# MIDI "performance" questions

**URL:** <https://community.metabrainz.org/t/midi-performance-questions/358747>\
**Category:** Style\
**Tags:** special-purpose-artists, midi\
**Created:** [February 11, 2018, 7:01pm UTC](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/midi-performance-questions/358747 "2018-02-11T19:01:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![dseomn](https://community.metabrainz.org/user_avatar/community.metabrainz.org/dseomn/32/12195_2.png) [@dseomn](https://community.metabrainz.org/u/dseomn)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2018, 7:01pm UTC](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/midi-performance-questions/358747/1 "2018-02-11T19:01:34Z")

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I’m working on creating a new album, by writing MIDI files and synthesizing them into audio using an open source sound font. Are there any guidelines for performance/recording relationships? Here’s what I’m thinking of doing for the relationships, but I’m not sure if this is right:

- Use the date I convert MIDI to WAV as the recording-of-work and performance dates.
- To credit the individual MIDI instruments, [no artist] performed {instrument} on {recording} in {date}

Does that seem reasonable?

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**Author:** ![mfmeulenbelt](https://community.metabrainz.org/user_avatar/community.metabrainz.org/mfmeulenbelt/32/449_2.png) [@mfmeulenbelt](https://community.metabrainz.org/u/mfmeulenbelt)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2018, 7:07pm UTC](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/midi-performance-questions/358747/2 "2018-02-11T19:07:38Z")

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There is also a programming relationship. Would that fit with MIDI? It would be @dseomn programmed [instrument] on [recording]. I don’t think crediting things as “no artist” adds a lot of useful information to the database.

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**Author:** ![dseomn](https://community.metabrainz.org/user_avatar/community.metabrainz.org/dseomn/32/12195_2.png) [@dseomn](https://community.metabrainz.org/u/dseomn)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2018, 8:40pm UTC](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/midi-performance-questions/358747/3 "2018-02-11T20:40:40Z")

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> [@mfmeulenbelt](#):
>
> There is also a programming relationship. Would that fit with MIDI?

I think that would be the right relationship if I had programmed the synthesizer, but I don’t think it’s right if I just feed MIDI commands into an existing synthesizer.

> [@mfmeulenbelt](#):
>
> I don’t think crediting things as “no artist” adds a lot of useful information to the database.

I personally find the instrument information more interesting than the artist information for most, but not all, performance relationships.

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**Author:** ![dseomn](https://community.metabrainz.org/user_avatar/community.metabrainz.org/dseomn/32/12195_2.png) [@dseomn](https://community.metabrainz.org/u/dseomn)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2018, 8:45pm UTC](https://community.metabrainz.org/t/midi-performance-questions/358747/4 "2018-02-11T20:45:38Z")

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Thinking about it more, I wonder if it also makes sense to create a release (type: Other) for the specific version of the sound font. Maybe one track per instrument, with track number = MIDI program number, and no track length set? Maybe each version of a sound font would be its own release in the same release group? Then it would probably make sense to use the “recording samples recording” relationship. I’m not sure I want to put that much effort into this though.