I dont Think anything is necessary, its just a matter of prefrence. I use the MPC3000 which has a pretty slow workflow but I know to work it and to me the fact that im "limited" in some aspects forces creativity - Let a kid play with anything in the world and he may be lost, force him to be in his room = he'll find something to do in there. It is also good for a beginner to not have too many things to worry about, if you only have the basics you will master them Before trying to do techincal stuff.
I just like the part about not relying on my Eyes too much, the 3000 doesnt chop with a waveform, only numbers and your ears, which I enjoy.