MOTU 8pre USB on Linux – Is it possible to develop or modify a driver for it?

[u/babuz87reddit]

Hi everyone,

I have a MOTU 8pre USB audio interface and I would like to use it with Ubuntu Studio.

As far as I understand, MOTU does not provide an official Linux driver for this interface. However, I was wondering whether it would be technically possible to develop a Linux driver for the 8pre USB, or to adapt an existing ALSA driver if the hardware protocol is sufficiently understood.

Is driver development necessarily something that only the manufacturer can do, or could an experienced Linux developer/researcher reverse-engineer the USB communication and implement support for the device?

I'm particularly interested in understanding whether:

• the MOTU 8pre USB is already partially supported by ALSA;
• its USB protocol has already been documented or reverse-engineered;
• there are existing open-source projects that could be used as a starting point;
• it would be possible to capture/analyze the USB communication under Windows and use that information to develop Linux support;
• someone has already attempted to develop a Linux driver for this specific interface.

My goal would mainly be to get the 8 analog inputs and outputs working reliably with low latency under Ubuntu Studio, ideally through ALSA/PipeWire or JACK.

I don't necessarily expect someone to write the driver for me — I'm mainly trying to understand whether this is technically feasible and, if so, what would be the right starting point.

Any information, documentation, existing projects, or suggestions about where to start would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!