A SoundFont is a data format that defines the information required by your computer to create musical notes or sound effects through wavetable synthesis. It contains samples that have been captured from a sound source. Instructions to the hardware (or software) on how to articulate these samples. For example, a SoundFont can contain sound samples recorded from a trumpet being played at different pitches. It can also contain various instructions to the synthesiser; for example, instructions to tell the hardware to filter or mute the sounds when notes are played softly, loop information about a sample that allows a short recording to be stretched to a sustained note, or instructions on how to apply vibrato or to bend a note's pitch. SoundFonts can be played via MIDI when loaded into a supporting piece of hardware or software.