holy cow quantise kills

Johnisfaster · Post by **Johnisfaster** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 4:43 am

I always loved the fact that quantise fixed everything but I decided to see what my stuff would sound like if I played everything natural with no quantise and it sounds so much more human and interesting. I feel like slapping my forehead.

anyone else feel the same way?

if you haven't tried it I highly recommend it.

jerry123 · Post by **jerry123** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 4:57 am

Funny how often I hear this. I started in punk bands at 14 or so and learned about the equipment used to make other styles much later. Quantize blew me away.
And funny how often the reply to such is 'listen to a good 70's funk band recording'.
THEN you can slap your forehead.

milfbait · Post by **milfbait** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 5:01 am

I have never used quantise.

Machinate · Post by **Machinate** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 7:31 am

yeah, that's all fine and good, but when your 20+ track mix starts to sound really sloppy you know what to do, hehe.

Seriously though, if you're doing a simple, airy mix, then quantize=off is the way to go.

Chris J · Post by **Chris J** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 9:07 am

Machinate wrote:yeah, that's all fine and good, but when your 20+ track mix starts to sound really sloppy you know what to do, hehe..

yeah, start practising....
Machinate, Johni is talking about actual playing, not triggering a track

hambone1 · Post by **hambone1** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 9:12 am

Set your clips/scenes to global quantise, then use the keyboard shortcuts to toggle quantise on and off as the situation dictates.

It's like having your cake and eating it, too!

Machinate · Post by **Machinate** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 9:13 am

I know that, Chris... The word "mix" might be a little confusing?

Chris J · Post by **Chris J** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 9:34 am

ah ok, well I'll say that to hambone then

Machinate · Post by **Machinate** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 9:48 am

hehe, yeah hambone, what gives?

hambone1 · Post by **hambone1** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 9:51 am

I also thought he was talking about launching clips/scenes, rather than playing live!

I play Impulse percussion live, but also trigger clips/scenes (lighting and video as well as audio) at the same time from the drum controller. It certainly makes me look a lot better than I am!:?

I'll never be skilled enough to be able to launch the clips/scenes in time while also playing live, so I quantise what I launch, but not what I play.

Cheating, I know...

Q&A · Post by **Q&A** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 10:37 am

There is a big difference between playing against a live band versus playing against a computer time code.

They are two diffrent species. If you listen to a completely organic rythmn, (70's funk band) it will sound like the timing is perfect. It actually may be perfect too, just not against an exact grid, like you find in a computer. It is just that the band's timing is tight within itself because they are syncing to eachother.

This sort of voids that pompus argument that people use "I dont quantize because Im so talented HA" (Im not saying that people who don't quantize are pompus, just the ones who say/do it to imply that they have infallable timing.)

One last thing. A trick Ive liked to use is to keep the steady grooves quantized to the grid then sometimes allow tension sections and fills to play un-fixed.

It always ends up a matter of taste.

take care suckas.

Johnisfaster · Post by **Johnisfaster** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 10:54 am

well what I'm doing at the moment is programming idm style drums into ableton on impulse using my nord to sequence the sounds. (sometimes sampling the nord but thats besides the point) using no record quantise. this gets messy but good. sometimes intentionally playing kinda shi**y to give it some slop. then if it starts to sound too "loose" or sloppy I'll click on the quantise button and add a snare or a high hat in perfect time and it kinda ties everything together.

it's fantastic I've never worked like that and it's really helping me get over a stagnant uninspired period.

Chris J · Post by **Chris J** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 11:45 am

Q&A wrote:There is a big difference between playing against a live band versus playing against a computer time code.

They are two diffrent species. If you listen to a completely organic rythmn, (70's funk band) it will sound like the timing is perfect. It actually may be perfect too, just not against an exact grid, like you find in a computer. It is just that the band's timing is tight within itself because they are syncing to eachother.

This sort of voids that pompus argument that people use "I dont quantize because Im so talented HA" (Im not saying that people who don't quantize are pompus, just the ones who say/do it to imply that they have infallable timing.)

One last thing. A trick Ive liked to use is to keep the steady grooves quantized to the grid then sometimes allow tension sections and fills to play un-fixed.

It always ends up a matter of taste.

take care suckas.

you can do that too with a computer, and that's what I do (sometimes...

) and actually many people do.
I record the drums (real drums) without a click and build the track around that,

Q&A · Post by **Q&A** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 1:13 pm

Chris J wrote: you can do that too with a computer, and that's what I do (sometimes... ) and actually many people do.
I record the drums (real drums) without a click and build the track around that,

That is not an example of playing against a computer click. The computer is behaving only as recording medium in this case, like any tape system.

I mean syncing to a computer's tempo grid.

djadonis206 · Post by **djadonis206** » Tue Oct 18, 2005 4:38 pm

We're obviously not talking about techno (I don't think) I love swing and whatnot but to not quantize a dance track is like setting yourself to not get any play at a club

Unless, like stated before you are absolutley talented in the art of playing in time, all the time every time

There's some good abstract techno out there but anyone who's mixed a well pressed super tight techno track with another feels my joy

A