I can only recommend stuff for (and mostly from) Apple, and that's what I have:
- Logic Express 8
- Soundtrack Pro
- Propellerhead Reason
- Ableton Live
- Amadeus Pro
- And all Apple Garageband Jam Packs, which are an awesome collection of high quality instruments and loops
For Windows: I don't know. Ableton Live and Propellerhead Reason are available there as well, but not the Apple stuff.
You should get yourself a Mac with Logic Pro Studio - it includes Logic Pro 8, Soundtrack Pro 2 and ALL Apple Jam Packs, which alone cost as much as the entire Studio Package (and are worth every single penny of it). I don't think you'd need anything else. If I hadn't already collected all the other stuff in pieces before Studio 8 came out, I'd only buy this.
- Logic Express 8
- Soundtrack Pro
- Propellerhead Reason
- Ableton Live
- Amadeus Pro
- And all Apple Garageband Jam Packs, which are an awesome collection of high quality instruments and loops
For Windows: I don't know. Ableton Live and Propellerhead Reason are available there as well, but not the Apple stuff.
You should get yourself a Mac with Logic Pro Studio - it includes Logic Pro 8, Soundtrack Pro 2 and ALL Apple Jam Packs, which alone cost as much as the entire Studio Package (and are worth every single penny of it). I don't think you'd need anything else. If I hadn't already collected all the other stuff in pieces before Studio 8 came out, I'd only buy this.