Beats-per-minute calculator: 126bpm

Give tempo and time signature

The speed at which music is played/performed is expressed as beats-per-minute or BPM. The more BPM, the faster the music goes. Most music uses the same BPM range as the human heartbeat: 60-140 bpm.
A base of 16 means that the bar is divided in 16 parts of length 1/16. The most common bases are 4, 8, 16 or 32. Use base 12 or 24 if you also want calculations for triplets.
This is also used in "Quantising": the process of snapping notes to the nearest beat subdivision.

Quick BPM overview

Beats per minute
126 BPM
Beats per bar
4 beats
Bars per minute
31.5
Length of 1 beat
0.4762 sec
Length of 1 bar
1.9048 sec
Beats per second
2.1 Hz

Fractions for base 24

These are some common fractions (handy for setting delays, LFO and modulation parameters)


1/24
1/24
4.17%
79.4 ms
12.6 Hz

2/24
1/12
8.33%
159 ms
6.30 Hz

3/24
1/8
12.5%
238 ms
4.20 Hz

4/24
1/6
16.67%
317 ms
3.15 Hz

5/24
5/24
20.83%
397 ms
2.52 Hz

6/24
1/4
25%
476 ms
2.10 Hz

7/24
7/24
29.17%
556 ms
1.80 Hz

8/24
1/3
33.33%
635 ms
1.58 Hz

9/24
3/8
37.5%
714 ms
1.40 Hz

10/24
5/12
41.67%
794 ms
1.26 Hz

11/24
11/24
45.83%
873 ms
1.15 Hz

12/24
1/2
50%
952 ms
1.05 Hz

13/24
13/24
54.17%
1 032 ms
0.969 Hz

14/24
7/12
58.33%
1 111 ms
0.900 Hz

15/24
5/8
62.5%
1 190 ms
0.840 Hz

16/24
2/3
66.67%
1 270 ms
0.787 Hz

17/24
17/24
70.83%
1 349 ms
0.741 Hz

18/24
3/4
75%
1 429 ms
0.700 Hz

19/24
19/24
79.17%
1 508 ms
0.663 Hz

20/24
5/6
83.33%
1 587 ms
0.630 Hz

21/24
7/8
87.5%
1 667 ms
0.600 Hz

22/24
11/12
91.67%
1 746 ms
0.573 Hz

23/24
23/24
95.83%
1 825 ms
0.548 Hz

24/24
1/1
100%
1 905 ms
0.525 Hz

32/24
4/3
133.33%
2 540 ms
0.394 Hz

48/24
2/1
200%
3 810 ms
0.263 Hz

64/24
8/3
266.67%
5 079 ms
0.197 Hz

How to use this page

If you have a 135 BPM song, and you want a phase modulation of 4 beats: that is 1.778 sec
If you have a 98 BPM song in a measure of 3/4, and you want to know how long 8 bars is: 14.7 sec
If you have a 128 BPM song, and you want an audio delay of 2/3 of a beat: this is 313 ms
If you have a 80 BPM song, and you want an LFO of 5/4 of a bar: this is 4687.5 ms

Musical genres

These are some popular modern music genres with typical BPM speeds.

Slow dub/reggae
75 BPM
Fast dub/reggae
90 BPM
Deep house
96 BPM
Slow house
120 BPM
Electro house
130 BPM
Trance
135 BPM
Dubstep
140 BPM
Hard house
145 BPM
Jungle
160 BPM
Drum&Bass
175 BPM
Gabber
190 BPM
Beats-per-minuteConvert BPM to Hz, bar length, fractions Audio delayCalculate audio delay length in msec Music FrequencyConvert pitch to musical note and wavelength Song lengthCalculate song length from BPM Music ScaleGenerate scales with frequencies Tap your tempoTap to find the BPM of a song or a heartbeat

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I convert BPM to milliseconds?

Divide 60,000 by the BPM. At 120 BPM: 60000÷120 = 500ms per beat. For subdivisions: quarter note = 500ms, eighth note = 250ms, sixteenth = 125ms. This is essential for setting delay times in DAWs.

How do I convert BPM to Hz (frequency)?

Divide BPM by 60. At 120 BPM: 120÷60 = 2 Hz (2 beats per second). This is useful for syncing LFOs, modulation, and effects to the tempo. A quarter note at 120 BPM = 2 Hz, eighth note = 4 Hz.

What is a good delay time for my BPM?

Common musical delay times: 1/4 note (one beat), 1/8 note (half beat), dotted 1/8 (3/16), or 1/16 note. At 120 BPM: quarter=500ms, eighth=250ms, dotted eighth=375ms, sixteenth=125ms. Dotted delays create a "bouncing" feel.

What does the time signature mean for BPM?

Time signature defines beats per bar, not speed. 4/4 = 4 quarter notes per bar, 3/4 = 3 (waltz), 6/8 = 6 eighth notes. BPM stays constant, but bar length changes. A 120 BPM song in 4/4 has 2-second bars; in 3/4, bars are 1.5 seconds.