Humans are drawn to art made by other humans. It’s what intrigues us, it’s what speaks to us. Part of what endears us to it is its imperfection, its rawness. It’s why we’d rather listen to music made by a human than a bot - there’s a story behind it, and you can hear (and feel) the story through the warmth, the groove, the fuzz, the artefacts and the characterful flaws.
Nowadays, technology allows us to make music that’s as precise and pristine as possible. We can quantise to the grid at the click of a button, and we have a ton of tools at our fingertips for scrubbing away any small imperfections. Whilst it’s great to have such in-depth options for honing our work in line with our creative vision, there’s a fine line between, say, gently enhancing and polishing a piece, and totally eradicating its soul and character.
