I am new at using software based MIDI creators and editors. In the old days I was using a Roland MC-50 Mk-II. Nowadays I use my BK-9's internal SMF creator. I also have Cakewalk Audio Pro 9, but that I couldn't use until just recently, when someone gave me an old laptop with Windows 7 on it.

Is anyone of you familiar with Cakewalk Pro 9?

I'm also interested what type of DAW's are you using?

I don't do a whole lot with MIDI. But I have made multi-track SMFs by playing my Roland INTO a Yamaha PSR-S910. The BK-9 by itself is serviceable, but I liked the color screen on the Yamaha better.

I never really came to grips with any DAW. Along with hardware considerations, it seems like the focus is on audio clips. I make too many mistakes for that, I want to be able to edit every note, so I'm inclined to stick with MIDI sequencers.

There are many videos on You Tube that show the differences between DAWs and what may be the easiest to use for you. (There is no one size fits all)
Most DAWs also have trial versions available so you can find one that suits you before purchase. (I've always liked Cubase)
If you are Mac user, then the free Garage band will probably be all that you need. (If you want a new computer and would like to get into Mac, then the new Mac Mini is fantastic value. (Just make sure you get the 512GB storage version)
When it comes to editing Midi (Or audio) there is no substitute for a big screen.

Bill

If you can’t upgrade the donated laptop past Windows 7, you need to be looking into what was current during its time.

I can only speak to my experience, but of all the sequencers/DAW’s I have used, I found Cubase the best at dealing with MIDI. Other DAW’s handled audio more conveniently for certain, and every DAW has something unique and possibly useful, but I found Cubase presented the MIDI in a visually clear system of editors.

Frequently used functions like selecting a specific range of pitches inside a specified window (position in the bar, velocity window or degree of proximity to the grid e.g.) were easy to accomplish. This makes tasks like evening out a backbeat snare or selecting ONLY notes a set distance away from perfect (and leaving those ‘close enough’ alone) to be quantized etc. a much faster task than say ProTools or Logic.

It also had the advantage of being cross platform, so if you wanted to migrate from Windows to MacOS (or Vice versa!) you didn’t have to learn a totally different DAW.

But that’s just me. Everybody has their own workflow that might be better served by Ableton Live, or Reaper or Fruity Loops or Logic etc..

If you like working with audio loops, or composing EDM tracker style music, or want to do acid house and trance, each style of composing has its own fans with favorite features. It’s not an easy choice, and the wrong one can easily cause frustration!

Take your time, do your research. An OS as old as Win7 may give you its own set of challenges trying to get old versions to authorize.

Best of luck!

Thank you for all your replies. For my needs, all would probably work fine. I'm mostly into ballroom music, 60's rock, slow beats, jazz standards and Latin music. Back in the 90's I was using my MC-50 MkII for creating backing tracks, but with the BK-9, I don't even bother with the MC-50 anymore.

Now that I got this Windows 7 laptop with a working Cakewalk Pro 9 on it, I connected the BK-9 to it, and it recognized it. So I said let's give it a try, but I was interested in what you are using.

I think I'm on the right track, I found a manual for the Cakewalk Pro9.

https://www.synthmanuals.com/manuals/cakewalk/pro_audio_9/users_guide/pro_audio_9_userguide.pdf

Don't connect to the internet in any way or form as Win 7 support finished donkeys years ago so there have been no security fixes or updates, thus leaving the machine vulnerable.
With an old laptop think about installing Linux Mint (There are plenty of free DAWs available for it) as it will give you security and peace of mind. (Make sure all the software you use is able to run on Linux, or has a Linux equivalent)
Note there are other versions of Linux Desktop if Mint is not to your liking. (Coming from Win 7 it should be ideal though)

Bill

That's very good advise thank you, I will never go on the internet with it, I'll use it as a stand alone computer. I had no intention in connecting it to the internet, this laptop with Windows 7 will only be used with my BK-9, and the two are a good match, so far they work together very well .

Linux Mint is nice, there is a MIDI program for Linux called Rosegarden, although it's kind of finicky to use, but there are others too, if you can make them to work, some of them shut down multiple times without any reason, they are not very stable.

That's why I like this Cakewalk 9, it's stable, logical and intuitive, plus at some point in time Cakewalk was owned by Roland from 2008 to 2013. It might be an old software, but if it works, who cares?

Maybe later I'll switch over to Cakewalk by Bandlab. I saw a video posted by Jeremy See an internet keyboard review-expert on how to get Cakewalk by Bandlab (I'll post a link below if you'd like to watch it) and also how to connect it to a cheap Yamaha E383 and EW310. Since I have a Yamaha EW-310 that I use around the camp fire (it has batteries) I gave it a try and it works. It might be a cheap Yamaha, the EW-310, but it has a feature that is missing from the BK-9, but it's also missing from the Genos 1 that costs a zillion times more, it has (believe it or not) a built in Audio Interface, so you can record audio and MIDI directly into the Cakewalk by Bandlab with only a USB cable.

Link to Jeremy See on how to get Cakewalk by Bandlab:
https://youtu.be/ldyAMCSRvC0?feature=shared


Although my worries with Cakewalk by Bandlab, is that what if one day it might not be free. Even now you have to log into there website once in a while, otherwise the program limits the tracks, or something like that. I like stuff that always work, and the passage of time shouldn't affect them, I'm just old fashioned.


I share this link to a tutorial about Cakewalk by Bandlab, for anyone that might be interested in it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ee75dABG...l=CreativeSauce

The only tutorial that I found on You Tube about Cakewalk Pro Audio 9 -> from Eric Christopher Mestre:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kw2W1psV...estre-EuropaMan

I think before you paint yourself into a corner (it’s difficult to break workflow habits once you spend significant time in any one ecosystem) it’s wise to network with others who are using other programs, and see if any of the others suit you better.

One thing I’m curious about is, if your donated laptop isn’t connected to the internet, what are you using to post here? A tablet might offer a more up to date DAW than an old Cakewalk version…