brettworks

If you make beats you work with timing on an infinitesimal scale. The timing or groove of a beat is as important as its rhythm patterns because timing conveys subtle, almost subliminal information about musicianship, directionality, intensity, and mood. Nuances of where a beat’s components hit in time–in relation to one another and in relation to the underlying pulse scheme their hits imply–are meaningful. Groove matters because nuances of a beat’s timing are differences that make a difference in how rhythms feel and whether or not they seem alive. Producers often follow three routes for shaping a beat’s timing: humanize, quantize, or frankenize. Humanizing happens when we play a beat imperfectly and capture our wonky performance, or sequence it perfectly and then edit in imperfections by manually moving notes around so the time seems to push forward, lean back, or swing. Quantizing a beat is rounding off its wonky timing to the nearest note value (e.g. a sixteenth note) which can remove humanity from a rhythm and hide traces of its drumming hands. Frankenizing a beat combines humanizing and quantizing, leaving some elements loose while finely calibrating others with precision. By playing, sequencing, and editing rhythms with an ear to these aesthetic goals producers seek a sound that balances soul and alien presence.