What do you find to be effective ways of humanization?

Most DAWs have access to built-in swing or grooves that you can apply to a midi file. Ableton's is in the Core Library, under Swing and Groove. Just drag the groove onto the MIDI clip and it will automatically start applying; then you can adjust intensity in the groove pool that pops up and go from there.

Another common tool is to engage a delay on the track to be <10 milliseconds before or after the rest of your song. If it's a couple ms ahead, it'll seem like it's pulling the song ahead, as if it's rushing the pace or is a bit too excited. If it's behind, it will help add a more lazy or carefree groove to the track.

And of course the good old fashioned by-hand method Lydian didn't mention, where you go in with your mouse and physically shift notes slightly off grid. I do that all the time, especially with percussion.

I try to play live accurately, then fix the main errors and leave the other notes like they were played.
If I'm in a rush I simply use the 'humanize' function that my DAW has (Logic Pro).

The cleanest way to do this is to quantize everything and then manually slightly adjust each midi note to be slightly off. Some might say this is tedious, but since you move each one separately, you're guarenteed to get a "human" feel. Human feel is just slight error, since we aren't capable of keeping rhythm exactly. Do the same with velocity, although there are techniques for certain instruments. EX: You have a snare hit on 2 and 4, making the 4 hit at a less volume will give it a more human feel.

If you can make the sound w/ your body, then do it!
Claps!
Chants!
Breathing!
Popping noises!

Also record midi notes instead of typing them in. Another thing I do is not have everything so perfectly in time. For example, if I have two separate channels - one is a clap and the other is a snare - I will open the delay option on Ableton's mixer and pull the clap's time a few milliseconds before the snare so that it sounds a little lazy.

Also, make sure to use velocity as much as possible. If something is played live like drums or keys, they're not always gonna hit consistently. Different velocities for hi-hats and piano humanize them a lot.

marrow thats interesting re: the decay and attack. is that to simulate more 'humanized' sustain and timings?

also. ive been thinking of getting a little field recorder so i can record foley and claps and stuff like that myself, like VCTRLXNDR said. anyone got any recommendations for that?

also. ive been thinking of getting a little field recorder so i can record foley and claps and stuff like that myself, like VCTRLXNDR said. anyone got any recommendations for that?

The best mic in my opinion BY FAR for recording foley is the Zoom H4n: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001QWBM62/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's quite expensive, but it's everything you could need for a mobile mic.

Also, if you do get a mobile mic for foley recording, make sure you purchase a deadcat as well to stop wind f***ing up your recordings.