Don’t stress about learning curves. It’s not important. You’ll learn what you need.
Concentrate on sound, music, and tools for shaping sound & music.
Ask yourself: why do you want to change from 12 synths in a box to a sample-based box? What about sampling seems more “more hands-on with music”?
Also, definitely check out the new Machines Syntakt just got: the Acoustic Snare might be just what you were looking for!