Quantize; are you sure?

Quantisation is a MIDI-era function which we’ve enjoyed (and come to take for granted) only since MIDI sequencing became popular. As synth soundtracks from the ’70s didn’t enjoy the luxury of timing correction, there was a greater emphasis on ‘performance’. Listen to Vangelis’ soundtracks and you’ll hear that a ‘downbeat’ produces a cluster of notes, with some arriving early and others late. There’s an extraordinary humanity in the effect this creates. Don’t be in a rush to squeeze the rhythmic life out of the way you play your sequences into your DAW. Humanity can be at the heart and soul of your score.