MOTU Stage-B16 16-Input AVB Stage Box, Mixer and USB Audio Interface

The Stage-B16 is three boxes in one: a sixteen-input stage box that runs its snake over AVB Ethernet, a DSP-equipped 48-input, 12-bus digital mixer, and a universally compatible USB audio interface for Mac and Windows. The sixteen mic preamps measure 117 dB dynamic range and the eight XLR analog outputs deliver 123 dB, performance normally reserved for studio interfaces rather than road boxes.

Preamp gain is set digitally in 1 dB increments from a web app running on a laptop, tablet or phone, and gain settings can be stored and recalled, so a front-of-house engineer trims the stage from the console position rather than walking the deck. Operation runs to 192 kHz. Because the control surface is served by the hardware itself, no computer needs to stay connected once the mix is set.