[reactorstudios]

Collecting gear can become an addiction, indeed.
AKAI makes a nice, affordable controller specifically for Live that has all the buttons you would ever need. Pair that with a decent keyboard controller (AKAI and Korg both make laptop bag size controllers, M-audio makes the full-size one I use) and you have a pretty capable music studio.
It doesn't take a massive investment to get going, these days. Well, financial investment. The time required to really develop the skill and produce something worthwhile....