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 a precise setting. This results in notes being set on beats and on fractions of beats. The most frequent application of quantization in this context lies within MIDI application software or hardware. MIDI sequencers typically include quantization in their manifest of edit commands. In this case, the dimensions of this timing 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 timing grid.

The purpose of quantization in music processing is to provide a more uniform timing of sounds. Quantization is frequently applied to a record of MIDI notes created by the use of a musical keyboard or drum machine.

Quantization in MIDI is usually applied to Note On messages and sometimes Note Off messages. Sometimes quantization is applied in terms of a percentage. Using a percentage of quantization allows for the subtle preservation of some natural human timing nuances.

[edit] External links

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