Art,
I am not trying to be argumentive here, and btw, that's a very good analogy. I've heard these kinds of stories told before and the musician / player in me tends to agree.
OTOH, Trance is a pretty specific genre in the realm of electronica. A good percentage of what goes into it is based on arpeggiated pieces or loops, that sometimes are not all physically playable by hand.
The other aspect are the sounds themselves.
Sound design in itself is often a major part of what goes into some genres of electronica. Not only modifying existing sounds or crafting new ones, but crafting sounds that fit just right into the mix is considered by many who work in these genres to be a major part of the "art" form. It isn't always as easy as it might sound.
I have a big interest in electronic music myself, as well as sound design, though I'm not very advanced in it compared to the artists / designers who seem to do it pretty well. I know enough about it though to tell you that an arranger is probably not a very good tool for making Trance music.
AJ
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AJ