Confused Newbie

Hi, 
You will need an interface for both midi and audio.  There are so many to choose from.  You can go internal, external with firewire or USB.  Have you looked online through music retailers for some ideas?  

Rimshot

Ahhhh... the old Cakewalk pro series.....   Time to move on now  that the old one has kicked the bucket. What a shock it was for me to come back to Cake after being away a few years from when my CWpro 8 bit the dust to my reintroduction to MC4 on a new lappy..... wow!  Needless to say a pleasant update. 

I don't recommend Tascam as many folks seem to have some problems with them. Also avoid the all in one cord based  gizmo's like Uno...et al..... 

I do like the USB external interfaces a lot. the USB midi/audio interfaces work well and migrate easily between desk tops and lappys. Don't worry over the USB connection being a bottleneck to the data..... USB handles it extremely well. The bottleneck is more likely to occur inside the computer with processing speed and RAM size being the limiting factor rather than the USB port.  With softsynths being processed inside the computer, as opposed to the modules you have now that process externally, that CPU power & speed and RAM are important, but still, it is amazing what can be done inside the box these days. There are easy ways around many of the problems that you might encounter.  

Focusrite, Personus, and M-Audio are good brands to look at.   www.beaglesound.com is also a good site to check for options on cards & interfaces. 

As far as midi modules, since midi is still midi, you can use them if you desire.... probably much the same way you did with PA9.  

The new DAW will likely be MC6 or one of the X1 family of DAWs.  I have both the MC line and X1 essentials.  

If you have not used softsynths, you will like them. So many really good sound options now with samples. 

so... what are the specs on the current computer or are you going with a whole brand new set up? 

Sooo, If I'm using a device like the Tascam US-1800, despite all of its happy audio i/o capabilities, it still has the circuitry to convert soft synth output into analog signals I can then plug into my (old) Mackie mixer?

Also, while on the topic of Pro Audio, is there any way to convert the old MIDI files to work with Sonar?  :D  Asking a lot, I know...

Fred. your .wrk files will open fine in Sonar (with maybe a few hiccups). mostly level changes on any audio tracks from PA if you used envelopes.

As far as external synths vs. soft synths. Hmm. I still use my JV1080 and TR-rack as they just feel better.
I can't the same subtletese out of most soft synths. Sort of like the difference of hitting a drum with a drumstick or a 2X4.

sounds like me.i did the same thing,i jumped from pro audio 9 right to sonar home studio,to sonar x1.
may i suggest you demo x1 first to see if its a little too much.because it is a great leap from where we came from,you might find sonar home studio 7 xl a little more like pro audio 9, as i did so it was easier to make the transition to x1if all your going to be doing is midi recording you can get away with buying a midi usb controler for about 20-30 bucks(m-audios midi uno usb will do fine for now then you can get asio for all to sweep the latency under the carpet.
that is the less expensive way to go(just for demoing purposes)the more legit way is buying an audio interface for your computer.dont forget to read the reviews,the last thing you want is to buy a 200+ dollar interface and have it not work with your set up,so do some homework first.

Thanks for all the advice.  It's truly invaluable.  I can plug in my old wrk files!  Oasome!

Someone I forget who once said "Ambivilance is the key to flexibility."    So here I am, stuck between the old hardware synth world and the new softsynth one.  I don't really need any new synths at this point (I have 7 rack mounted ones - hence the need for a mixer).  On the other hand, one or two may croak before I do.  

So now I'm the proud owner of a Tascam US-1800 with all its spiffy i/o and interfaces.  I downloaded Producer X1 trial and gave it a spin.  The midi seems to work fine with the Tascam.  Then I got lost in all the bells and whistles.  Never could get the softsynth to work, but didn't put that much time into it, either. 

So, is there an upgrade path from "Essentials" to "Producer?"  Sooner or later I'd like to think I'd have a use for all that sonic capability, but right now just need to get some tracks layed down. 

Thanks again..

Alesis NanoBass
Roland TD-7 drums
Roland P-330 piano
Roland D-55 linear synth
Roland XV-3080 multi-timeral thing.
Korg Wavestation
Korg TR-Rack
Super Old-world actual Baldwin piano