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) |
|---|---|
 Discs come in three main sizes: 12 inch, 10 inch and 7 inch. The larger the disc, the more audio it can usually hold. |
 The slower a disc turns, the tighter we can pack the grooves, giving more 'lines per inch' (LPI) and longer recordings. |
| Disc Layout | Loudness |
 The standard disc layouts are LP, EP and Single. LPs normally hold about 8 tracks, EPs hold about 4 tracks, and singles hold 2 tracks. LPs and EPs are usually cut on 12 inch, but singles can be cut on any size disc. Singles and EPs are occasionally cut on ten inches too. |
 The LPI is also affected by the loudness of the recording - the quieter the recording is, the more LPI we can fit. For example, a 12 inch disc can be used to cut one or two loud tracks, or 4-5 tracks at normal 'LP' loudness. |
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.
