The Death of Taste: Why Everything Sounds the Same (and How to Escape the Clone Factory)
The Great Flattening of Sound
Remember when every record had a fingerprint? When you could recognize a producer by the snare sound alone?
Now, everything’s polished, perfect — and completely lifeless. Somewhere between the “instant preset” era and the YouTube mix tutorial industrial complex, taste died quietly in the corner of a bedroom studio.
This isn’t nostalgia. It’s a reality check. The tools got better, but the results got worse. Here’s why — and how to claw your way out.
Taste Used to Be a Skill, Not a Preset.
Before the DAW took over, you had to decide things: mic choice, placement, EQ on the way in. Those decisions defined your sound.
Now, everyone’s scrolling through the same plug-in menus, chasing the same “radio-ready” sheen.
Truth bomb: convenience killed curiosity. Taste died because nobody’s forced to commit anymore.
The YouTube-ification of Production
The YouTube-ification of Production
There’s a “How to Mix Like [insert trending artist]” video for every genre on the planet.
And yeah, it’s efficient — but it’s also creative death by imitation.
When everyone uses the same sample packs, reference tracks, and templates, you end up with a production monoculture. The same snare, same vocal chain, same over-compressed drop.
F.U. Audio Rule #1: If your mix template came from a YouTuber with “beats” in their name, delete it.
The Algorithm Doesn’t Have Ears — But It’s Still Running the Show
streaming algorithms reward sameness.They want skip-proof intros, predictable structures, and zero surprises. Labels listened. Producers complied. The result? Perfectly average music designed not to offend the algorithm.
Real engineers don’t mix for data — they mix for impact.
Reclaiming Taste in a World of Clones
You want your records to sound fresh again? Stop chasing sterile perfection. Relearn what you think sounds good.
Use the wrong mic. Print effects live. Track in mono. Clip a preamp until it sweats.
Taste isn’t about correctness — it’s about courage.
F.U. Audio Rule #2: Stop chasing “clean.” Start chasing character.
Escape the Clone Factory: 3-Step Reset
Step 1: Reference analog records.
Listen to how older productions breathe — texture, saturation, imperfection.
Step 2: Ditch tutorials for a month.
Instead, train your ears. Pull up stems. Compare and note what makes each one move air differently.
Step 3: Build your own chain.
Forget copying someone else. Experiment until you grin. If it breaks a rule, good — that’s taste in action.
The Rebellion Is Sonic
The world doesn’t need more safe mixes. It needs bold ones. The next wave of great engineers will be the ones brave enough to sound “wrong.”
You can’t fake taste. You can only develop it — one defiant decision at a time.
FU Audio Rule #3: Taste is rebellion. Act accordingly.
Burn the Templates. Trust Your Ears.
If every track sounds the same, that’s your chance to sound different.
The algorithm doesn’t have taste — you do.
Stop polishing mediocrity and start chasing emotion. That’s how you stand out, not just in the charts, but in the headphones of anyone who still gives a damn about sound