Plan a song section by section: add up intro, verse, chorus and bridge in bars and see the running time. Or start from a target — 30 seconds for an ad, three minutes for radio — and get the bars it takes.
1. Set the tempo and how many beats each bar has — 4 for 4/4, 3 for 3/4, 6 for 6/8 counted in eighths (or 2 if you count 6/8 in two). 2. Edit, add or remove sections; each row shows its own length and the total updates. 3. Underneath, type a target length to see how many bars fit.
The BPM must count the same beat you count in the bar: if your DAW says 120 BPM in 6/8 meaning dotted quarters, set beats per bar to 2.
A bar of 4/4 at 120 BPM lasts 4 × 60 ÷ 120 = 2 seconds, so 90 bars make three minutes. Radio edits usually land between 2:45 and 3:30; jingles and ads are cut to exact 15, 30 or 60 seconds, which is why the target calculator rounds to multiples of four bars — phrases in pop music come in fours.
How many bars is a three-minute song at 120 BPM?
90 bars of 4/4. Each bar lasts 2 seconds at that tempo.
Does a tempo change in the middle break the calculation?
Yes — this tool assumes one tempo. Work out each part at its own tempo and add the times
together.