How long is that phrase?
Set the tempo, number of bars, meter, and the note your BPM counts. The answer updates as you work.
Total duration
Each bar2 s
Tempo beats32
Ready
Built for the question behind the grid.
Eight bars is not a fixed number of seconds. Tempo sets the speed, meter sets the bar, and the tempo pulse tells us which note receives each BPM tick.
How the calculator works
Duration equals bars × beats per bar × 60 ÷ BPM. When the tempo pulse differs from the meter denominator, the beat count is converted before the duration is calculated.
Common timing questions
- How long are 8 bars at 120 BPM?
- In 4/4 with a quarter-note pulse, eight bars at 120 BPM last 16 seconds.
- Why does the tempo pulse matter in 6/8?
- A DAW may count quarter notes, while musicians often feel 6/8 as two dotted-quarter beats per bar. Selecting the pulse makes that interpretation explicit.