{"id":5091,"date":"2026-05-09T13:37:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T17:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/?p=5091"},"modified":"2026-05-09T13:38:58","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T17:38:58","slug":"humanize-your-drums","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/humanize-your-drums\/","title":{"rendered":"How to humanize your MIDI drums"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\" style=\"font-size:15px\"><strong>Illustration:<\/strong> <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Daniel Zender (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"http:\/\/danielzender.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Daniel Zender<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When you close your eyes and listen to your MIDI drums, do you envision a drummer playing the groove, or your DAW punching out audio samples?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you find yourself seeing the latter, you\u2019ve come to the right place\u2014in this article, we\u2019ll explore tips and techniques that will help you humanize <a aria-label=\"your MIDI drum sequences. (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/how-to-make-beats-for-a-song\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">your MIDI drums.<\/a> Not all grooves need to sound like they were performed by a human, but there are numerous musical contexts where you would want your software instruments to sound as realistic as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Note that in this tutorial, we\u2019re not equating \u2018humanization\u2019 with \u2018swing\u2019\u2014rather, we\u2019re going to walk through three subtle strategies that can go a long way with both straight and swung grooves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Feel free to use the table of contents to easily navigate to a specific section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What you&#8217;ll learn:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#Velocity\"><strong>How to humanize MIDI velocity<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#NotePosition\"><strong>How to humanize MIDI note position<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#Performance\"><strong>How to humanize the performance<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Feeling ready? Let&#8217;s dive in!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-f5a2734ea82e3ec51d9db4acbad33d87\" style=\"background-color:#62daff\"><a href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/plans\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>New subscribers can try all of Splice\u2014including 200 monthly sample download credits, full access to all premium INSTRUMENT presets, and more\u2014for $4.99\/mo.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Our starting MIDI groove<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As a starting point, we&#8217;ll be using this simple unhumanized groove (performed by one of Logic Pro X&#8217;s built-in drum kits):<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/HumanizeGrooves_InPost_1.png\" alt=\"The starting unhumanized MIDI drums in Logic Pro X\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1280px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1280\/651;\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Our unhumanized drum groove<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio alignwide\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/How-to-Humanize-Drums-Unhumanized-Groove.wav\" preload=\"auto\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As you can see, the velocity values of all the MIDI notes are unwaveringly uniform, everything is perfectly lined up to the grid, and the hi-hats look as though they\u2019ve just been copied-and-pasted indefinitely. Does the groove sound unbearably horrible? Not at all\u2014but it could certainly sound more convincing! Let\u2019s start by taking a look at our velocity values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"Velocity\">How to humanize MIDI velocity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Unvaried velocity values can be one of the main culprits behind a performance sounding like it was performed by a robot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Does that mean we should go to the opposite extreme and create variation through total randomization? Not quite\u2014as humans, we tend to emphasize certain beats over others when we\u2019re getting in the groove. Specifically, we\u2019re inclined to hit downbeats a little harder and offbeats a little softer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Or course, this might not always be the case if we\u2019re looking to accent the offbeat (or other rhythmic moments) for musical effect. But, in this particular groove where we want things to sound fairly on-the-beat, let\u2019s try emphasizing downbeats with slightly higher velocity values while de-emphasizing offbeats with lower velocity values.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/HumanizeGrooves_InPost_10-e1531495581328.png\" alt=\"The MIDI drums with some velocity variations\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1280px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1280\/678;\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Our drum groove with some velocity variations<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio alignwide\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/How-to-Humanize-Drums-Step-1-Velocity.wav\" preload=\"auto\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Although there\u2019s still more work to be done, the groove definitely has more movement and sounds a little more human as a result. As you can see from the MIDI screenshot, the hi-hats were given the largest fluctuations in velocity. The hi-hat on the first downbeat of each measure is generally receiving the greatest emphasis, followed by the hi-hat on the third beat, followed by the hats on the second and fourth beats. The hi-hats on the offbeats are overall receiving less emphasis than those on the downbeats; they\u2019re not the main event, but rather exist to subdivide and fill the gap to the next downbeat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Pro Tip:<\/strong> It might be tempting to duplicate one measure of velocity edits across the entire groove, but try to resist that temptation\u2014a listener will likely subconsciously pick up on the fact that the same variations are occurring over and over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The kick and snare have also received some velocity variation, though not nearly as much as the hi-hat. We want these two elements to feel dynamically consistent in most rock \/ pop grooves\u2014the velocity editing is primarily to prevent the hits from sounding like they\u2019re identical samples, rather than to create significant changes in loudness. That said, the MIDI notes comprising the snare fill have greater variations in velocity in order to imitate the differences in force between the virtual drummer\u2019s alternating right and left hands.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/HumanizeGrooves_InPost_9-e1531495646178.png\" alt=\"The piano roll in Logic Pro X after editing velocity values\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1280px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1280\/726;\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Our fill is definitely improving, but we\u2019ll be revisiting it to refine it further<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"NotePosition\">How to humanize MIDI note position<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>With velocity out of the way, the next step is to add some human error to the machine-perfect timing of each MIDI note. While we were more intentional with velocity, we\u2019re going to employ the <strong>Humanize<\/strong> function in Logic Pro X to randomize the position of all of the MIDI events (rather than offsetting the timing of each note manually, which would be a painstaking process to say the least).<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/HumanizeGrooves_InPost_8-e1531502598566.png\" alt=\"Navigating to the Humanize menu in Logic Pro X\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1280px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1280\/755;\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In Logic\u2019s Piano Roll, go to <strong>Functions<\/strong> \u2192 <strong>MIDI Transform<\/strong> \u2192 <strong>Humanize<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio alignwide\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/How-to-Humanize-Drums-Step-2-Note-Position.wav\" preload=\"auto\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019re not going to randomize the position of the MIDI notes drastically\u2014even just \u00b110 ticks can add a subtle life to your groove without making it sound like the drummer is making perceptible mistakes in their timing.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/HumanizeGrooves_InPost_7-e1531495716126.png\" alt=\"The Humanize function in Logic Pro X\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1280px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1280\/697;\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Make sure the velocity and length operations are set to <strong>Thru<\/strong> before you hit <strong>Select and Operate<\/strong> so that they aren\u2019t randomized as well<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>If you don\u2019t use Logic, don\u2019t worry; most DAWs offer their own version of this function.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/HumanizeGrooves_InPost_6-e1531495892932.png\" alt=\"The MIDI drums with timings humanized\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1280px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1280\/668;\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The result is subtle, but if you look closely you can see that notes are no longer perfectly aligned<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Pro Tip: <\/strong>After humanizing note position, it\u2019s not a bad idea to go in and re-quantize just the kicks and crash cymbals that are occurring together (or to exclude them from the randomization operation in the first place). These tend to be emphasizing important musical moments, and having them perfectly aligned creates a more satisfying punch (this is a personal preference, not a hard rule).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"Performance\">How to humanize the performance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The last thing we\u2019re going to do is less obvious but incredibly important: We\u2019re going to add and remove MIDI notes in our groove to make the performance sound more believable. This requires us to think like a drummer, and to make sure that the parts we\u2019re writing are parts that can and <em>would<\/em> be played on a kit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In terms of what <em>can<\/em> be played, the main restriction to keep in mind is that a drummer only has two hands. This means that kick drum and hi-hat pedal aside, we generally shouldn\u2019t be hearing more than two kit pieces sounding at the exact same time. In addition, a cross-handed drummer will typically use their right hand for both on-beat hi-hats and cymbals\u2014therefore, it\u2019ll sound more natural if we remove the closed hi-hat hits that are occurring at the same time as the crash cymbals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We also want to consider musical elements that a drummer might add when performing a given groove, even if they\u2019re not changing the rhythm\u2019s core character. These might include ghost notes, open hi-hats, rolls, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s take a listen to what the same drum groove sounds like when some of these performative elements are applied:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/HumanizeGrooves_InPost_5-e1531495921491.png\" alt=\"The MIDI drums with the hi-hats muted\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1280px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1280\/668;\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The hi-hats are muted because they\u2019ve been moved to a separate track\u2014more on that later<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio alignwide\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/How-to-Humanize-Drums-Step-3-Performance.wav\" preload=\"auto\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Occasional open hi-hats add a lot of energy to the track, particularly in combination with the snare fill. We\u2019ve also fixed performance-related issues with the hi-hat that made the groove sound less realistic; closed hats that overlapped with the crash cymbal have been removed, and the foot pedal is being used instead during the fill, since both of the drummer\u2019s hands would be occupied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now we can also have some fun. Ghost notes on the snare add a subtle grooviness to the track, and different snare samples such as rimshots and edge hits (which are commonly preloaded into even built-in drum kits) are sprinkled into the fill to prevent it from sounding like a succession of duplicate samples.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/HumanizeGrooves_InPost_4-e1531495956623.png\" alt=\"Our improved snare fill featuring rolls, rimshots, edge hits, and more\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1280px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1280\/768;\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Our improved snare fill featuring rolls, rimshots, edge hits, and more<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Speaking of preventing things from sounding like duplicate samples, one trick that we\u2019ve implemented is creating a separate track for the hi-hats and adding a stereo tremolo with a low depth (30%) and slower rate (1\/2). This makes each hi-hat sound come from a <em>slightly<\/em> different position in the stereo image, which can perceptually help prevent the listener from picking up on the sample\u2019s repetitiveness if you&#8217;re using an instrument that doesn&#8217;t utilize round robin-type features.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/HumanizeGrooves_InPost_3-e1531495989492.png\" alt=\"Our hi-hats isolated on a separate track\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1280px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1280\/665;width:840px;height:auto\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Our hi-hats isolated on a separate track<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>This works because unlike the kick and the snare, the hi-hat is often panned to begin with, and the effect isn\u2019t noticeable because our stereo tremolo is relatively subtle. The trick is useful because the hi-hat is the sound that we hear the most frequently, and in this groove we just want the hats to be <em>felt<\/em> rather than <em>heard<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/HumanizeGrooves_InPost_2-e1531496019960.png\" alt=\"The Tremolo plugin in Logic Pro X\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1280px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1280\/656;\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The slightest stereo tremolo can do wonders with blending the hi hats with the rest of the kit<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to humanize your MIDI drums: The big picture<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have these three techniques in mind, you should be well prepared to go forth and humanize your own drums. When we think of humanizing MIDI, our first instinct may be to make adjustments to velocity and note position\u2014and these are important steps without a doubt, as discussed in this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, a key takeaway to keep in mind is our last step\u2014<em>writing drum parts that inherently lend themselves well to a human performance<\/em>. Whether it&#8217;s MIDI drums or a <a aria-label=\"guitar, (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/make-guitar-patterns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">MIDI guitar,<\/a> when trying to create convincing lines for any instrument using software, we have to consider what&#8217;s\u00a0idiomatic, or playable, by that instrument (unless we&#8217;re not aiming for realism to begin with; one of the awesome benefits of digital music production is that realism is an <em>option<\/em>, not a restriction).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As music producers and composers, we&#8217;re tasked to understand how all sorts of instruments are played. This shouldn&#8217;t be seen as a chore, though; rather, it&#8217;s an enjoyable and rewarding endeavor that allows us to appreciate the music created using various instruments in a deeper and richer way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Explore royalty-free sounds from leading artists, producers, and sound designers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button aligncenter\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/sounds\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Join Splice today<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From manipulating velocity to adding ghost notes, learn about three key techniques that will help you humanize your MIDI drums.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":5092,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1850,1856,1846,1696],"tags":[348,1641,641],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Humanize MIDI Drums: Tips &amp; 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