# Guideline for track/recording length

**URL:** <https://community.metabrainz.org/t/guideline-for-track-recording-length/124984>\
**Category:** Style\
**Tags:** recording, track\
**Created:** [September 2, 2016, 9:52am UTC](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/guideline-for-track-recording-length/124984 "2016-09-02T09:52:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![gdetrez](https://community.metabrainz.org/user_avatar/community.metabrainz.org/gdetrez/32/2171_2.png) [@gdetrez](https://community.metabrainz.org/u/gdetrez)\
**Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 9:52am UTC](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/guideline-for-track-recording-length/124984/1 "2016-09-02T09:52:36Z")

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I couldn’t find any information about track length in the guideline: when adding tracks should the track length be what is reported on the cover (if available) or is it better to use the times that are inferred from added discid?

Also, how do you pick a recording’s length when the recording is associated with multiple tracks that have different lengths?

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**Author:** ![chirlu](https://community.metabrainz.org/user_avatar/community.metabrainz.org/chirlu/32/45_2.png) [@chirlu](https://community.metabrainz.org/u/chirlu)\
**Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 9:57am UTC](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/guideline-for-track-recording-length/124984/2 "2016-09-02T09:57:58Z")

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For a track on a CD where the TOC is available, there is no choice: MB will automatically take the track lengths from the TOC. Similarly, for recordings that belong to one or multiple releases, there is no way to set the length, as it is automatically derived as the median of the track lengths.

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**Author:** ![outsidecontext](https://community.metabrainz.org/user_avatar/community.metabrainz.org/outsidecontext/32/90_2.png) [@outsidecontext](https://community.metabrainz.org/u/outsidecontext)\
**Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 10:45am UTC](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/guideline-for-track-recording-length/124984/3 "2016-09-02T10:45:31Z")

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I think regardless of disc ID the track lengths should reflect the actual track length and not whatever mistake somebody did when doing the cover.

> [@gdetrez](#):
>
> Also, how do you pick a recording’s length when the recording is associated with multiple tracks that have different lengths?

I think in this case the median of the recording lengths is used.