Jupiter,
A few things:
1. I don't know where you're coming from other than musical snobbery.
2. I'm working on my 42nd cd and have been doing it for 30+ years, so I think I have a fairly good idea of what making music is about.
3. You make just as complex things as you want to on an arranger as you can on a workstation.
4. It's pretty hypocritical of you to downgrade auto accmp.,when you press the arp button on a workstation, you're doing exactly the same thing. Or slicing and dicing on a sequencer.
5. A great tune is a great tune no matter how you get there.
6. I think you'd be unpleasantly surprised to see what tricks the "pros" as you have obviously put yourself in that class use in the studio. Ie., loops, computer generated music, vocal harmonizers etc.
7. You can have the most complex piece of equipment, be a great player as you deem yourself and still turn out absolute junk, not worth the space taken up on a hard disc.
8. If you use the bass or strings or any other patch off a workstation....than you're taken the easy and lazy way out as well....learn to play the violin and bass and whatever other patch you use. Otherwise you're only B.S.'n yourself that you're doing it the "pro" way to make music.
Great technical ability and bustin' your nuts to record/play does not take the place of musical creativity. It just means you're working harder not smarter to acheive the same goal.
As far as you're snobby comments about the genre of easy listening music....you're entitled to your opinion, even if it is wrong.
About the only thing I agree with you on is if you want to make techno and hip hop and that simplistic music, you're right, the new workstations are for you, that's what they do best.
Terry