The Metric Halo ULN-8 mkIV is a precision USB audio interface and 8-channel A/D-D/A converter offering an advanced feature set and a hybrid DSP/FPGA processing system, and hosting a powerful software package that includes over 100 zero-latency plug-ins.
This lightweight low-power single-rack-space unit supplies 8 high-headroom microphone preamps along with 8 line inputs and 8 line outputs, all on DB25 connectors. The versatile interface offers a 128-channel, 64-bus mixer, supports resolutions of up to 192 kHz, and offers MIDI I/O along with MHLink networking and SCP computer linking, making it well suited for use as a core studio component for tracking, mixing, and mastering.
The updated mkIV version of the ULN-8 offers a warm, open, and very detailed musical sound and uses an integrated relay mute on the analog outputs to eliminate clicks and thumps when powering up and down. Fully calibrated analog I/O levels ensure that round trips through the converters maintain consistent levels, while the latency has been reduced from 116 samples down to approximately 18. The power consumption and heat generation has also been greatly reduced, allowing users to conserve energy.
- The ULN-8 mkIV is a multisource, multidestination, surround-capable (up to 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos) monitor controller with analog gain control and relay hard mutes.
- The unit uses a retina-enabled, 64-bit, cross-platform console application: MIO Console 3d.
- MIO Console provides the UI to control the mkIV Mixer. This mixing engine is a full blown mixing console, not a mere interface monitor mixer. It features multibus mixing, arbitrary routing, input and output multing, zero-latency hardware plug-ins, surround support, and headphone amp control.
- The mixer supports up to 128 channels and 64 buses at sample rates up to 192 kHz.
- Eight ULN-R preamps provide up to 90 dB of digitally controlled analog gain in precisely recallable 0.5 dB steps, along with independently switchable P48 phantom power.
- The USB class-compliant audio interface allows you to connect to any USB audio host (Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows 10+, or Linux) without having to install a driver.
- MHLink provides an ultralow-latency ultrahigh-bandwidth self-configuring audio and data backplane between multiple MH units as well as a native Gigabit Ethernet interface to the computer.
- In an MHLink system, the USB port on each mkIV unit provides a unique Satellite Computer Port (SCP) capability.
- SCP gives you the ability to patch a satellite computer with full routing into the mkIV Mixer. On multiple unit systems, all SCP ports are available simultaneously.
- Integrate software instruments, sample players, client computers, and mobile devices into your system without the need for additional interfaces or complicated clocking setups.
- Any channel in the MIO Mixer can be routed to any output, including outputs sent back to the host or to an SCP port.
- Route audio between apps or computers without any additional software or an additional complex routing model.
- The custom hybrid DSP/FPGA processing system provides massive amounts of processing and plenty of memory for high-precision, fixed-point mixing, crosspoint interpolation, metering, and routing, as well as flexible instantiable floating-point plug-in processing.
- Over 100 plug-ins are supplied including the entire Metric Halo Production Bundle and the +DSP Bundle with no additional license fees or complicated licensing tools.
- These bundles add enormous value to the package, with world-class plug-ins running at zero latency on the ULN-8 mkIV DSP for a wide variety of tracking and mixing applications.
- Detailed front-panel metering with control knobs makes it easy to see what your doing and quickly adjust gain settings.
- The ULN-8 mkIV supports a variety of control surfaces (Mackie, EuCon, iPad, and Tablet) giving you tactile remote control over mix, monitor, and recording.
- Store the full configuration of your multibox MHLink system into nonvolatile memory Boot States, so that the full configuration is automatically restored when the system powers on—without requiring a connection to the computer or MIO Console.
- Crosspoint routing and the ability to have all I/O ports simultaneously active enables you to use the ULN-8 mkIV as a flexible format converter.
- Boot states allow you to program and set the unit for standalone format conversion.
- Session is a complete tracking DAW that supports Live, Take-Based, and Overdub recording workflows.
- Always available and completely integrated with the hardware, it launches instantly as part of MIO Console, and it doesn't require any licenses or dongles.