Calculate song length from BPM and number of bars, find the bars or tempo for a target duration, or get note lengths in seconds at any BPM.

Match the tempo mark. In 6/8, dotted-quarter BPM counts two tempo beats per bar.

Optional settings

Related Calculators

To add up an album or playlist, use the Add Time Calculator. Enter one track per line as, for example, 3m 30s (not 3:30); it supports up to 20 duration lines. Two tracks of 3m 30s and 4m 45s total 8m 15s. This sums known track lengths; the calculator above estimates one song from its tempo and musical length.

Song Time Formula

The following formula is used to calculate the song time.

ST = (B / BPM) × 60

Variables:

  • ST is the song time (seconds)
  • BPM is the number of selected tempo-beat units per minute, such as quarter notes or dotted quarters.
  • B is the total count of those same tempo beats, including any repeats. For bars, B = bars × (time-signature numerator/denominator) ÷ beat-unit fraction of a whole note.

Divide total tempo beats by BPM and multiply by 60 for seconds. For example, 6/8 contains six eighth notes per bar: that is two dotted-quarter tempo beats when BPM refers to a dotted quarter, or three quarter-note tempo beats when BPM refers to a quarter note. The same meter does not imply the same BPM beat unit. See Dorico’s meter definitions. Inverse modes rearrange the same relationship to find bars or BPM; nearest whole-bar and positive four-bar alternatives are rounding choices and may be longer or shorter than the target.

What is Song Time?

Song time is the duration of a piece of music. This calculator estimates it from one constant tempo and meter; it does not analyze an audio recording. Tempo changes, pauses, fermatas, pickups, free-time passages and uncounted repeats can change actual runtime. Note-duration mode uses straight nominal values: a dot adds half the base duration, and a standard 3:2 triplet note lasts two-thirds of the unmodified value. These ratios follow the note-value definitions and triplet convention. Your last successful inputs are saved in this browser; other scripts on this site may access them, and Reset clears this calculator’s saved data.

How to Calculate Song Time?

The following steps outline how to calculate the Song Time.

  1. First, determine BPM and the note value that receives one tempo beat; match the metronome mark rather than assuming a quarter note.
  2. Next, count total tempo beats directly, or enter bars with the time signature and convert bars to the chosen tempo-beat unit.
  3. Use the formula from above = ST = (B / BPM) * 60.
  4. Finally, calculate the Song Time (ST) in seconds.
  5. After inserting the variables and calculating the result, check your answer with the calculator above.

Example Problem : 

Use the following variables as an example problem to test your knowledge.

Beats per minute (BPM) = 120

Total tempo beats B = 240. At 120 BPM, ST = (240/120) × 60 = 120 seconds = 2:00. With quarter-note BPM in 4/4, this is 60 bars. Displayed clocks round to the nearest 0.01 second, carrying into minutes or hours as needed; inverse calculations use the unrounded entered duration. For a target, enter whole minutes and seconds below 60; a blank field means zero, but the combined duration must be positive.