Spence, so what i'm hearing you say is that you don't like how you you would have to ue your mouse to do drum patterns n such on your DAW's and so you want an some sort of drum machine, that can make it faster and at the same time easier for you to go about creating your music. In addition, you feel like you can create beats better in a drum machine such as an MPC/MPD, because it has a simplier way of making patterns, or to say it another way, you can get whatever beat you have in your head out on the mpc faster, than trying to go through EVERY little sample you have in your DAW's, to make you beats, which will take up time and money, since you said you pay for tudio time. So in short, you would want a drum machine to increase your beat-making process as well as your skill in making beats on your DAW. I'm also guessing that you would want to just use whatever synth/keyboard you have strictly for playing the melodies, etc. that you would originally do in any piece of music (even though you could use that as an MPC with with FPC in FL Studio), and use whatever drum machine you are considering getting, for your sampling/squenc./drum patterns, etc.
If some or all of the above is correct, then i understand what where you are getting at. I hate having to use my mouse for most of my production, because it takes up time, and i feel like with a drum machine, this will make my thought process on making beats, sound more like the way i envision them, and a hell of a lot easier than clicking away on my midi keyboard and mouse.
I would recommend getting an MPD if you are strictly making beats from a DAW, and if you are doing a live performance, in addition, i would say get a MPC 2000/xl or 1000. The MPC comes with more default presets than the MPD, to my knowledge, but if you can afford both, then get both. There are some 32's you can find online that are used going for as low as $250, and MPC's (that is 1000's/2000's) somewhere around $600-700, maybe lower if you don't mind a used one.
