Another vote here for my past favourite Roland/Cakewalk/Edirol UA25EX which lasted me for many years and was still in full working order when I sold it.
I'm currently using the rack mountable Focusrite 18i20 as I liked the extra inputs and outputs. The Focusrite audio interface was not as easy to understand and set up as the UA25 but once done the results are excellent.

What I would say is to consider carefully what you want out of the system and make sure the manufacturer of the audio interface has a good reputation for supporting and updating the drivers before making any decisions.

I have been interested in recording for almost 50 years now and gone through the whole analog>digital process using Cassette based multitrackers, Fostex M80 Fostex E16 tape based and Fostex D2424 digital recorders but the quality and scope of the new audio interfaces and DAWs and the ability to edit tracks and apply VST effects is stunning.

For those starting out (and on a tight budget) I would still recommend the Roland USB interfaces. The UA range can still be found reasonably cheap on eBay. For more inputs try their Quad or Octo interfaces.
They have a great range of facilities for the price.

BIAB 2022 PLUSPAK (ext HD), 49PAKs, STYLESPAKs 1 - 6, Win 7 64bit PC, REAPER, Ozone, Adobe Audition CS6, EZ Drummer3 + EZ Keys,Soundcraft MTK22, Behringer X Touch Universal Controller,, SE Gemini/Rode NT2/Neumann/Shure mics