Methodology
How we know
Every instrument attribution on this site carries a confidence level and links to the evidence behind it. This page explains what those levels mean and how they are decided.
The four confidence levels
- HIGH
- Strong, usually corroborating evidence confirms the exact instrument or model — for example a direct interview and official credits agreeing on the specific instrument.
- MEDIUM
- Reliable credits establish the instrument or category, but the exact model or implementation is not confirmed — or only one moderate source supports the claim.
- LOW
- Plausible, but the sourcing is thin or circumstantial: secondary accounts without direct confirmation. Shown carefully, always with context.
- UNCONFIRMED
- Insufficient evidence. Not surfaced as a factual public claim.
Source hierarchy
Stronger sources first. A claim’s confidence follows the strength of what backs it, and whether those sources agree.
- 1Artist, musician or producer interview
- 2Official credits and liner notes
- 3Books and authoritative publications
- 4Manufacturer material
- 5Structured databases such as MusicBrainz
- 6Documentary and video material
- 7Reputable articles and retrospectives
- 8Community sources — forums and Reddit. Research leads only, never automatic proof.
Where sources conflict, we show both accounts and say so. We do not silently pick a winner.
We never infer an exact model
“Moog synthesizer” does not mean “Minimoog”. “Electric piano” does not mean “Fender Rhodes”. A credit naming a category and a claim naming a model are different claims at different confidence levels. Where the evidence supports the category but not the model, we name the category and grade the claim accordingly. That is the complete answer, not a partial one.
Ratings are not verification
Confidence is a factual grade about evidence. Prominence and reference quality are editorial ratings of how useful a recording is for hearing an instrument. A track can be a five-star listening reference for an attribution graded only MEDIUM. The two are never merged, and neither colours the other.
Commercial links
Some links to plugins and hardware earn us a commission. Those relationships never influence a confidence level, an editorial rating, or which instruments and recordings we document. Plugin suggestions are our opinion about getting close to a sound, and imply nothing about what was used on any recording.