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Song Length — Bars ↔ Time Calculator

Convert between bars and time both ways: get a song's length from a bar count and tempo, or the number of bars that fit a target duration.

About this tool

Work out how long an arrangement runs or how many bars you need to fill a slot, converting freely in both directions. Pick a mode, enter the tempo and beats per bar, then either a bar count or a target duration — all in your browser with nothing uploaded.

The core relationship is duration (seconds) = bars × beatsPerBar × (60 ÷ BPM); one bar lasts beatsPerBar × (60 ÷ BPM) seconds. Reversed, bars = duration ÷ (beatsPerBar × 60 ÷ BPM). For example 32 bars of 4/4 at 120 BPM run 32 × 4 × 0.5 = 64 seconds, or 1:04, and 128 total beats. Time-from-bars mode prints the length as mm:ss plus raw seconds and total beats; bars-from-time mode prints the bar count (which can be fractional) and total beats.

This is ideal for arrangers, film and game composers, and producers building loops — set the tempo, then read off exactly how many bars fill a scene or how long your section will play. Results recalculate live as you edit any field.

Frequently asked questions

How is bar length calculated?
One bar lasts beatsPerBar × (60 ÷ BPM) seconds. Multiply by the number of bars for total time, or divide a target time by it to get the number of bars.
Why is my bar count a decimal?
A fixed duration rarely divides into whole bars. A result like 24.5 means your time spans twenty-four and a half bars; round to the nearest bar if you need a clean loop point.
What is 'total beats'?
It is bars × beats-per-bar — the running total of individual beats. It is useful for sample counts, click tracks and lining up events on a beat grid.
Does the time signature's lower number matter here?
No. This tool models each bar as a plain count of beats at the given BPM, so you only set beats-per-bar. For explicit note-value scaling use the Time Signature & Bar Duration calculator.

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