I've decided that I'm going to buy Sonar X3 Producer and switch my studio over to a virtual board studio, with a touch screen monitor. My problem is which interface to get. My needs are simple, which is the ability to record 16 channels simultaneously, 8 XLR mic in's (4 are condenser mics), and 8 line-ins. My research has taken me to: M-Audio Profire, RME Fireface 800, Tascam, Konnekt and others. I still don't know which to buy. Any tips I can get would be most helpful. Could I get away with 12 ins? Maybe for a time, but eventually I'll need the additional in's (some solutions require 2 units). Thanks very much. 

I use the profire 2626 with the M-Audio Octane via ADAT for 16 ins.
It is a great setup, but my eyes are starting to wander.  
Truth be told, all the pres sound great.  A little "low", maybe.
The software mixer is everything i need:  
I use real time monitoring with reverb on an aux (spdif channels) so i can record it OR just use it for "wetter" monitoring of vox
two unique headphone mixes (more possible, but not easy with my infrastructure)
i often record from more than 12 channels and I've never had a hiccup.
 
 

Thanks, James.....why do you need ADAT? It that how you get from 12 to 16 ins? (I don't have the Sonar product yet, so I assume 'spdif' channels are just a way to set up a monitor bus). I have a headphone amp I can engage when I have more than 2 musicians recording. 
What has your wandering eye been looking at? 
Bruce

SPDIF is a stereo digital in/out format like optical but uses RCA conections. ADAT is a multi channel  digital connection. To use these you need the equipment that has these connection. 
You might want to look into some of the new digital multi track mixing boards like the X32 or the Q mix. 
On a simple level I own the Tascam us1641 which now has updated model  is the US 16x08. It has 8 XLR and 8 line inputs. so 16 tracks of audio in one pass. It is still only $300 and works perfectly for live recording. The drivers are reported to work good with Sonar as the 2 company's are now affiliated. 
 
http://www.bhphotovideo.c...io_midi_interface.html

Johnny, Thanks, man....that really seems like a good product for my needs. It's very economical, too. I hope that doesn't mean I'll be sacrificing and audio quality.
I'm trying to migrate away from mechanical boards. It's a little bit daunting for a 62 year old dude, knowing I have to learn how to operate new software and all. But I've done it before with Akai and Roland platforms.
I started out with an analog 8 track (Otari 1/2") and a Tascam M50 board with a bunch of rack effects, a big stereo spring reverb and was mixing down to a Studer-Revox half-track, so I find this digital world unbelievably cool.
And no more worrying about bad connections or wires that are shorting and making noise. It's awesome. 
Thanks a bunch!

The 2626 has 8 xlr/line ins and outs, midi in and out, and spdif in and out (stereo).
adat boosts that up to 16, and 24 audio inputs.  All through a single firewire connection to your pc.
 
my eyes are wandering towards some of the new usb interfaces such as this:  
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ZenStudio?adpos=1o1&creative=55225946401&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=CjwKEAiAt4mlBRDXwt_m9ICU4DcSJAAS_X0WAbpCwu485Lnmxdq186dAqcpegY_qXlEoBdOqTq-npBoCVbLw_wcB
 
pricey, but I think this is where things are currently headed.
That being said, my current setup has me quite happy.  I wont be rushing into any large purchases soon. 
The quality of your recording will depend on your mics, pre amps, instruments, mixing skills,and performances.
Even cheap interfaces sound great these days!

James....I checked the link. Nice toy, but too pricey for me. I agree on the final output being more dependent on skill, content, etc. The Tascam is out of stock for a month or so, so I have time to decide. In the meantime, I'll get the other components in place. Thanks very much for taking the time to share....Bruce

Have a look at the current Focusrite range.

Astrumur
My research has taken me to: M-Audio Profire, RME Fireface 800, Tascam, Konnekt and others.

It really comes down to (a) the quality you need and (b) how much you want to spend.
 
RME are very good and have excellent low-latency ASIO drivers (I would say that I suppose seeing as I've got one), but are not exactly cheap. I have a Fireface UFX (connected by USB, not firewire) plus a Focusrite Octopre linked to it by ADAT which gives me 8 "pure" line ins on the RME and 12 XLR/line inputs split between the UFX and Octopre plus far more outputs than I know what to do with.
 
What I would suggest is being wary of firewire interfaces on PCs. They are very sensitive to which firewire chip is at the PC end and there may be driver issues as well. To complicate matters further many USB interfaces won't work properly if attached to a USB3 socket on the PC - they need a USB2 socket to work. As USB2 is likely to disappear from PCs before too long (there are already laptops with only USB3) it's worth checking any interface you choose is USB3 compatible.
 
The other thing to check is how good the manufacturer is at providing up to date drivers - a new version of WIndows can make your interface obselete without good driver support. Personally, I've seen M-Audio ignore new versions of Windows for months (or even years) far too often to want to give them any more of my money.

Thanks, Bristol-Jonesy, I'll check them out. And tlw, this is the kind of info that is really helpful, thanks. I will be using Windows, so this is critical. The good news is, I haven't bought the PC yet. I'm not going to use my current PC, but rather keep is as just a 'home computer'. It doesn't meet the system requirements of Sonar. Thanks to you, I'll be cognizant of the USB thing. I see you have 16GB of RAM. Is that to cover other things you do on your PC, or is that due to your recording needs? I was going to get 8GB of RAM. 
I still don't fully understand why some users have ADAT as well as Sonar. Is i because they are integrating their old system with Sonar? My plan was to buy the PC, the interface, a touchscreen monitor and the Sonar software and be done. 
You people have been great, thanks so much. I've enjoyed being part of the VS users group for the past several years, also populated with friendly and forthcoming users. I'll keep my Roland 2480DVD as a portable recording platform, because it's great for that. I bought the road case when I got the machine. 
Now, back to looking at interfaces!