What is music quantization?

Music quantization is the process of aligning musical notes and rhythms to a grid or a specific time interval. It is commonly used in digital music production to correct timing errors or to manipulate the rhythm of a recording. Quantization can be applied to both MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) and audio recordings.

There are different levels of quantization, ranging from applying minor corrections to entire sections of the song. The level of quantization used will depend on the desired outcome and the degree of precision required by the song.

Quantization can be done manually or automatically. Manual quantization involves manually adjusting the position of each note on the grid, while automatic quantization tools use algorithms to analyze the performance and apply corrections automatically.

Quantization can have a significant impact on the feel and groove of a track. Over-quantized tracks can often sound robotic and lack human feel, while under-quantized tracks can sound sloppy and out of time. Strike a balance between too much and too little quantization to achieve a natural and polished sound.