alt Hacker NewsI don't think we are talking being able to keep time, that is a given for any musician playing to be recorded.
What the article is talking about is the teeny tiny imperfections of hitting the notes/drums at the beat (or "grid").
I agree that the imperfections are overfixed to an inhuman level.
Interestingly, there is a "swing" or randomize feature available in some hardware and I guess in every DAW, so if the producers wanted, they would be able to "fix" the notes to a grid, and then add a perfectly calculated random touch to make it sound human.
The first example the article uses of the kick and bass is not a subtle imperfection. It's massive, almost a full 16th. That's middle school levels of imperfection. With pro musicians it's obviously a deliberate stylistic choice.