Hi all - I may be in the market for a new audio interface (my current one is pretty old - although it is very good quality).
My goal is to capture high-quality mic'ed audio into Sonar X3.
Recommendations?

How many mics at once? That info will significantly affect recommendations as well as price of course.
 
For 16 - 24 I can highly recommend the Allen & Heath ZED-R16 but that is also a full blown mixer which might be overkill depending on your setup and needs.

TASCAM's UH-7000 has fabulous audio specs and mic pres. Downside: Only two mic inputs, no guitar DI, costs about $600. Interestingly there's a five-star review on the Sweetwater product page that specifically mentions using it with Sonar X3 Producer.

I picked up a RME FireFace UFX and am absolutely loving it. Previously I had a. RME FireFace 800 which was great too.

I honestly can't think of anything better (bang for the buck) than the RME FireFace UFX.

I can... Focusrite Forte... Exquisite, less money...mic pres are heavenly...

Very happy with Motu Ultralite - clean, easy to use, rugged, portable.

Wow! Lotsa choices - thanks for the suggestions.

Focusrite definitely makes some nice mic pres.
 
Scott

--
Scott R. Garrigus - http://garrigus.com - SONAR X3 Power! - http://garrigus.com/?SonarX3Power
* Author of the Cakewalk Sonar and Sony Sound Forge Power book series: http://garrigus.com/?PowerBooks
* Author of the Cakewalk Sonar ProAudioTutor video tutorial series: http://garrigus.com/?ProAudioTutor
* Publisher of the DigiFreq free music technology newsletter: http://www.digifreq.com/
* Publisher of the NewTechReview free consumer technology newsletter: http://www.newtechreview.com/

 Are there any brand name audio interfaces currently sold with bad drivers and poor quality mic pres?
  I can recommend the Focusrite Pro 40 because I have one and it works good. 
  I bet if I had a Personus or Tascam, I could do the same. 
  I moved to Focusrite from an E-Mu 1820m do to a lack of current driver support.
  The biggest thing that I miss from the E-Mu is the on-board effects. It was easy to set up a comfort reverb for a singers headphones at low latency. 
   That may be something that you want to consider.
 

Vastman
I can... Focusrite Forte... Exquisite, less money...mic pres are heavenly...

I am not sure that comparing the Focusrite Forte and the FireFace UFX is the right thing to do. They appear to be completely different interfaces meant for different use. Have you seen the feature set on the UFX? I am sure the Pres on the Forte are excellent, but I think bang for the buck, the number of ins and outs, and overall feature set would weigh in favor of the UFX. Just an opinion as I have not had personal experience with the Forte. But the UFX has delivered solidly for my very demanding commercial clients and has not let me down.
 
I record live acoustic drum sets along with real amps all at the same time so for me, I need a lot of ins and outs. The UFX has been a dream, handing all that with no problem, allowing me to send independent headphone mixes to each musician while I monitor my own unique mix. I am unaware if the Forte has that capability.