The main reason people don't want to transition from pc to mac is typically because of fruity in the production world.. but i have to say i really recommend you putting your money up and getting yourself a macbook pro off top. You can always run bootcamp and run windows if its a good quality intel mac.
But windows program wise go with fruity, reason, ableton live ect. VSTs are plentiful and easily found online if you need sounds
If you are strictly recording/mixing i recommend getting and learning pro tools HD.. its the industry standard and the best, but not for production..
I really recommend logic as well, but thats OS X only.. you can't use on windows. I've heard this is the program travis scott uses and i recommend it because you get the recordability of pro tools wit the production side of things like say a fruity or live. Its a little more complicated but i think thats a good thing once you get adjusted... and you don't need any hardware if your on the go, you can always use the computer keyboard to trigger sounds by using caps lock. Ill say it again... buy the macbook pro. Its what you want.
Good brands to look into are as you said Akai, but remember they were bought out by numark so if you want true akai product you have to get an mpc before the 2500/5000's came out. I do recommend drum machines because they double as a controller as well, but are dated due to software. Producers like DJ premier/ pete rock/ Graduation era kanye will use mpc's due to their sonic characteristics post sample.. they add a specific type of distortion that you can't find in the digital world, only analog. This is also what you want to use if you plan on sampling from vinyl
I've heard good things about native instruments and the maschine line but i haven't used myself... but i remember every producer and their mother had one a year or two ago.
Stay away from brands like alesis.. they tend to color sound and are an annoyance and a waste of money.
You need to make sure you want specifically a controller rather then something like a standalone akai mpc, yamaha or roland keyboard. People always used to rave about the motifs/phantoms because of they keys.. They were more piano like rather then spring set ones in the newer Akai stuff.
These days training your ears, getting TRUE sonic feedback from proper monitoring (speakers i recommend the one and only NS-10 but they cost and you need an amp), working your plugins properly and understanding sonic characteristics is the big thing.. If you know how to use your tools, you don't need all the bells and whistles as some people believe true. These days producers are strictly working off of their macbook pro's. Everything is done in the box unless live instruments are used.
btw.. i have pretty much every relevant plugin (not vst's) for OS X so if anyone needs shoot me a pm.
just followed you too ..
