Guides and tools / Song length calculator
Song length calculator
Turn bars into minutes and seconds at any tempo, or find how many bars you need to hit a target length. Free, and it runs in your browser.
Bars to time
2:57176.6 seconds1.38 seconds per bar
Time to bars
131 barsNearest 8-bar phrase: 128 bars (2:57)
Uses the tempo and time signature set above.
How long is 8, 16, 32, 64 or 128 bars?
At common tempos, in 4/4.
| Tempo | 8 bars | 16 bars | 32 bars | 64 bars | 128 bars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70 BPM | 0:27 | 0:55 | 1:50 | 3:39 | 7:19 |
| 80 BPM | 0:24 | 0:48 | 1:36 | 3:12 | 6:24 |
| 85 BPM | 0:23 | 0:45 | 1:30 | 3:01 | 6:01 |
| 90 BPM | 0:21 | 0:43 | 1:25 | 2:51 | 5:41 |
| 100 BPM | 0:19 | 0:38 | 1:17 | 2:34 | 5:07 |
| 110 BPM | 0:17 | 0:35 | 1:10 | 2:20 | 4:39 |
| 120 BPM | 0:16 | 0:32 | 1:04 | 2:08 | 4:16 |
| 124 BPM | 0:15 | 0:31 | 1:02 | 2:04 | 4:08 |
| 128 BPM | 0:15 | 0:30 | 1:00 | 2:00 | 4:00 |
| 130 BPM | 0:15 | 0:30 | 0:59 | 1:58 | 3:56 |
| 140 BPM | 0:14 | 0:27 | 0:55 | 1:50 | 3:39 |
| 150 BPM | 0:13 | 0:26 | 0:51 | 1:42 | 3:25 |
| 160 BPM | 0:12 | 0:24 | 0:48 | 1:36 | 3:12 |
| 170 BPM | 0:11 | 0:23 | 0:45 | 1:30 | 3:01 |
| 174 BPM | 0:11 | 0:22 | 0:44 | 1:28 | 2:57 |
| 180 BPM | 0:11 | 0:21 | 0:43 | 1:25 | 2:51 |
The formula
Length in seconds = bars × beats per bar × 60 ÷ BPM. In 4/4 that's bars × 240 ÷ BPM.
Example: 32 bars at 174 BPM is 32 × 240 ÷ 174 = 44.1 seconds.
Need your loop's tempo first? Find its BPM and key for free. Planning sections? See how long an intro should be and full song structures by genre.
Plan the whole track, not just the length
arrangementLab lays out every section of your track on a canvas, with bar counts, timings and a production tip for each one. Drop in a loop and it builds the arrangement around it.
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