Why must a composer plan for electronic processing when creating electronic music?

A composer must anticipate electronic processing when creating electronic music to ensure that the final composition reflects their intentional interaction with the medium. This requirement is fundamentally similar to how a composer must keep the specific characteristics of an orchestra or a piano in mind when writing a symphony or a sonata.1

Simply using electronic equipment—such as playing a guitar through an amplifier or performing a Bach fugue on an electronic organ—does not inherently make a piece electronic music. For the work to be considered electronic, the composer must design the musical concept specifically for the electronic processing that will be applied to it. This ensures the output is a deliberate result of the composer's creative engagement with electronic resources, rather than just a conventional performance captured or modified by electronic means.1