Part 5/13:
Rick highlights how this process led to a homogenization of music. With tools that align performances perfectly to a fixed timing grid, the unique 'vibe' or 'swing' of a human performance is lost. Drummers like John Bonham, renowned for their swing and groove, become indistinguishable when their performances are quantized into perfect, robot-like patterns.
Furthermore, recording high-quality drums is complicated and costly—requiring multiple microphones and meticulous tuning and mixing—yet many modern productions bypass this by using amp simulators and sample libraries. These tools are designed to produce “great sounds” effortlessly, but at the expense of originality and skill, reducing musicianship to automation and pre-programmed sequences.