I'm happy to put a vote in for Ableton Live, I'm finding it fairly stable with my Snow and TI and very good for song-writing and also performing. (Particularly for EDM or similar styles.) It has a normal, "linear" mode, like Cubase, for writing songs, plus a pattern-based mode for live playing. It did take me a few intensive weeks of sequencing and arranging before I got the hang of it, but now, I'm not sure how I managed with my previous setup! (Either Cubase Lite, or GMS on iPad.)
I've also just purchased the Akai Mini MPC controller, so I can launch various drum-loops and FX, in real-time, whilst I play arps and pads and my bandmate solos his ass off, on piano and Moog Sub 37. (He's a very talented jazz/fusion player.) All in all, it's fantastic fun!
BTW, I'm using USB from laptop to Virus and also using the Virus as a sound card for Ableton, so just have to plug the Virus outs into a mixer or PA, etc. It has been a bit fiddly to balance the Virus patch volumes with Ableton "clip" (sample) volumes, but a fairly normal thing to have to do.
Cheers,
EG
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