best newby program for starting software based synth writing

[revjamjones]

i am getting so fed up with my dx200 and my past experiences with a roland groove 303. Is there a program that is user friendly for a musician that wants to program his own patterns? Maybe i am asking too broad a question. Is there a program that i can just type in my own music,(via standard musical writing) that can drive my synths?
How about this, if you were to recommend one program for someone to start with and he is willing to spend 500.00-800.00 dollars,which one is the most user friendly?
i will appreciate anybodys input. i remember how user friendly my rx17 was to program.
thanks

[Stab Frenzy]

Ableton Live. There's a free demo available at http://www.ableton.com as well, so you can try before you buy.

[MitchK1989]

ableton live is what I tend to recommend for beginning electronic musicians, especially since you didn't specify what OS you're using (I personally use logic, but that's mac only).

It's pretty easy to make your own patterns in, while still retaining the session view (which is kind of a pattern based way of doing things, but in an easier and more visual way than grooveboxes can do).

[Yoozer]

Try them all. Live, Reason, FL Studio, Sonar, Reaper, etc. While I use Live and it's really cool (and the demo does everything except save), it might not fit with your style of working, but you can't judge this until you've tried it.

You already have a MIDI interface and an audio interface?

[CS_TBL]

http://www.nashnet.co.uk/english/revisi ... nshots.htm

[meatballfulton]

Is there a program that i can just type in my own music,(via standard musical writing) that can drive my synths?

If standard musical notation is what you're after, you should be looking at notation programs like Finale and Sibelius.

[crystalmsc]

that i can just type in my own music,(via standard musical writing) that can drive my synths? willing to spend 500.00-800.00 dollars,which one is the most user friendly?

I would simply suggest Sonar, because it's the software that click with me. But since you used to programming the Yamaha's, the QY700 is a sequencer/drum machine/module with those standard musical codes, which would be able to control your synths (2 midi I/O, 48 tracks). It surely, much more user friendly than the two groove boxes you've mentioned. And before spending such amount, sometime a used QY700 (or the older QY300) are being sold for ridiculously cheap.