Vents MagaZine Music and Entertainment Magazine
Related Articles
What’s the maximum amount of audio that can be stored on vinyl?
At Unified Manufacturing, we get asked this question a lot.
There’s no straightforward answer but in general, a 12-inch vinyl record can hold an average of one hour of audio. That’s quite some time you can use for your album.
But as I’ve said, this isn’t a fixed number.
It is possible to store three hours in a vinyl and some can only hold 12 minutes.
There are a few parameters that you need to consider to get a good estimate of how much audio you can store in a custom vinyl record.
First of these things is the custom vinyl record size you choose to use for your vinyl album release. Another would be the elements of the music you will be pressing onto your vinyl.
Vinyl Record Sizes and their audio capacity
As expected, vinyl size greatly affects how long a vinyl record can play.
The bigger the size, of course the more grooves you can have on either side of the vinyl.
These vinyl records run on different speeds, which is another reason for the variation of maximum playback time among and within vinyl record sizes. However, you cannot press music to the records’ maximum playback time.
There is a general optimum time you can follow instead. This will be great for the sound quality of your album.
7-inch vinyl record
This is the smallest vinyl record size and, therefore, has the shortest maximum time. It is best used for single releases with, maybe, a b-side accompanying it on the other side.
The 7-inch vinyl record runs on two speeds, 45 rpm and 33⅓ rpm. The maximum time for both speeds are 4 and 6 minutes on each side, respectively.
However, the optimum times are 3 and 5 minutes, respectively. This sums up to 6 minutes for the 7-inch vinyl record on 45 rpm and 10 minutes for the 7-inch vinyl record on 33⅓ rpm.
10-inch vinyl record
The 10-inch vinyl record initially ran on three speeds, 78 rpm, 45 rpm, and 33⅓ rpm. But the 78 rpm has been discontinued which makes vinyl records in this speed a rare and collectible one.
The maximum (optimum) time of 10-inch vinyl records on 45 rpm is 9 (7) minutes while those on 33⅓ rpm is 15 (11) minutes per side. This totals to 18 (14) minutes and 30 (22) minutes which makes this size a good choice for EP releases.
12-inch vinyl record
The vinyl record I was talking about that held an hour of audio on its surface was a 12-inch vinyl record. Apparently, a standard 12-inch vinyl record holds around an hour, but that depends on the audio you press on them.
For musicians, who have a vinyl pressing of their music on vinyl records, the maximum time for a 12-inch vinyl record running in 45 rpm is 15 minutes and those that run in 33⅓ rpm is 22 rpm on each side. The optimum time, however, is 12 minutes and 17 minutes per side, respectively.
This vinyl record size is the best choice when you want to release a full length album. It is not guaranteed though that all of the songs on your album would fit on one record alone. Most have at least two records, which greatly helps in the overall sound quality of the songs on the record.
The Four Limiting Music Elements
Vinyl records have come a very long way from the 1940’s to the 2020’s. Just like how our way of consuming music has evolved, music has evolved too. This music evolution has affected the total playing time of vinyl records.
Compression or Average Level
There was a time when loud music was good music and that’s where dynamic range compression became a thing. Music was purposely made loud.
Since vinyl records are limited to the grooves it can accommodate, the louder the song the shorter time there is left on its playback. If the whole song or album won’t fit, engineers might lower the levels.
Bass Level
Bass level is much like the first element. The more bass there is to your songs the more space it takes up on your vinyl record. This can lead to the lowering of your songs’ bass levels.
High Frequency Content
A song’s bright and high moments fall under high frequency content. Too much of this will leave engineers no choice but to lower them. That or there will be playback distortions.
Duration
If the track is too long that it won’t make the cut for one side, the engineer might need to lower its levels to make room for the extra grooves.
Summary
| The Three Vinyl Record Sizes | ||||
| Sizes | Speeds | Maximum Time(per side) | Optimum Time(per side) | Good Choice for |
| 7” | 45 rpm | 4 minutes | 3 minutes | Single Releases+ 1 or 2 B-sides |
| 33⅓ rpm | 6 minutes | 5 minutes | ||
| 10” | 45 rpm | 9 minutes | 7 minutes | EP Releases |
| 33⅓ rpm | 15 minutes | 11 minutes | ||
| 12” | 45 rpm | 15 minutes | 12 minutes | Full-length Album Releases |
| 33⅓ rpm | 22 minutes | 17 minutes |
| The Four Limiting Music Elements | ||
| Elements | Level/Condition | Effect / Solution |
| Compression | High | Shorter Playback Time / Lowered Levels |
| Low | Longer Playback Time | |
| Bass Level | High | Shorter Playback Time / Lowered Levels |
| Low | Longer Playback Time | |
| High Frequency | High | Shorter Playback Time / Lowered Levels |
| Low | Longer Playback Time | |
| Duration | Long | Track will be Cut / Lowered Levels |
| Short | Track will Fit |
To summarize, for a standard project, a 12” vinyl record can hold 44 minutes (22 minutes per side) for a 33 11/2 RPM. The minimum is 3 minutes per side for a 7” vinyl at 45 RPM.
Again, these are all estimates. If you have a particularly unique project and you’re willing to experiment, have a meeting with your vinyl mastering guy and vinyl pressing plant.
