This topic has probably come up before but I wanted to know if you guys think that making an Arrangement/Cover from a MIDI is cheating? I personally don't think so because it would take FOREVER to replicate video game music by ear and before I do a remix for a song, I take time to really dissect how the song was made, the overall flow of the song and what kinds of notes it uses. Also, if you do a cover with a MIDI, you have to listen to the original song very closely in order to make sure that you're not missing any crucial elements so it trains your ears to look for the little details. Then, there is the part where you have to pick and choose which instruments go with each other so your training your ears even more. Finally, there's the part where you can improvise from the original creators work and possibly make it better than the original. One thing I ALWAYS make sure to do when I make an Arrangement is credit the original composer
It would be cheating if you pretend to have recomposed the track by the ear.
However, it is an easy solution that does not replace the learning of listening.
Otherwise, the idea is to progress, to learn something, and that's the case, right?
So, for me, as long as you are clear with yourself, everything is fine.