Tech: How long can my cd be?

Subject: RE: Tech: How long can my cd be?
From: Bernard
Date: 15 Jul 11 - 06:59 AM

'some "friends" have said get an iPod & copy all my 600+ CDs & get rid of the originals! NO.'

Quite right - but for a different reason! Here in the UK it is a copyright infringement to put CDs onto an iPod or other retrieval system and then dispose of the original copies.

In reality it is also a copyright infringement to rip your CDs to MP3, WMA or what have you, though it's unlikely that you would be prosecuted unless you were distributing the files.

Subject: RE: Tech: How long can my cd be?
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Jul 11 - 03:29 AM

"I like CDs, I always want to know what I'm listening to, read the notes, admire the pics etc. It was the same in the days of records & cassettes."

One answer to that (and I can see it's still not going to be perfect for everyone) is a web based presentation. While the music is playing, you get to read all that background material on the screen.

YouTube gets close to that, and I've been using it a lot recently, mainly because of the influence of the "tune of the month" series at melodeon.net. I make a point of adding some background information about every upload I've done, and I'm always disappointed when I look at someone else's video and there's no info at all.

Sorry - thread drift... but the original question's been answered so I don't feel too guilty.

P.S. Hiya Les - it's hard to keep track of these nym-shifting Mudcatters and remeber who's who!

Subject: RE: Tech: How long can my cd be?
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 14 Jul 11 - 08:13 PM

I tend to listen to entire CDs but then I don't have a car or an iPod thingy.

I like CDs - some "friends" have said get an iPod & copy all my 600+ CDs & get rid of the originals! NO.

I like CDs, I always want to know what I'm listening to, read the notes, admire the pics etc. It was the same in the days of records & cassettes.

sandra (old fashioned)

Subject: RE: Tech: How long can my cd be?
From: Bernard
Date: 14 Jul 11 - 07:56 PM

It's been a long time since I could sit and listen... except in the car. Too much stuff, not enough time!

Subject: RE: Tech: How long can my cd be?
From: GUEST,999
Date: 14 Jul 11 - 07:48 PM

Allison, remember that the spaces between songs are 'time' also. !f you have 16 songs and 3 seconds between each, that will be another 45 seconds. Easy to forget that.

Subject: RE: Tech: How long can my cd be?
From: Arthur_itus
Date: 14 Jul 11 - 05:24 PM

"As somebody said, a compilation is not the same thing as an album."

That was me Anahata :-)

Cheers
Les Worrall

Subject: RE: Tech: How long can my cd be?
From: treewind
Date: 14 Jul 11 - 05:06 PM

"Does anyone sit there and listen to a cd all the way through"

Aye, there's the rub!

People used to sit down and listen to whole albums, and albums were designed as an artistic whole, not just a random collection of songs stuck on a record. Now the tracks are likely to be loaded into big music databases/iTunes collections/iPod with 1000's of others, shuffled and mixed in to a musical jumble.

A bit like buying books by the yard to fill shelves instead of individually to read and cherish... [sigh]

As somebody said, a compilation is not the same thing as an album.

CDs are generally capable of either 74 minutes (the original standard) or 80 minutes (a popular extension)

Incidentally, they will never go over 99 minutes because the two-digit decimal minute counter can't be extended in any way that CD players would be able to understand. DVDs are another matter of course - completely different standard.

Subject: RE: Tech: How long can my cd be?
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 14 Jul 11 - 03:34 PM

This is great! Thanks for all the POVs! My compilation (so far) is about 74 minutes long; I try to get a sampling of 2-4 of the best songs from each concert since 2007, which means I've got 9 concerts to choose from. Then I try to group them, not chronologically, but in a way that shows some kind of flow, both thematically and in terms of what key follows another. For example, we sometimes have a tendency to go a bit flat when we sing a cappella (which is most of the time) so I try not to have two songs of the same key side by side!

Does anyone sit there and listen to a cd all the way through, unless in the car or doing something else (knitting? cooking? dining?). I'm not worried about it being too long for listening, as long as it fits on the cd!

Again, thanks to all for your feedback. This is the third time I've done this; you'd think I got it by now!

Subject: RE: Tech: How long can my cd be?
From: Arthur_itus
Date: 14 Jul 11 - 01:54 PM

Joe Offer, I do exactly that in the car. It's the only chance I get to listen to my music in the car and enjoy it. That's of course when the rest of the family aren't in it. :-)

Subject: RE: Tech: How long can my cd be?
From: Bernard
Date: 14 Jul 11 - 11:47 AM

Speaking with my 'radio' hat on - air play for tracks becomes less likely as the tracks become longer... between 3 & 4 minutes should get air play, but anything longer than that is likely to be rejected because we only have a fixed amount of time to play as much variety as possible!

A lot of modern stuff tends towards 6 or more minutes, especially young instrumental bands! That means we could play two three minute tracks instead... or fade and talk over the rest of your track... sorry!

Make sure your CD insert has the track timings on it, too!

Subject: RE: Tech: How long can my cd be?
From: GUEST,999
Date: 14 Jul 11 - 10:56 AM

How long is a piece of string . . . .

Subject: RE: Tech: How long can my cd be?
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 14 Jul 11 - 10:27 AM

my personal view is that for casual listening for pleasure
a good single artist or band CD
should achieve all it needs to communicate effectively
within 35 - 45 minutes.
Anything longer usually struggles to maintain listener interest,
relying too much on sub standard padding..

However, a well programmed multi artist compilation
definitely justifies filling the full 80 mins format.

Same applies to lovingly compiled single artist/band
complete recording career historic commemorative boxsets....

Subject: RE: Tech: How long can my cd be?
From: Bernard
Date: 14 Jul 11 - 10:07 AM

I agree - more is better! I'm another who plays them in the car, and as I don't have a CD changer or MP3 capability, an 80 minute CD suits me just fine!

The original standard was 74 minutes, but it's rare to find 74 minute CDRs these days, 80 minutes is the norm. As far a glass mastered CDs are concerned, 80 minutes is no problem - there was talk a few years ago of a 90 minute standard, but that didn't seem to take off. Pity, as I've got a lot of old C90 compilation cassettes...!

Go with your 1.2 hour (72 minute) plan - and maybe put a bonus track on!

I was working on a yet-to-be-released album for some friends recently, and one song sounded truly amazing when played backwards - so it's going on the final release as a bonus novelty track. Surprisingly, it doesn't sound odd - just as if it's being sung in Russian (okay, I don't speak Russian, so don't shoot me down!). Musically it's perfectly acceptable, too!

Subject: RE: Tech: How long can my cd be?
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 14 Jul 11 - 07:11 AM

It's amazing how many CDs we have bought in the USA that are less than 30 minutes - that is plain mean!!

Subject: RE: Tech: How long can my cd be?
From: DrugCrazed
Date: 14 Jul 11 - 05:09 AM

Technical limit is 80 (usually).

I'm with Joe, I'd rather have an album that's above the 50 minute mark.

Subject: RE: Tech: How long can my cd be?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 14 Jul 11 - 04:56 AM

About the only time that I can pay attention to music, is when I'm driving. I'm at least an hour's drive from the civilized world, so I like long CDs. Usually, I'll burn 10 MP3 albums on a CD for road trips.
For me, the more music on an album, the better. I feel cheated when I get an album that's under 45 or 50 minutes. Allison, I'd be glad to listen to you for 80 minutes.


-Joe-

Subject: RE: Tech: How long can my cd be?
From: Arthur_itus
Date: 14 Jul 11 - 04:51 AM

Hi Judy.
I tend to burn the CD's to my Pc and then create playlists of various artists and genre of music and then put them on my smartphone.
My daughters only buy and download singles from the internet and put them on their smartphones.
Could the Cd be on it's way out.
Les

Subject: RE: Tech: How long can my cd be?
From: Judy Dyble
Date: 14 Jul 11 - 04:34 AM

I suspect 45 minutes is about the limit of people's attention.. you could try playing the whole thing to a couple of people and see at what point they stop being attentive and start wanting to talk.
My suggestion would be to do two CDs

Subject: RE: Tech: How long can my cd be?
From: Gurney
Date: 13 Jul 11 - 05:13 PM

Or you could go by the number of...er.. numbers. Originally-LP re-recordings have 13+, original-CDs have anything up to 25.

Subject: RE: Tech: How long can my cd be?
From: Deckman
Date: 13 Jul 11 - 05:08 PM

In my archiving work, I plan to use not more than 60 minutes, though 70 is about the capacity. For a CD for an audience, I would think of it as you would plan a live concert, something like fifty minutes. I hope this helps ... bob

Subject: RE: Tech: How long can my cd be?
From: Arthur_itus
Date: 13 Jul 11 - 05:06 PM

I have just done a charity Cd for Macmillan Cancer and I have 21 songs/tunes on it and it is fine. Compilations are different to what Treewind is on about.

Subject: RE: Tech: How long can my cd be?
From: treewind
Date: 13 Jul 11 - 05:02 PM

If you're really expecting people to listen to the album, don't go over about 55 minutes. Just because it's technically possible to get more on to a CD, that doesn't mean it's always a good idea.

Subject: RE: Tech: How long can my cd be?
From: GUEST,999
Date: 13 Jul 11 - 01:49 PM

I would not go over 77 minutes. Personal preference. In theory, you have 80 minutes, but that's asking the CD to use darned near every bit of space it has. imo

Subject: RE: Tech: How long can my cd be?
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 13 Jul 11 - 01:09 PM

82 minutes on overburn!

Subject: RE: Tech: How long can my cd be?
From: GUEST,Suibhne Astray
Date: 13 Jul 11 - 12:35 PM

On a CD-R make in 70 max, even though more is possible, but not always advisable in practise. On a proper CD you can go up to the limit; put the extras on line as free downloads by way of promos... Lots of options there, but Soundcloud is by way the coolest!

Subject: RE: Tech: How long can my cd be?
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 13 Jul 11 - 12:22 PM

Try 79.8 minutes...

Subject: RE: Tech: How long can my cd be?
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 13 Jul 11 - 12:22 PM

Red Book standard audio CD is 9.8 minutes.

Subject: Tech: How long can my cd be?
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 13 Jul 11 - 12:13 PM

OK, so I'm pulling together a new "Best of Animaterra Women's Chorus" cd a compilation of the past 5 years of our singing. According to itunes I have 1.2 hours of music. Will that fit on a standard cd??