diff --git a/libs/ardour/ardour/smf_source.h b/libs/ardour/ardour/smf_source.h
index 9e215bf5a2..8d818e4c6b 100644
--- a/libs/ardour/ardour/smf_source.h
+++ b/libs/ardour/ardour/smf_source.h
@@ -111,7 +111,17 @@ class SMFSource : public MidiSource {
 
 	int  open();
 	void close();
-	void seek_to_end();
+	
+	/**
+	 * This method is only used by flush_footer() to find the right seek position 
+	 * for the footer (at the end after recording or -4 offset ro SEEK_END
+	 * if a footer is already present)
+	 */
+	void seek_to_footer_position();
+	
+	/**
+	 * write the track footer at the current seek position
+	 */
 	void write_footer();
 
 	void     write_chunk_header(const char id[4], uint32_t length);
diff --git a/libs/ardour/smf_source.cc b/libs/ardour/smf_source.cc
index 4d1c78af9d..a39074747b 100644
--- a/libs/ardour/smf_source.cc
+++ b/libs/ardour/smf_source.cc
@@ -170,7 +170,8 @@ SMFSource::open()
 
 		// Write a tentative header just to pad things out so writing happens in the right spot
 		flush_header();
-		flush_footer();
+		// this is the first footer written, so we dont need to seek for the footer
+		write_footer();
 	}
 		
 	return (_fd == 0) ? -1 : 0;
@@ -188,9 +189,24 @@ SMFSource::close()
 }
 
 void
-SMFSource::seek_to_end()
+SMFSource::seek_to_footer_position()
 {
+	uint8_t buffer[4];
+	
+	// lets check if there is a track end marker at the end of the data
 	fseek(_fd, -4, SEEK_END);
+	size_t read_bytes = fread(buffer, sizeof(uint8_t), 4, _fd);
+	if( (read_bytes == 4) && 
+	    buffer[0] == 0x00 && 
+	    buffer[1] == 0xFF && 
+	    buffer[2] == 0x2F && 
+	    buffer[3] == 0x00) {
+		// there is one, so overwrite it
+		fseek(_fd, -4, SEEK_END);
+	} else {
+		// there is none, so append
+		fseek(_fd, 0, SEEK_END);
+	}
 }
 
 int
@@ -198,7 +214,7 @@ SMFSource::flush_header()
 {
 	// FIXME: write timeline position somehow?
 	
-	//cerr << "SMF Flushing header\n";
+	//cerr << path() << " SMF Flushing header\n";
 
 	assert(_fd);
 
@@ -225,7 +241,8 @@ SMFSource::flush_header()
 int
 SMFSource::flush_footer()
 {
-	seek_to_end();
+	//cerr << path() << " SMF Flushing footer\n";
+	seek_to_footer_position();
 	write_footer();
 
 	return 0;
@@ -332,18 +349,15 @@ SMFSource::read_event(uint32_t* delta_t, uint32_t* size, Byte** buf) const
 	
 	*size = event_size;
 
-	/*if (ev.buffer == NULL)
-		ev.buffer = (Byte*)malloc(sizeof(Byte) * ev.size);*/
-
 	(*buf)[0] = (unsigned char)status;
 	if (event_size > 1)
 		fread((*buf) + 1, 1, *size - 1, _fd);
 
-	/*printf("%s read event: delta = %u, size = %u, data = ", _name.c_str(), *delta_t, *size);
+	/*printf("SMFSource %s read event: delta = %u, size = %u, data = ", _name.c_str(), *delta_t, *size);
 	for (size_t i=0; i < *size; ++i) {
 		printf("%X ", (*buf)[i]);
 	}
-	printf("\n");*/
+	printf("\n"); */
 	
 	return (int)*size;
 }
@@ -449,8 +463,13 @@ SMFSource::write_unlocked (MidiRingBuffer& src, nframes_t cnt)
 		
 		assert(time >= _timeline_position);
 		time -= _timeline_position;
-
+		
 		const MIDI::Event ev(time, size, buf);
+		if (! (ev.is_channel_event() || ev.is_smf_meta_event() || ev.is_sysex()) ) {
+			//cerr << "SMFSource: WARNING: caller tried to write non SMF-Event of type " << std::hex << int(ev.buffer()[0]) << endl;
+			continue;
+		}
+		
 		append_event_unlocked(Frames, ev);
 
 		if (_model)
@@ -472,12 +491,12 @@ SMFSource::write_unlocked (MidiRingBuffer& src, nframes_t cnt)
 void
 SMFSource::append_event_unlocked(EventTimeUnit unit, const MIDI::Event& ev)
 {
-	/*printf("%s - append chan = %u, time = %lf, size = %u, data = ",
-			name().c_str(), (unsigned)ev.channel(), ev.time(), ev.size());
+	/*printf("SMFSource: %s - append_event_unlocked chan = %u, time = %lf, size = %u, data = ",
+			name().c_str(), (unsigned)ev.channel(), ev.time(), ev.size()); */
 	for (size_t i=0; i < ev.size(); ++i) {
 		printf("%X ", ev.buffer()[i]);
 	}
-	printf("\n");*/
+	printf("\n");
 	
 	assert(ev.time() >= 0);
 	assert(ev.time() >= _last_ev_time);
diff --git a/libs/midi++2/midi++/event.h b/libs/midi++2/midi++/event.h
index 79f78c35e9..7f792af1e9 100644
--- a/libs/midi++2/midi++/event.h
+++ b/libs/midi++2/midi++/event.h
@@ -181,20 +181,24 @@ struct Event {
 	inline uint8_t     velocity()              const { return (_buffer[2]); }
 	inline uint8_t     cc_number()             const { return (_buffer[1]); }
 	inline uint8_t     cc_value()              const { return (_buffer[2]); }
-	inline uint16_t    pitch_bender_value()    const { return (((0x7F & _buffer[1]) << 7) | (0x7F & _buffer[2])); }
 	inline uint8_t     pitch_bender_lsb()      const { return (_buffer[1]); }
 	inline uint8_t     pitch_bender_msb()      const { return (_buffer[2]); }
+	inline uint16_t    pitch_bender_value()    const { return (((0x7F & _buffer[2]) << 7) | (0x7F & _buffer[1])); }
 	inline uint8_t     pgm_number()            const { return (_buffer[1]); }
 	inline void        set_pgm_number(uint8_t number){ _buffer[1] = number; }
 	inline uint8_t     aftertouch()            const { return (_buffer[1]); }
 	inline uint8_t     channel_aftertouch()    const { return (_buffer[1]); }
+	// midi channel events range from 0x80 to 0xE0
+	inline bool        is_channel_event()      const { return (0x80 <= type()) && (type() <= 0xE0);	}
+	inline bool        is_smf_meta_event()     const { return _buffer[0] == 0xFF; }
+	inline bool        is_sysex()              const { return _buffer[0] == 0xF0 || _buffer[0] == 0xF7; }
 	inline const uint8_t* buffer()             const { return _buffer; }
 	inline uint8_t*&      buffer()                   { return _buffer; }
 
 private:
 	double   _time;   /**< Sample index (or beat time) at which event is valid */
 	uint32_t _size;   /**< Number of uint8_ts of data in \a buffer */
-	uint8_t*    _buffer; /**< Raw MIDI data */
+	uint8_t* _buffer; /**< Raw MIDI data */
 
 #ifdef MIDI_EVENT_ALLOW_ALLOC
 	bool _owns_buffer; /**< Whether buffer is locally allocated */