My favorite tip given to me throughout my journey has been to always find the time to step outside of the box, never limit your sound. Music is endless and at times simplicity is key!
i agree, it makes the music sound too robotic, giving it a really strict square kinda feel. For other music that's "loose" and flowing, like jazz or swing, maybe some older hip hop, it needs the human touch. lol sry bout the spelling slip, you're right - quantizing
Layer a lot but then cut out what you don't need in the mix.
Give everything its place in the mix, frequency wise and panning wise too.
Create fast and make a lot of throwaway tracks, try to learn something new with each one.
Revisit older throwaway projects and get the best elements from it into something new.
Start basic and then re-iterate your ideas. Sometimes i find i make a better track by starting with a melody or two, making the beat, then removing the melody and rewriting it and later clearing up and improving the beat.
Once your track is finished in arrangement, bring down all the levels to 0 and mix upwards.
What works for me is creating the main part of the song first (so the middle). Then work on the beginning and end. It’s easier to see the flow this way, at least for me