I knew nothing about MIDI.
This afternoon Sue found a BOSS DR670 in our local Cash Converters for £90. Score 1.
We realised it had a midi connector, and then I remembered that my EMU 0404 has a midi port, hmmm... aquired a midi cable (the hardest part).
Spent 20 minutes, not knowing what the hell to do with any of the software, thinking Guitar Pro can't control a midi device, playing with CakeWalk, going back to GP to export a midi file, realising it can control a midi device and I had been looking in the wrong place (it's right there on screen the whole time, while I wasted my time in the menus), setting some guessed settings, and, we have drum and bass playing on the stereo.
Result!
I'm really impressed that a complete novice like me can get it making noises in 20 minutes.
The sound from the 670 is pretty good too.