I had an sh-201 as my first synth, and it was an amazing learning tool if you want to go the analog route, it really teaches you how a sound is created, and it has some cool patches that are easy to mold to your liking. I moved on to a Voyager from there, which is my baby. For stage, I'd save and go the rack-mounted setup with a nice controller, rack synths just can't be beat. at least 90% of pro musician synths go the rack way, even if it appears they are using a different synth, its most likely being used as a controller.