Dear StandingInMotion,
I read your whole topic;
Sounds like all you're looking to do is step your "sound" up to the next level, this is easy and can probably be done with NO new hardware. Whatever DAW you are using (Anvil / Finale) make sure you can utilize VST plug-ins as well as Direct X plug-ins if you are using PC, AU if you are using MAC. If your DAW can handle using VST plug-ins then you can either buy or pirate plug-ins for it! IK Multimedia and Native Instruments have GREAT plug-ins that you can get, of course I recommend paying out for the plug-ins.
What you are doing now is fine you just need better libraies and keyboard instruments to get a more "Pro-Sound." Everything I do is in MIDI (full) I just use a really powerful keyboard instrument tool like Absynth 4, to play back really high quality sample libraries.
So if it is all in the sample library make sure to allocate about 50+GB for libraries. Then you should have an extremely prosound but still using the simple tools you already have.
Computer specifications nullify everything so if you have a bunk / old computer and try to use the plugs in a really hardcore way make sure your specs are up to par.
Hope that helps in a more productive way.
AmR ][