Hi guys, years sinse i've been here LOL.
 
I bought into m-audio with a couple interfaces for the sake of PT M Powered i was curious about when it came out. Hardly use it ....sonar for life. I'm sure i don't have to ramble about the evils of Avid drivers and m-audio gear .....geez, they were such a great company before Avid got them. ......time to move on ....
 
I'm not doing alot of recording so i'm not gonna spend a great deal. I've looking at the Focusrite Scarlett 18i  .....maybe an presonus audiobox  one or even that inexpensive tascam one that been out for a while. 
 
I'm USB ...no firewire. Windows 7, 64 bit, dual 2ghz
 
What's working for you guys .....my needs are simple ...i like enough ins to mic a drum kit. Cakewalk UA-101 looks like a good rig too ...

The newer Roland products are full-featured, reasonably priced and seem to be well-liked around here.
 
If miking a drum kit is a prerequisite, I'd be looking at interfaces that feature 8 mic inputs with XLR connectors on the back panel. (The Roland octa-capture has 4 on the front and 4 on the rear, a nice compromise between ease of connections and cable tidiness.) The UA-101 has only 2 channels so the only way you'd mike a drum kit would be by pre-mixing everything using an outboard mixer.
 
I have to say, though, that if I were forced to replace my aged MOTU, I'd most likely be getting an RME product. I just like the company's proactive attitude and reputation for solid drivers.

Thanks Bit .....yeah i've never had an interface with 8 pres before so i always kept a couple cheap tube pres around for those 1/4 inch ones .....if i can get at least 4 mic pres for kick, snare, and over heads and do the toms with my tube pres i'm cool ....but yes 8 would be the easiest. 

I have the Focusrite Scarlett 18i6 and found it to be great for sound, has an easy to understand and use software component and the unit itself has a lot going for it in terms of inputs and outputs.

I have two of them in fact. One wired up with all my connections to gear in my main studio area, and one is my portable one for my laptop that I just carry around when I'm not in the studio.

I've been using the UA 101 for a couple of years now and it has been great. Easy to use, pretty decent sounding preamps, and lots of ins/outs.
 
Bluesguy.

The best bargain for 8 mike pres. is the Tascam us1800. It has 14 total analog inputs plus SPDIF and MIDI. Good monitoring control too. 
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/tascam-us-1800-usb-2.0-audio-midi-interface
 
It's only negative point would be it's drivers don't allow for any low round trip latency stuff. That has never got in the way of the way I work. The pre's are above average especially at this price point. It's made out of steel and is pretty solid. I also like the fact it uses AC power which to me is a must have for phantom power via a snake.  I had a plastic M audio box and it was a piece of cheap junk, it crashed a lot and even with the wall wart the phantom power didn't work through a 150' snake.  

thanks guys ....Cactus ...you mean you can't get low latency with a guitar sim app? i don't use em. The Tascam does have hardware direct monitoring? like if i plug my pod in there is no latency?

yes exactly, no latency if you monitor from the Tascam, but I get about 7-10 ms if I listen to the my guitar after it's run through Sonar,,, so I just don't. 
 
I like the monitoring controls this unit has, some interfaces are sorely lacking in control. The main "monitor" control is the volume for your near fields. It does not effect the 1/2 or 3/4 or headphone output. Then there is a blend that puts the input and computer playback in balance via both monitor output or headphone. Then a headphone control so you can quickly set up for different tracking scenarios. 

Not sure what Cactus Music means by only 2 outs on the UA-101, there are 2 on the front as well as 8 ins on the back, and 8 outs on the back as well. You do need a mixer/pa to power the 8 on the back though. I don't have any experience with any other interfaces so I can't say much about the others. Just wanted to clarify the 101.

update ....i got the Tascam 1800 ....Long n McQuade had 20 used in there system ....pretty good rig for $150. Only draw back is i have to disable the wireless for smooth audio ....from anything, itunes, WMP, Sonar. Prolly time for a new laptop ....
 
Thanks for the help!