Hi Mike, thanks for your reply (I've been AFK for a while, something I heartily recommend to everyone here once in a while!)
I understand you didn't want to get into any debates, you were simply addressing my question & I thank you for that.
From my perspective, I have an iPad2 with 20 musical creation apps & utilities, used to have more (including SoundPrism) but winnowed them down, no point having too much that you don't use (says a tragic who has approx 70 analogue camera, so please, as one should with
anyone's statement, but exponentially so with polititians,
pinch of salt!).
I have an Alesis iodock and I agree that the apps available for the iPad are incredibly powerful and certainly offer alternative variations of music creation and composition to the traditional 'sit in front of the piano-tyoe keyboard or pick up a guitar' ones. The ios sound engine is also pretty powerful. My 1st synth ever was an MS-20 back in the 80's & I am pretty amazed by the iMS20, believe me.
Having said that, I am relatively new to the Live world, having started off with the Launchpad edition just on 2 years ago when I invested in one to run monome app emulation. (Since then I have accquired a monome 128, 64 & Arc2 which I utilise with multiple 'favourite' monome/max applications)
I have gone down the road of hardware sequencers, hardware synths, hardware effects, patch bays, lots of cables & wall warts etc and would not change those experiences for the world...I still use my equipment quite often, but not as often as I would like...
BUT - when I look at the examples of what the Push can do & the sheer convenience and tight integration this one unit has with Ableton Live, I feel I have found an answer to 1. Interact with the software I have invested in easily, in an intuitively creative way and 2. Teach me about the software I have invested in an intuitive, creative way.
I do not want to invest in other software baggage associated with other controllers, no matter how attractive and useable they may be, I don't want to learn how to use something that is designed to integrate with other software, scripts or no....
I guess the bottom line is, I know of no hardware/software combination that will make me more talented or knowledgable in music theory, that comes down to hard work & application, but I do believe some ways of working and some equipment can help spark & facilitate creativity, for some it will be the Monome, & it's continually evolving applications or Maschine with NI software, scripts, Live etc, for some it will be some other controller, software, whatever combinations, for some,mas it has been for long before these toys came along, it will be their beloved 88, guitar or ocarina, whatever. For me I am hoping it will be the Push & Live 9!
(Edited a couple of times to correct spelling mistakes I keep finding, one thing I find the iPad crap at is typing long replies in forums, especially when you've been on night shift!)