Make it groove

Back when I made music with basic drum machines, everything sat perfectly on the grid. Mathematically correct. Completely lifeless.

You had to manually add swing to push the 16th notes slightly forward. That gave you groove. The offbeats shifted later in time and suddenly the rhythm had pocket. Without swing, hi-hats and snares hit with robotic precision that made everything feel stiff.

Now tools like modern DAWs do this automatically. They randomize both timing and velocity. Some notes rush a bit, others drag. Some hits are louder, others softer. The grid breaks just enough to sound human.

AI writing has the same problem. It sits perfectly on the grid. Every point explained. Every connection spelled out. No space for the reader to fill in gaps.

The fix is similar. Strip out everything someone can read between the lines. Let some ideas hit harder than others. Add your personal stories because those are the velocity changes AI can’t generate.

Take something rigid and mathematical. Make it groove.