I think having musical training helps no end, never did any myself, but have many contemporaries who did, and when you see them in the studio, it really shows... Mad Mike from UR records a lot of the synth lines without sequencing i.e. just multitracks playing live, I know a few other people making techno (More on the detroit or minimal angle) who work like this.. don't kid yourself that it doesn't matter, I've found coming from a non musically educated background it really puts you in your place when you work with people who have, there's a lot to be learned from people who were taught at music school, myself, I know I have...