Quantization (music editing)

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Quantization is the term used to describe the process by which MIDI events ( digital control instructions for a synthetic instrument; MIDI = digital interface for musical instruments) are shifted to a point in time in the musical sequence specified by the quantization grid .

In this way, the rhythmic deviations from the grid, which are unavoidable when playing naturally, can be corrected. Quantization grids are usually based on the beats, e.g. B. eighth or sixteenth notes, or common modifications such as triplets (sixteenth triplets require e.g. twenty-fourth grids).

This process corrects timing errors and, especially with musicians with imprecise timing, means that a recording can be perceived as rhythmically correct and therefore more coherent. With virtuoso musicians, quantizing also robs the piece of music in many cases of the human "groove" (often also referred to as "drive"), since professional musicians are often able to use conscious deviations from the theoretically correct rhythm as a means of style and expression.

In addition, many styles of music require a specific deviation from the theoretical grid ( swing , groove ).

Some programs that are used for such work ( sequencers ) therefore offer the possibility of taking these regular modifications of the grid into account and / or simulating the "groove" through deliberate, small errors.