What makes instrument plugins sound real?
Beginner musicians sound significantly different than professionals, even when they play the same song with the same notes. Why might this be?
Let's use a piano as an example. A piano makes a sound when a key is pressed. This causes a hammer to hit a string, which makes a sound. When a beginner plays a song, they don't have much control over the instrument. The notes likely have the same volume, their pacing may be all over the place, and the player isn't intentionally adding their personality to the performance.
When a professional plays, they have full control over the instrument. The player carefully manipulates the speed at which the instrument is played. They decide how loud to play each note. Each hand may play at different volumes than the other hand throughout the piece. Their right hand, which usually plays the main melody, will likely play slightly louder than their left hand, which will be playing the accompaniment...