Quantization (music)

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This article is about quantization in music. For other uses, see Quantization.

In digital music processing technology, quantization is the process of aligning a set of musical notes to conform to a grid. The most frequent application of quantization in this context lies within MIDI application software. In this case, the dimensions of this grid are set beforehand. When one instructs the music application to quantize a certain group of MIDI notes in a song, the program moves each note to the closest point on the grid.

The purpose of quantization in music processing is to provide a more uniform sound. Quantization is frequently applied to a record of MIDI notes created with the help of a musical keyboard.

[edit] External links

• Quantized Culture, an article that describes the effect of this process on the sensibilities and aesthetics of popular music.