Help with PC setup

[Tombolino]

Hello all,

My current setup is as follows:

-PC
-Soundcard: SW100OXG
-Sequencer: XG Works 3
-Audio Editing & Recording: Acid 3 and SoundForge 5
-Cheapo Yamaha keyboard with crappy sounds but with Aftertouch and keys to play on

To start with, Ive decided to abandon XG Works 3. At the lack of manual, I believe I'm wasting too much time on Yamaha forum figuring out the program.

This is what I want to do:

Make songs in many styles: electronic, pop, salsa, classical, record live vocals, record live classical guitar, live electric guitar, with and without guitar amps.

Example of my ideal songmaking process:

-Drums: use Acid loops or MIDI
-Bass: Create on MIDI/keyboard with good sounds
-Guitar: Played live by me and recorded into Sound Forge or sequencer
-Brass/Strings: MIDI -want to for instance, loop a trumpet solo and tweak it with real knobs to add effects, change the quality of the sounds, etc
-Vocals: get a good mic that records well
-Oragnize and fling all these elements/data in sequencer

I would like to have:

-High quality sounds (how about a Korg Karma or Korg Triton keyboard...)

-Real knobs (not software) to manipulate/experiment with sounds I will be using: FX, controllers, etc. I prefer spending the extra money

-Somewhere other than my the back of my soundcard to hookup guitar and mike, etc.

-Somewhere to store all the audio and songs

-An easy to use sequencer that will not take me years to figure out where I can organize and fling around data (note: to me Acid is easy, so as close to that as possible)

Budget: $3,000

Many Thanks

im a newbie, pls explain easy

best,

Sebastian