Judging the track time for a piece of vinyl is more complicated than digital media, like burning a CD for example, because the grooves are spaced apart slightly differently with each revolution of the disc. Sizes and speeds can also vary the track time, as well as the loudness of the audio (see here for rough guidelines for each type of disc). When choosing a dub, its important to be aware of the track times and which discs would be suitable, so this guide is to help you decide.
The Variables
Disc Size | Playing Speed (RPM) |
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Disc Layout | Loudness |
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The Rules... (well, the guidelines)
Tracks can be any length you like (up to a maximum of about 20 minutes), but some dub formats allow greater track times than others. So if you are not sure which dub to get, just make a list of all the of the times for each of your tracks, and see how they will fit using the table below.
Singles | EPs | LPs | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() 7 inch single 45rpm |
![]() 10 inch single 45rpm |
![]() 12 inch single 45rpm |
![]() 10 inch EP 33rpm |
![]() 12 inch EP 33rpm |
![]() 12 inch LP 33rpm |
Per Side: | |||||
up to 4 mins |
up to 7 mins |
up to 9 mins |
up to 10 mins |
up to 15 mins | up to 20 mins |
inc. 1 track | inc. 1 track | inc. 1 track | inc. 2 tracks | inc. 2 tracks | inc. 4 tracks |
max. 1 track | max. 2 tracks | max. 2 tracks | max. 3 tracks | max. 3 tracks | max. 7 tracks |
Per Dub: | |||||
up to 8 mins |
up to 14 mins |
up to 18 mins |
up to 20 mins |
up to 30 mins | up to 40 mins |
inc. 2 tracks | inc. 2 tracks | inc. 2 tracks | inc. 4 tracks | inc. 4 tracks | inc. 8 tracks |
max. 2 tracks | max. 4 tracks | max. 4 tracks | max. 6 tracks | max. 6 tracks | max. 14 tracks |
* this table is just a rough guideline for the most common combinations of size, layout and speed, recorded at a standard loudness.