I noticed that in all the discussion of audio on the site, experienced people have frequently covered inexpensive mics and recorders, and occasionally covered more expensive mics and software - but we have not often covered the audio interfaces used in project studios and professional audio environments.

Audio interfaces, pres and converters determine how your sound both gets recorded and how you hear it when it plays back.

Since we have a lot of experienced audio people here, I would like to open the floor to discussing some of the options and pros and cons of different options.

I'll list some of them below.

Note the interface (Firewire, PCI, USB 2.0, etc.) required and see whether it is compatible with your current hardware as well as portable to other systems. USB options tend to be compatible with the widest range while Firewire is the most popular type used in professional audio interfaces for the last decade.

USB 3.0 options would be great (greatly exceeding the bandwidth of the Firewire flavors supported on the audio interfaces listed so far on paper) but the audio interface manufacturers have not readily embraced it.

Thunderbolt deserves special discussion. Thunderbolt has massive bandwidth and some computers feature it instead of Firewire. There are accessories you can buy to connect Firewire devices to your Thunderbolt port, so don't rule Firewire interfaces out just because you have a Thunderbolt computer.

For a discussion of the even higher-end gear, check http://personal-view.com/talks/discussion/4816/entry-level-professional-audio-interfacesrecorders-pres-and-converters-for-studio

Audio interfaces, pres and converters determine how your sound both gets recorded and how you hear it when it plays back.

Since we have a lot of experienced audio people here, I would like to open the floor to discussing some of the options and pros and cons of different options.

I'll list some of them below.

This is for the higher end ones.

Note the interface (Firewire, PCI, USB 2.0, etc.) required and see whether it is compatible with your current hardware as well as portable to other systems. USB options tend to be compatible with the widest range while Firewire is the most popular type used in professional audio interfaces for the last decade.

USB 3.0 options would be great (greatly exceeding the bandwidth of the Firewire flavors supported on the audio interfaces listed so far on paper) but the audio interface manufacturers have not readily embraced it.

Thunderbolt deserves special discussion. Thunderbolt has massive bandwidth and some computers feature it instead of Firewire. There are accessories you can buy to connect Firewire devices to your Thunderbolt port, so don't rule Firewire interfaces out just because you have a Thunderbolt computer.

Firewire cards can also be purchased for PCI and PCI-e systems, so if you have a desktop, there is a good chance you can use a Firewire interface. When buying a Firewire card, try to get one with a Texas Instrument chipset - these are the most widely compatible.

Note that some Firewire interfaces can be powered by the computer connection, while others require AC power. Few laptops provide enough power to run a Firewire device off this alone, but some do. Look for a full-size 6-pin connector as opposed to a 4-pin one if this your intent.

If you have concerns about the compatibility between your system and your audio interface, you can buy pre-built audio certified computers (with or without your chosen interface) from any of the following (as well as may others).

http://advanceddesignky.com/ http://www.studiocat.com http://www.musicxpc.com/index.php http://www.pcaudiolabs.com/ http://raincomputers.com/