quantize
KWAN-tyz
/ˈkwɒntaɪz/
To automatically adjust MIDI notes or audio events so that they align perfectly with a specified rhythmic grid or subdivision of a beat.
Quantize is used to correct human timing errors in a performance, making the rhythm mathematically perfect, though sometimes at the expense of natural 'feel.'
The story behind the word. Borrowed from physics, where 'quantization' refers to restricting a physical variable to discrete values. In the late 1970s and 1980s, digital sequencer designers adopted the term to describe restricting musical note timings to a discrete grid.
Word relationships
- align: Align is a general term for lining things up, whereas quantize specifically refers to snapping musical notes to a mathematical rhythmic grid.
- humanize: Humanize is the process of deliberately introducing slight timing and velocity imperfections to make programmed music sound played by a human.
Commonly confused with
- warp: Warping stretching or compressing the timing of an entire audio file, while quantizing snaps individual note events to grid lines.
Word family
- quantization (noun): The mathematical process of aligning notes to a grid.
Collocations
- quantize to grid
- hard quantize
- quantize percentage
Example sentences
- "If your keyboard playing is slightly out of time, you can quantize the MIDI notes to the nearest sixteenth note." A tutorial on digital audio workstation basics.
- "Overusing the quantize function can make a drum performance sound robotic and devoid of human groove." A critique of modern music production.
Memory hook
Quantize makes your messy timing fit into neat, quantitative boxes on the grid. Quantize to make the rhythm precise.
When not to use
Do not use when manually moving a single note, or when adjusting the volume or pitch of a recording.
Fun facts
- Many modern DAWs have a 'groove quantize' feature that allows you to snap your notes to the imperfect, swinging rhythm of a famous drummer instead of a perfect grid.
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