This is a basic and affordable workhorse that is a smart option for the project musician or producer who doesn't want to pay for a lot of unnecessary features. You get two RCA inputs, two RCA outputs, one MIDI in, one MIDI out and an S/PDIF input/output. That's a fairly basic setup, but with solid driver software and high-quality digital audio converters (DAC), it's basically all you need. This card has been around for a while, and is configured to work with just about any software or computer setup.
If you'll be doing any multi-track recording, check out this USB interface from Tascam. You get high-quality DACs just like with the Audiophile, but this box has eight inputs and six outputs. Of course, those extra inp ut/outputchannels bump up the price somewhat, but you can purchase this unit for less than $300 as of 2010. Of those eight inputs, six are XLR/microphone inputs, each with its own phantom power for powering condenser mics.
This interface has eight inputs and eight outputs, similar to the US-800, but is PCI-based instead of USB, similar to the Audiophile. The unit interfaces via PCI, which makes it extremely fast, but it has a break-out box that connects to the PCI card with a 15-foot cable, which makes it convenient. Of the eight inputs, two are XLR/microphone inputs. Not only do the mic inputs have phantom power for condenser mics, they also have their own preamps. This retails for about $600 as of 2010.
This is capable of recording 96 tracks simultaneously at 96kHz. This card is designed for elaborate setups with digital mixers, but it can fill the needs of smaller, mixer-less studios as well. Included is a PCI-24 card with a CueMix DSP, which connects all your outboard synthesizers and effects processors without having to use a mixer or patchbay. Not only can this card be used to control all your studio equipment from your computer, it can also slave all those devices to SMPTE timecode, which makes it much easier to synchronize instruments to each other.