In a world where perfection is often the default, I’ve found myself on a bit of a quest: a quest to rediscover and celebrate the beauty of imperfection. That realization hit me just the other day when I was visiting a church service in Houston. The singers were so perfect, it was incredible...too good in fact. I recognize a familiar sound that as a professional live audio engineer. All the vocals were perfectly pitch-tuned with a Waves Tune plugin, so flawless that it zapped all the zest. I knew most of the singers, they are incredible vocal performers, but the soul, the human touch, it seemed to have been polished right out.

So leads to extend my mission into 2026: I want my studio to be a haven for that beautifully imperfect magic.

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I was on the phone when I heard this… “With AI and art, I feel that there is no end game”.

I feel like a songwriter or author that got haunted by a phrase that makes run to a piece of paper. For me, it’s my computer and this blog you are reading. For the record, I'm not anti-AI. I’m not arguing against it.
I’m simply questioning the reality of the times we’re in.

Will it bother you if the voice moving you isn’t real?
If the lyrics that bring you to tears weren’t born from someone’s lived experience, but from a prompt?

It’s not like we’re 3D-printing chicken or letting AI father our children.
It’s just a tool, right?

Maybe.
But for me—yes—it does matter.

Moments ago, I had an odd feeling in my stomach—this strange question that’s been haunting me all year: Would I still be mixing and mastering music in five years? Artificial Intelligence is reshaping the creative world faster than any of us expected. With a click of a button, an artist can “create” lyrics, shape your voice and creating a choir for a industry competing arrangement, no studio, musician, arranger is necessary, and it can “master” a track in seconds. So the question naturally pops up:

“Should I keep mixing and mastering when AI can do it instantly?”

My answer — grounded in 25+ years of ears, instinct, and craft — is simple:

Yes. Because AI cannot replace me.

Here are the seven reasons that I could find…and boy was it reassuring….maybe it will be for you will too.

Photos by @josuemlopez17