Hi, My old cakewalk UA-25EX has died due to windows 10 and drivers, I have given up trying to bring it back to life and wonder if the community can recommend a good replacement audio interface (if needed I don't mind spending a little extra to have an improved model) I do not have a sound card in the PC but it is a bit of a beast to support my VR projects, in case that is a factor. I need midi for my hardware synths but not a large number and obviously need the sound generation for soft synths. Thanks in advance.

I can only recommend based on my experience. I bought a Roland Studio capture quite a few years ago.
 
It had very good reviews and at the time cakewalk was owned by Roland so it seemed like a good choice.
 
It has been excellent, no problems whatsoever it a;lso works without issue with everything else I have tried it with. Ableton live, pro tools. There are a number of interfaces with differing capabilities in this range.

Presonus or Steinberg both have good alternatives and your probably going to need their software one day.

Roland Quadcapture works fine, too - if the Studio capture would be a little bit oversized for you. If you use the cheap cables, pull and plug them sometimes to avoid hiss. Plug-/contact-Oxidation is evil sometimes ;-)
 

Hi!
 
I can recommend "ANTELOPE AUDIO" professional audio interfaces. Of course it very pricy and not recommended if you have a budget but it sounds fantastic. If you consider what you get, then it very cheap and have the best stable clocking on the market.
 
 

ANTELOPE AUDIO

Digital clarity / Analog warmth

Antelope Audio has packed more than 20 years of experience in digital audio clocking, conversion and analog circuit design. We are dedicated to helping people achieve high-definition sound both in the recording studio and home environment.
Our 20 years in the industry brought us to the development of our 4th generation of Acoustically Focused Clocking (AFC) jitter management algorithm, responsible for our flawless clocking. You probably know it from Antelope’s signature crystal-based master clocks, that clock even our competitors products.





 
Best Regards
Freddie

I can concur, my friend has an antelope interface and it is superb, albeit pricey.

Presonus or RME devices are great. Not the cheapest but great audio.

RME have great stuff. I have a Fireface 800 since about a decade now. RME still keep updating the drivers for it. Great company.

The best bang for the buck, quality to price is the Focusrite Scarlett line.
You can get a new Scarlett 214 second gen for 150.00 US dollars.
They are very good about keeping their drivers up to date.

Indeed - The Focusrite devices are great. Personally I do not like USB devices very much, because a lot of the cheaper ones have a high latency (and crackling and popping when you try to go lower), but the Focusrite ones are very decent. Make sure you have the latest generation tough, because the older(1.1) versions have some USB problems.
 
Personally I like firewire devices better. I still use an old MOTU Traveler (yes - first gen) with a TI interface under Windows 8.1, and it has a real low latency while it's rock steady. The MOTU interfaces are not the cheapest (although cheaper than RME), but have a real high quality. That said - This are, of course, my personal experiences.