Hi Jeff,
Welcome to the forums. First time I have heard of this way of using Ableton it sure sounds like an interesting approach. Clearly you are trying to produce rather than DJ here and on first view I’d say Ableton is (one of) the best tools for the job. Any DAW would do of course, but some will have a much steeper learning curve and might be overkill for what you have in mind.
If all you want to do is have a simple platform to add clips/loops, you could explore something like the new Mixvibes RemixLive app (iOS/Android), which you can use with sample packs, but also with your own samples.
Just a thought.
Enjoy your time here!
.