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[nrook]

I don't really know much about making music with computers, so I am asking for advice.

I am interested in composition.  At this point, my interest is primarily for games, though not entirely.  I have a keyboard (a Yamaha 76-key portable grand) with a USB outlet, over ten years learning classical piano as a child, and that's about it.

I've tried to play around with the Ableton Live demo, but making "electronic" music is not that appealing to me right now---I don't listen to it, at least---and finding and configuring VSTs seems like a monumental task to someone like me, with no experience in the field.  Plus, from what I can tell, Live does not work in sheet music, and as a pianist, sheet music is simply how I think.  I can't even imagine composing using something else.

So, I'm a classical pianist by training (though it's been awhile) looking for a toolbox-sort of program that would allow me to write different kinds of music and produce electronic facsimiles of what I write.  I have a PC and a keyboard, and that's about it.  I'm willing to spend money (around $500) on this, but am not willing to buy anything without a good demo; I would prefer something which allows me to write and view notes on staves, not some more hip representation, and which comes with good electronic instruments built-in.  Chiptunes are nice but not what I am looking for, either.

I'm also very lost and confused, so I appreciate any help.

[increpare]

Live does not work in sheet music, and as a pianist, sheet music is simply how I think.  

I had my years of pianism as well, but really : it doesn't take long to get used to matrix input.  I still do some things on score, but I don't bother with notation-input any more.  Sometimes I still do stuff on paper and transcribe it in.  So that's my sincere and educated advice.

If you really want nice notational, you can get it, but it adds very significant overhead if you want to get the stuff sounding good at the end, and I would strongly[/il recommend against using that stuff for electronic works (i.e., unless someone's going to be printing the stuff out and playing it).

and finding and configuring VSTs seems like a monumental task to someone like me, with no experience in the field

Once you learn, it's not too bad.  But be prepared to pay or pirate to get any good instruments.

[ FWIW, I use reason.  I don't know how fully-featured the demo is, though.  It doesn't have score-notation.  It has a lot of built-in instruments and sounds. One of the best experiences I had with it initially was in improvising into it from an electric piano, going through all of the preset instrument banks.  ]