MIDI FREEWARE? for a Newbie

[Michaelyu5]

Greetings.....I've been posting on here for a while (took a little time off for a 7 month 'get away' in Iraq, worst vacation I ever had) and I'm back. I write and play songs on an accoustic. I am interested in using MIDI to add more instruments to the songs I have written. I am trying to create a rough sound to just build on the stuff I have already written. Once I have an idea of how it all will sound, Ill go to a real studio and give them a copy of what I did at home to hopefully help with making a decent demo. I am getting a M-Audio Radium 61 keyboard soon but am wondering if there are any MIDI freeware programs out there where I can play around to learn the ropes before I drop the cash on a quality program. Here's what I have currently:

-i Mac G3

-Audacity freeware (have Cubasis VST but its an older version and doesn't run on OSX and the 'clasic mode' is too unstable) The audacity is perfect for what I'm doing now and the tutoral is pretty dummy proof

-4 channel mixer (starts with the letter "B" and bought before I discovered the search function on this site but it works for me now)

-ART Studion V3 preamp. Looking at a Joe Meek 3Q for Christmas

-AT 3035

-SM57

-Edirol analog to digital adapter

Again, what I hope to do is use the keyboard to play around with and write on as well as use it as a MIDI trigger for a program I as of yet do not possess. I am reading up on MIDI online and in here as I don't even know what type of program I'm asking about. Any advice you can offer is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Michael

 

[manning1]

you might want to try hitsquad.com.
they have lots of freeware programs. look in the freeware section.
peace.