Cakewalk 2.0 from 1992 * Note - this version of cakewalk will not work on any OS after XP.
Running on a Sony Vaio laptop XP 2002, service pack 3, intel 1.86 GHz. 2 GB RAM, 88 GB hard drive.
Comes with USB to MIDI IN and MIDI OUT connector cable.
Why is this the best?
1. It is easy to use. Too easy.
2. With most DAWs out there, you get bogged down with the technical aspects and then all your creativity is gone.
3. It is super easy to get up and running and creative.
4. It's not a DAW. It's just a sequencer. You can save your sequences and import them into other programs.
5. It's got no Ai in it. So what you compose is your original creation!
I also have tons of MIDI files downloaded of 80s songs that have cool synth lines. So you can load them up, look at the piano roll scene, and learn to play them without knowing how to read music. I may even have a copy of the manual, too!
I used this to compose with both a General MIDI synth and a bunch of analog synths. I have been using this method since the mid-1990s!!!!