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Steinberg's MR816 CSX on show at the Frankfurt Musikmesse 08

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Steinberg is certainly having a busy Messe, for as well as launching its CC121 Cubase controller, it’s also announced that it has two FireWire audio interfaces in the works. Nothing amazing about that, you might think – there are loads of FireWire audio interfaces on the market already – but bear in mind that these are designed to integrate seamlessly with Cubase 4 and come with onboard DSP.

Created in collaboration with Yamaha, the MR816 CSX and MR816 X offer eight mic preamps and boast XLR/TRS combo inputs. ADAT and S/PDIF I/O is on offer, too.

Both interfaces contain the REV-X reverb, while the CSX also has the Sweet Spot Morphing channel strip. Up to eight of these strips can be used, with each one offering compression and EQ.

The MR816 CSX and MR816 X are fully compatible with Cubase 4’s Control Room, too, and support independent studio mixes.

Steinberg is keen to point out that these interfaces are completely plug and play. Just attach one, fire up Cubase and you’re ready to go. And, of course, the fact that they contain their own DSP should mean that you can free up some of your precious system resources. You can also use the interface with DAWs other than Cubase, although obviously there won't be the same level of software integration of the MR816's functions.

There’s no news on prices as yet, but Steinberg thinks that it’ll have the MR816 CSX and MR816 X ready to ship by the third quarter of 2008. You can monitor developments on the Steinberg website.

Video: Steinberg demonstrates the MR816 CSX interface to us at Frankfurt Musikmesse 08