easy to use. And it works absolutely perfectly. I highly recommend this one!!

Very good quality

Very nice quality and the whole sound that produce is so much clean and good!

Great little sound interface

I use the Motu M2 as a replacement for my Tascam us 16x08 which started to loose quality in the headphone amp (left and right channels aren't exactly at the same level anymore). As I am currently working solely on my headphones, my main concern was the headphone amp. As many tests show, this interface has an incredible amp. Power over USB means it can be taken on the road easily, which is another plus.

I use this interface in two setups: one on my main computer with the DAW configured to receive inputs from the Tascam 16x08 and to output to the Motu M2, this works great (with protools).

I also use the M2 on my macbook pro 2017 and this is where things get weird... Sometimes when I turn off the interface, the macbook's touchbar turns off as well and won't boot back up. When trying to reboot the computer, it just hangs and I have to force it. This is not a major issue but it is still very annoying.

Absolutely excellent product

frame, inserts, lcd screen, midi in/out everything excellent in quality and condition.

price a bit high but you take it back in quality.

Best micro interface

Good clean sound even without driver on OsX.

A must have for the musician on the go.

The dream for a home studio

This is absolutely perfect. Plug and play with no hassle. The license for Ableton Live 10 Lite is a great plus. I will use it for recording voice-overs, lectures and homemade music.

The sound is absolutely brilliant with the promised incredibly small latency. Strong enough to power my Rode Procaster, which is a pretty quiet dynamic mic (with about 70% gain and thus acceptable noise levels). Could not be any happier!

Great for the price

The MOTU is great because it's a bit higher-end than the scarlet and is easier to use also feels a lot sturdier.

Damaged

Unfortunately the product doesn't work properly. I've sent it back so they can replace for a new one. Despite this, I have no complains with the quality of this product. Well designed, enough power and quality for my needs.

Amazing DAC!

Coming from a Behringer 404hd and this blows it out of the water. The preamps are silent, headphone jack silent and best of all the DAC sounds amazing. Bass is very well reproduced and the soundstage is excellent. Things sound like they are in 3D and I hear details I have never heard before with the 404hd. Absolutely worth every single penny.

The only thing I wish is that the LED's showing the output match the volume of the output. in other words, turning the volume knob up does nothing to change the LED output which I find a bit odd.

FYI - installing the additional Motu drivers on macos (mojave at time of writing) will enable the volume up/down keys to work

The very best

After reading reviews, watching videos and listening to examples online I decided to buy this unit. Absolutely couldn't be happier. Blows all the competition out of the water at this price range. Definite buy this, you will not be disappointed.