Contribution Guidelines

Contribution Guidelines

Welcome to StageDB! We welcome community contributions to build the most accurate technical audio equipment database. Please follow these guidelines before submitting a pull request.

1. General Rules

• English Only: All documentation, descriptions, specifications, commit messages, and filenames must be written in English.
• Accurate & Verified Information: All technical data (frequency ranges, impedances, dimensions, polar patterns, wattage) must come directly from official manufacturer datasheets, manuals, or verified testing. Do not guess or post speculative numbers.
• No Marketing Fluff: Keep descriptions objective, technical, and concise. Avoid promotional slogans (e.g., avoid "the best sounding microphone in the world").

2. Allowed vs. Disallowed Content

Allowed Content

• Professional audio equipment: Microphones, Mixers, Stageboxes, Power Amplifiers, Speakers, Subwoofers, Line Arrays, and System Processors.
• Discontinued or legacy gear, provided official documentation and specifications exist.
• High-quality, clear product photos with plain backgrounds (saved under images/<product-slug>/).

Disallowed Content

• Consumer non-pro audio gear (e.g. smart speakers, cheap PC gaming headsets, soundbars).
• Subjective reviews, star ratings, or affiliate buying links.
• Copyright-infringing media, watermarked images, or low-resolution screenshots.
• Spam, duplicate articles, or placeholder files without real data.

3. How to Add or Modify Equipment

Article Format

Every piece of gear is a Markdown file placed in the appropriate category folder (e.g. content/02 Microphones/<brand>-<model>.md).

Each file must start with YAML front matter:

---
title: SM7B
brand: Shure
type: Dynamic vocal microphone
image: images/shure-sm7b/sm7b.jpg
alt: Shure SM7B dynamic studio microphone with windscreen
freq_range: [50, 20000]
tags: [dynamic, cardioid, vocal, broadcast, studio]
specs:
  Pattern: Cardioid
  Frequency range: 50–20,000 Hz
  Impedance: 150 Ω
  Sensitivity: -59.0 dB (1.12 mV)
  Connector: 3-pin XLR
---

Body Content

After the front matter, include:

1. A concise overview paragraph explaining what the gear is.
2. ## Key Features: Bullet points highlighting technical attributes.
3. ## Typical use: Common real-world professional applications.
4. Wiki links to related gear where applicable using [[Brand Model]] syntax.

4. Mandatory Step: Log in Contributors

Whenever you add or modify any files, you must record your contribution in content/01 Contributors/contributors.md:

1. Add your name/GitHub handle to the Contributors list (if not already listed).
2. Add an entry under Contribution Log noting:
3. Date (YYYY-MM-DD)
4. Your Name / GitHub username
5. Files modified or added
6. Brief description of changes

Example:

- **2026-10-17** - [@TibbevanZ](https://github.com/TibbevanZ): Added `content/02 Microphones/shure-sm7b.md` and `images/shure-sm7b/sm7b.jpg`.

5. Submission Workflow

1. Fork the repository on GitHub: TibbevanZ/StageDB
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/gear-name).
3. Add your equipment Markdown file and corresponding images.
4. Update content/01 Contributors/contributors.md with your contribution log entry.
5. Verify files follow the naming conventions (lowercase slugs with hyphens for files: e.g. yamaha-cl5.md).
6. Commit and open a Pull Request against main.

Ready to Contribute?

• Fork & Clone: GitHub Repository (TibbevanZ/StageDB)
• Start a Contribution: Create a new Pull Request
• Report Missing Data or Bugs: Open an Issue

See also

• 01 Contributors Overview, category overview
• Contributors, community & project information