ES-8

Expert Sleepers 8HP
I/O MIDI UTILITY

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USB 2.0 DC-coupled Eurorack audio interface with four analog inputs, eight analog outputs, ADAT I/O, and ES-5 / ES-6 expansion headers.

Patch Ideas · 5

★ DAW multitrack capture
four modular sources into IN 1-4 · record each channel in the DAW · ES-8 keeps the capture DC-coupled so CV or audio can be archived without extra conversion.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 6 modules and 5 connections. Modules: ES-8, DAW, Source 1, Source 2, Source 3, Source 4. Signals: 5 audio.ES-8DAWSource 1Source 2Source 3Source 4USB mode: captureANALOG IN 1audioANALOG IN 2audioANALOG IN 3audioANALOG IN 4audioUSB OUTaudioTracksaudioOutaudioOutaudioOutaudioOutaudioaudio
★ DAW CV sequencer
DAW pitch lanes to OUT 1-4 · VCO 1V/oct and filter cutoff under computer control · clock and gates stay sample-accurate to the session timeline.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 6 modules and 6 connections. Modules: ES-8, DAW, VCO, Filter, Envelope, Output. Signals: 3 audio, 1 cv, 1 pitch, 1 gate.ES-8DAWVCOFilterEnvelopeOutputUSB mode: CV outputUSB INaudioANALOG OUT 11v/octANALOG OUT 2cvANALOG OUT 3gatePitchaudioV/Oct1v/octOutaudioCutoffcvInaudioOutaudioTriggateInaudioaudiocvpitchgate
Standalone ADAT bridge
ADAT interface carries modular audio to another converter · no USB host required · useful when the ES-8 is acting as a front-end for a larger studio rig.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 3 modules and 3 connections. Modules: ES-8, Audio Interface, Output. Signals: 3 audio.ES-8Audio InterfaceOutputStandalone mode: ADAT bridgeADAT INaudioANALOG OUT 1audioANALOG OUT 2audioADAT OutaudioLaudioRaudioaudio
ES-5 gate rack
ES-5 header drives gate expanders from the same interface instance · one DAW session can run drums, clock pulses and reset logic across many modules.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 6 modules and 5 connections. Modules: ES-8, ES-5, Drum, Clock, Envelope, DAW. Signals: 2 audio, 2 trigger, 1 clock.ES-8ES-5DrumClockEnvelopeDAWES-5 header: connectedUSB INaudioES-5 headeraudioInaudioGate 1trigGate 2clkGate 3trigTrigtrigResetclkTrigtrigGateaudioaudiotriggerclock
★ Hybrid send and return
modular source into IN 1-2 · DAW reverb/compressor on USB return · processed audio back to OUT 7-8 · the ES-8 behaves like a low-latency insert point for a Eurorack voice.
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 4 modules and 6 connections. Modules: ES-8, Source, DAW, Output. Signals: 6 audio.ES-8SourceDAWOutputUSB mode: insert loopANALOG IN 1audioANALOG IN 2audioUSB INaudioUSB OUTaudioANALOG OUT 7audioANALOG OUT 8audioLaudioRaudioPlugin InaudioPlugin OutaudioLaudioRaudioaudio

Behaviors

USB interface mode USB host connection

The ES-8 presents as a class-compliant USB 2.0 interface and streams 4 inputs, 8 outputs and ADAT I/O to a computer or iOS host.

Standalone ADAT converter no USB host connected

Without a USB connection, the module works as an ADAT-to-audio converter for another ADAT-equipped interface.

Clock sync to ADAT sync input ADAT signal

The internal clock can run freely or lock to the incoming ADAT stream.

ES-5 / ES-6 expansion rear expansion headers

The ES-5 header drives gate and MIDI expansion chains, while the ES-6 header adds extra input expansion to the interface.

DC-coupled modulation path route CV through the interface

All analog ins and outs are DC-coupled, so the ES-8 passes modulation, pitch and audio without AC blocking.

Host status LEDs front panel LEDs

The top LED indicates USB host connection; the bottom LED indicates that the PLL has locked and a valid audio clock is present.

Controls

I/O

IN · 5

  • ANALOG IN 1-4 approximately ±10V CV
    Four DC-coupled 3.5 mm audio/CV inputs.
  • ADAT IN 24-bit · 44.1/48/88.2/96 kHz CLK
    Optical ADAT input for standalone conversion or host clock sync.
  • USB-C CV
    Class-compliant USB 2.0 host connection for audio and CV streaming.
  • ES-5 header GATE
    Rear expansion header for ES-5 and downstream gate/CV/MIDI expanders.
  • ES-6 header
    Rear expansion header for ES-6 input expansion.

OUT · 2

  • ANALOG OUT 1-8 approximately ±10V CV
    Eight DC-coupled 3.5 mm outputs for audio or CV.
  • ADAT OUT AUDIO
    Optical ADAT output for eight channels of digital audio.