Music and audio
Tempo Converter (BPM to Seconds and Milliseconds)
Convert BPM into the length of one beat in seconds and milliseconds, the length of one bar, and the total time for a number of bars, plus every note value from whole notes to 32nd notes with dotted and triplet variants.
Converted lengths
One beat = quarter note
- One beat
500.0ms
0.500 s
- One bar
2,000.0ms
2.000 s
- Total for 4 bars
8,000.0ms
8.000 s
Note values in milliseconds
| Note value | Plain | Dotted | Triplet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole note | 2,000.0 | 3,000.0 | 1,333.3 |
| Half note | 1,000.0 | 1,500.0 | 666.7 |
| Quarter note | 500.0 | 750.0 | 333.3 |
| Eighth note | 250.0 | 375.0 | 166.7 |
| 16th note | 125.0 | 187.5 | 83.3 |
| 32nd note | 62.5 | 93.8 | 41.7 |
Dotted notes are 1.5x and triplets are 2/3x the plain note value.
Use the Web Metronome to hear the tempo, or the BPM Tap Counter when you do not know the tempo of a song yet.
Turn a BPM into beat, bar, and note lengths
Enter a tempo and a time signature, and the tool shows how long one beat lasts, how long one bar lasts, and how long a given number of bars takes, in both seconds and milliseconds. Every note value from a whole note down to a 32nd note is listed with its plain, dotted, and triplet length.
No sound is played here. Use the Web Metronome to hear a tempo, or the BPM Tap Counter when you do not know the tempo of a song yet.
Open detailed notes
How one beat is calculated
BPM stands for beats per minute. A minute is 60 seconds, so one beat lasts 60 / BPM seconds, or 60000 / BPM milliseconds. At 120 BPM a beat is 0.5 seconds (500 ms); at 60 BPM it is 1 second (1000 ms).
Time signatures and bar length
The note named by the lower number of the time signature counts as one beat: a quarter note in 4/4, an eighth note in 6/8. One bar lasts the beat length multiplied by the number of beats in the bar. At 120 BPM a 4/4 bar is 2 seconds and a 6/8 bar is 3 seconds. Set a bar count to see the total time, shown in minutes and seconds as well once it passes a minute.
Dotted notes and triplets
A note value is the length of a single note. Taking the whole note as the reference, a half note is one half of it, a quarter note one quarter, an eighth note one eighth, and so on. A dot adds half again, so a dotted note is 1.5 times the plain value, and a triplet note is two thirds of it. At 120 BPM in 4/4 a quarter note is 500 ms, a dotted quarter note is 750 ms, and a quarter-note triplet is about 333.3 ms.
Supported ranges and rounding
The tempo accepts whole numbers from 10 to 300 BPM; decimals are rounded and values outside the range are clamped. A bar can hold 1 to 16 beats, and the bar count goes up to 999. Milliseconds are rounded to one decimal place and seconds to three, each rounded separately, so the two can differ in the last digit.
Measure first, then convert
When you do not know the tempo of a song, measure it with the BPM Tap Counter first and open this page from the conversion link shown with the result. The measured value arrives in the bpm URL parameter, so the conversion starts at that tempo. The practice button at the bottom of the tool carries the same tempo over to the Web Metronome when you want to hear it.
Frequently asked questions
Which note counts as one beat?
The note named by the lower number of the time signature. In 4/4 a quarter note is one beat, and in 6/8 an eighth note is one beat.
What tempo range can I enter?
Whole numbers from 10 to 300 BPM. Decimals are rounded, and values outside the range are clamped to 10 or 300.
How are the displayed times rounded?
Milliseconds are rounded to one decimal place and seconds to three. The two are rounded separately, so the seconds multiplied by 1000 can differ slightly from the milliseconds shown.
How are dotted notes and triplets calculated?
A dotted note is 1.5 times the plain note value, and a triplet note is two thirds of it. A dotted quarter note lasts as long as one and a half quarter notes.
Does this tool play a sound?
No. It only calculates times. Use the Web Metronome when you want to hear the tempo.
Can I use a tempo I just measured?
Yes. Open the converter from the link on the BPM Tap Counter result and it starts at the measured BPM. If the bpm value in the URL is not a number the tool opens at 120 BPM, and values below 10 or above 300 are clamped.
Are my inputs saved?
No. The tempo, time signature, and bar count are processed only in your browser and are not sent to a server.