Big up to the Arktopolis.
I had those same frustrations that you're currently experiencing. I've eventually given up on the boundaries that are set by categorization of electronic music when it comes to writing music.
When i was first starting out, i would tend to notice how things work and get feedback and try to change it up on my next tune and continue to get feedback. I've also done research to supplement a better understanding of the components i use through out my process when creating and mixing a song to completion.
You quite honestly, may need to set aside some time and gather what it is you've actually learned and manifest itself in some way. By writing down the functions of the daw that you use (in a sense writing your own manual, that makes sense to you) and/or writing down your process of how you've obtained the sound you tend to like.
I am not to sure how you work, but i tend to remember things better if i spend time writing or typing it out and then saving the data in some form or fashion for me to refer back to if i ever need a reference point.
Quite honestly, you don't need to know when you need a pluck synth, because you can seriously make ANY song with out any type of pluck synth what so ever. I mean, you can make a music just by recording farts. You have the option of tuning it to a musical key or retaining the flatulent key it occurs in naturally.
You're binding yourself to self imposed restraints due to a mindset that might have not been broken, in order to fully realize your creative potential. But that perspective and understanding, with in the artist and all artist, takes time to develop and understand.
If what you say is true, and you have an understanding of the ideas and concepts that are applicable in modern tastes, then you're at a point where you need to push over the edge to get to the next phase of Doing and Learning.
You've created a tool box, but don't understand how to use the tools.
You also might need a break for your brain to catch up to what you have done, and maybe consider the future a little bit.
In the last statement, calls for changing your "reference point" of how you produce and what your body of knowledge is when you produce. If the last statement is true, through rhetorical question, then you might need to consider organizing every thing you've done in terms of your production PROCESS, until where you are currently at.
TL;DR-allow your self to catch up to yourself. You're about to break the boundary of self imposed limitations, once you get over this, you shouldn't have this sort of question ever enter your mind again, aside from a creative context of the song. But the fundamentals of understanding the tools, should be eliminated in terms of understanding what should happen in context of the tool and the song.
you're dealing with multiple variables now, it gets harder, but once the foundation has been set and understood, keep focus on the fundamentals you've established for yourself and keep plodding away.
EDIT: i've started to save my patches of synthesizers (as well as entire racks [including effect chains]) so that i can recall and manipulate later.
After further investigation into your problem, it seems like you have a solid understanding of how to use the tool but you can't quite seem to make sense of the tool in the context of various forms of instrumentation of the music. You also don't seem to have confidence in how you want your sounds to be, which leads into your frustration of not knowing what music to make or what to put into your music (also, the lack of understanding of the components of a song to make the experimental music worth while).
You shouldn't have to struggle like this, but you will need to struggle like this if you want to get better.
Never think that you aught to be at a point that you're not ready for. Understanding your self right now, is important to being where you want to be and at the skill level you want to be, in the future.
So, my bit about self imposed limitations, with respect to time and therefore experience, remain.
Heavily consider all of the resources you have and know, collect them, analyze your collection, and move forward based on what you have filtered (likes, dislikes of techniques and understanding).
