I did the CBM - VIC20 - C64 route but couldn't afford an Amiga. Expensive in those days. $300 for the box alone but I learned all about ASCII graphics and MIDI with those machines. The VIC was great because if you thought about it you had a built in analog to digital conversion unit. It was called a game paddle My first portable computer was a 17 lb dual 360k floppy, no HD; monochrome, Osborne.
pdg