I would say that with Ardour on Linux, the lack of plugins will allow you to jump straight up to hardware synths and effects. The big boys are not using very much in the way of plugin synths, there are a few good plugins but they are at the price of hardware. Unless you intend to do your own mastering (don't) you're good to go with Ardour and a good analog mixing board plus a compatible high-quality DAC/ADC (if you're like me, an Apogee ONE is all you need).