Max cadence is all about how fast the motor is spinning. It also technically lowers as your battery depletes... but the idea is that on a full 52V battery (so 58.8V), with no resistance, the BBSHD (after reduction-gear) will spin the crank somewhere around 150 to 160 rpm.
So when you set a max cadence % of 50(%), you're basically saying that, at that assistance level, you don't want the motor to spin any faster than about 80 rpm (50% of 160rpm).
This is actually the fundamental basis of
my programming, where I prioritize being able to spin your legs
with the motor by capping the motor's cadence speed. Worth a read there!
RE "Start Current" (and really, Slow Start Mode) — you probably want to use "Current Ramp" with the open source firmware. A low value there will yield a softer acceleration curve, essentially — that 'softer PAS kick-in'.