Learn on software, then buy some hardware.

Since buying some proper hardware (decent compressor and sherman filterbank) I'm finally making music at a standard I could consider releasing at.

BUT

Buying hardware should come last IMO. Learn what everyting does first. Learn the fundamentals (EQ, Compression, FX, Filters, Synthesis) and then start identifying what hardware does what.

Buying hardware first off is a very expensive way to collect machines entirely unsuitable for what you might end up wanting to do. Figure out what you need first.