The 896HD contains everything you need to turn your computer into a powerful 24-bit, 192kHz digital audio workstation. The 896HD provides 8 mic preamps, pristine 192kHz analog I/O, 8 channels of ADAT digital I/O and stereo AES/EBU. Expand your system by connecting additional 828 or 896 FireWire audio interfaces. The 896HD is equally well-suited for studio and stage, with or without a computer. As a computer interface, the 896HD provides 18 separate inputs and 22 outputs, including separate main outs and headphone out. You can add additional send/return loops using the 896HD’s new CueMix DSP™ on-board mixing feature, a flexible DSP-driven 18-input/8-bus mixing and monitoring matrix that eliminates the need for an external mixer or patchbay. Connect all of your studio gear, including microphones, guitars, synths, keyboards, drum machines and even effects processors. Then monitor all of these live inputs via the 896HD’s main outs, headphone jack or any other output — with virtually no monitoring latency and no processor drain on your computer.

Need to hit the road? Program the 896HD at the studio with the CueMix Console software and then take the 896HD on the road for mixing/monitoring without a computer. Bus levels can be adjusted without the computer by using the front panel Monitor Level knob. Back in the studio, 8 channels of ADAT optical digital I/O, plus stereo AES/EBU, make the 896HD an ideal companion for a digital mixer. All digital I/O connections support standard sample rates up to 96kHz. The 896HD provides cross-platform compatibility with Mac OS 9, Mac OS X (version 10.2 or later) , Windows Me/2000/XP and all of your favorite audio software and host-based effects via WDM/ASIO/Core Audio/Sound Manager drivers. Or you can use the included AudioDesk workstation software for Macintosh, with 24-bit recording/editing and 32-bit mixing/processing/mastering.