Yeah, kinda! The EC and PH meter will be important unless you've got a good handle on what your water PH already is and what it will be when you mix X amount of nutes in there.
That can only come with experience and lots of fiddling with meters.
There may be some people with experience of AN nutes that can say for example week 1-3 add 5ml per liter (just an example, don't do it) of A and B ... etc
BUT .. you'll have different water to them, so won't really know the EC and PH unless you check.
Soil is more forgiving ... but on the other side, coco grows done properly will probably out yeild a soil grow.