Midi can be made easier. Features already in BIAB such as "humanize" and "embellish melody" essentially edit (in effect) midi lines, and at least one of those is tweakable. These are examples of software changing the characteristics of a pre-written midi line.

Therefor, if it doesn't exist already, software could be used to more closely emulate the characteristics of a selected patch/instrument and be tweakable on-the-fly without a user having to get into the file itself to manually with complicated commands and language change the line to emulate realistic play. Hardware controllers can do this. Why can't software? Audio FX software often has the "look" of analogue. Why can't midi editing software "feel" more natural?

I'd only gotten so far with midi editing with a substantial learning curve facing a steeper one to get further before I shut down for a number of years. Now I'm practically back to square 1 in editing--especially since I haven't yet been able to load a midi file in DAW and produce sound.

Surely there either is or could be a software interface that could take the parameters of a selected instrument, provide some useful pre-sets, and allow "step-by-step" tweaking of multiple performance parameters in real-time--and do that more comfortably than opening the hood of a midi file with a more traditional editor. Stand-alone or as a VST, it might also simplify routing to patches and other beginner-unfriendly processes.

If anybody knows of such a beast, I'd love to hear about it.

I like and prefer Real Tracks. One major reason why (for composing/song-writing, anyway) is because "they" don't force me to have all the musical ideas. Another is that they are less "buggy". On occasion, a midi track doesn't seem to be "written" very well. But there are certainly arguments on the pro side to midi.

BIAB 2021 Audiophile. Windows 10 64bit. Songwriter, lyricist, composer(?) loving all styles. Some pre-BIAB music from Farfetched Tangmo Band's first CD. https://alonetone.com/tangmo/playlists/close-to-the-ground