Is this scenario possible?

[basebliman]

This is my first post here, so let me introduce myself. My name is Matt, I'm a vinyl enthusiast with a jukebox and always looking for new (or old) interesting 45s out there for my collection. I'm not a person who owns a record lathe, but I am fascinated by the process. I have ordered custom records before. I just have a question for the community to see if there's a possibility to get a full version of Led Zeppelin's Kashmir (an 8 1/2 minute song) onto a 45. I have a 45 of the full version of Free Bird (9 minutes on an MCA 45, so not a custom job) so I think it is possible even though everyone I've talked to so far says it isn't. I also have a full version of Stairway to Heaven (8 minutes) on a picture 45, but after playing them side by side, I can tell the 45 was slightly sped up (not too noticeable) just enough to fit it all on there. I'd also like to get a full version of Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall Part 2 on the B side, which is more doable at just over 5 minutes. Neither of these were ever released on commercial vinyl (I've looked endlessly), so I'm willing to make it worth your while to get it done. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

[fredbissnette]

if you don't care how big the label is it can be done
i can cut/emboss 5 min per inch so it should be doable

[fredbissnette]

http://styluspressure.ca/

[EmAtChapterV]

The short answer is that it can be done but there are serious trade-offs in quality.

The amount of time that will fit on one side of a record depends on how loud the bass is throughout the side, which affects how closely the grooves can be packed together. Professional lathes (Scully, Neumann, Lyrec) automatically vary the spacing to be as efficient as possible. That being said, Freebird and Stairway To Heaven will each fit on one side of a 7" 45 rpm (barely, at reduced volume) because they both have long, gradual acoustic build-ups before things start going at full volume. The longest known 45 side (Incident On 57th Street by Bruce Springsteen, the B-side of Fire and clocking in at 10:03) is the same way. Kashmir on the other hand has John Bonham's drumming at full power from the get-go to the fade-out at 8:05. Fudging the RIAA diameter standards a bit to cram 8 1/2 minutes at 45 rpm into 1.2 inches gets you 320 lines per inch, 50 percent more than normal for an LP and double that of a regular 45. The only way this would fit is if the recording volume was turned way down, possibly 9 to 12 decibels below normal. You'd have to turn it up to hear it, and any crackles and other surface noise and wear would be amplified that much more. You could also roll off the bass as well, but that would do a disservice to Bonham and John Paul Jones.

[basebliman]

Thanks for that. At least I know it is possible. I did notice the surface scratches on Stairway were a bit louder than most. Free Bird must've been in better shape because I didn't notice anything.