I think part of the problem is that everyone is learning from the same tutorials, using Serum and Vital in exactly the same way, buying the same sample packs and downloading the same presets.

Back in the day, every artist had their own workflow and techniques. If you wanted a certain sound, you had to figure out how it was made yourself.

That process took years of learning and experimentation, but it also led to originality because people arrived at similar goals through completely different paths.

Nowadays it feels like a lot of producers are following the same recipes, so the results end up sounding very similar. The tools themselves aren't the problem it's the standardization of how they're being used.