My main music machine is a Mac and my main everything else system is a Lenovo laptop with Pop!_OS. I would like to have the option to play with ideas on my Linux machine instead of having to switch systems when I feel inspired.
I already own the full version of Bitwig Studio butvI would love to throw some must have, Linux compatible, VST plugins into the mix.
Free sample sources would also be much appreciated.
Surge XT is a must. Best FOSS synth there is IMO. 3 oscillators in 2 scenes. Filters, effects, all the LFOs and envelopes in the world, all the modulation, expression aftertouch, etc you need. A bunch of presets out of the box. Very flexible synth, though can be a bit learning curve to get going.
Honorable mentions to Dexed (basically a software DX7), GeonKick (for synthesizing drums), and pianoteq (proprietary, but best there is in piano synth with native linux support).