to quantize or not to quantize? Drum tips

You have to be good if you're not going to quantize. A lot of the beats I heard in the music section where the dude didn't quantize, I can tell.

Years ago I used to quatize but invariably I would end up nudging every single note around after I had tracked the beat to my DAW just to make sure things sat right.

Now I make beats with the quantize off 99% of the time, whether it be the MP, ASR or ableton.

But if quantize sounds good on beat then go ahead and use it. It really depends on the person and the beat.

no quantize at all...

I personally love the human feel of not quantizing
even if I'm doing a simple 1-2-1-2 pattern
if I can play offbeat and bring it back then theres no reason to quantize simple patterns

yeh man im forcing myself to not quantize. as my understanding of beat making grows, i may start to push my mpc500 to the limit. rite now, i love the fact that i can make a solid beat without quantize. but then again, it depends on the type of beat im making. if im doing some deep soul (ie. making you move without u knowing it ) i dont quantize anything. if im making an old school boom bap, then i all 16th triplets, with no hat quantize. music is fun like that

depends on the style of music you're making.
highly quantised jazz will sound as bad as an unquantised mantronix or kraftwerk track.

I quantize my kick 1/16 & shift my snares later with 60-65 & 2 swing. Never quantize the hats. Now that I get the MPC and my timing has gotten better , I dont need to quantize unless its some very electronic and uptempo and I want it rigid. However, since I rarely go above 100bpm, I like that lazy snare and that almost always gets quantized and swing shifted.

diggin24seven wrote:i usually quantize 1/16 swing:50%, and in some cases i'll do the kick in triplets 1/16(3) for that boom bap styyle. the hi hats i take the quantize off.

1/16(3)? Interesting. I'll have to try this.

There's no single solution, but personally, I turn all that crap off.
Don't treat every session with the mpc like you have to make a beat, have fun, and explore your equipment
Anyone can make a beat, but developing you own unique style is a never-ending process.
Get used to the undo button, it'll be your best friend!

roxstar wrote:There's no single solution, but personally, I turn all that **** off.
Don't treat every session with the mpc like you have to make a beat, have fun, and explore your equipment
Anyone can make a beat, but developing you own unique style is a never-ending process.
Get used to the undo button, it'll be your best friend!

so true, this makes me wanna pull out my mpc right now

Quantize Off. Its better to practice and refine your own natural swing, imo.

dj e.d.e wrote:quantize is your friend beleve dat

word. i dont get this whole "i gotta record with quantize off" stuff and from the sound of things some of you could really use it. i'll usually have the basic kicks and snares quantized. everything else in between is usually not. but not always. i use striclty chopped breaks when it comes to drums. the chops usually already have elements in them that give them a natural swing and what not.

this is electronic music! unless your an instrument player(guitar,sax, etc..) where everyone is playing freely then it can really help to have that quantize option. I seen an interview where Quincy was kinda talking bad about the sequencer and quantizing and their effects on musicianship. I read somewhere that Prince also despised them.

deegood wrote:this is electronic music! unless your an instrument player(guitar,sax, etc..) where everyone is playing freely then it can really help to have that quantize option. I seen an interview where Quincy was kinda talking bad about the sequencer and quantizing and their effects on musicianship. I read somewhere that Prince also despised them.

Quincy and Prince are at the dawn of electronic music. Electronics and music get along much better now.

A lot of true musicians will practice with the metronome but never quantize with it..I couldn't imagine using quantize anymore unless I'm practing and trying to get the feel for a loop..otherwise that shit sounds mad stiff. Just like some can tell when folks aren't using quantization, I can tell when cats are using it, or using it too much..take them training wheels off and go!