Hi folks,
I bet there's a calculation we can do to figure out the length of one's composition (ex: 3 minutes 30 seconds) by knowing the number of measures and the tempo.
But I don't know how to do it...
Thanks for your tips.
Figuring out the length of your song on paper
-
- KVRist
- 427 posts since 24 Sep, 2009
-
- KVRAF
- 2540 posts since 18 May, 2002 from up on Cripple Creek (CO)
Figure out the length in seconds of 1 bar at that tempo, multiply by the number of bars.
-
- KVRAF
- 2540 posts since 18 May, 2002 from up on Cripple Creek (CO)
btw, the formula is 240/bpm for a track in 4/4 time (60/bpm = seconds per beat x 4 = seconds per bar in 4/4 time)
-
- KVRist
- 364 posts since 15 Aug, 2009
halfstep wrote:Hi folks,
I bet there's a calculation we can do to figure out the length of one's composition (ex: 3 minutes 30 seconds) by knowing the number of measures and the tempo.
But I don't know how to do it...
Thanks for your tips.
From link: http://forums.allaboutjazz.com/showthread.php?t=37855
Number of Measures x Beats per Measure = Total Beats
Total Beats / Beats per Minute = Total Time
The answer is in minutes and a decimal. To change the decimal to seconds, multiply by .60.
Example
172 measures in 4/4 time. Tempo is 216 BPM.
172 Measures x 4 Beats per Measure = 688 Beats
688 Beats / 216 BPM = 3.19 minutes
.19 Minutes x .60 = 11 Seconds
Total Time = 3:11
Or the below link may help you.
The calculators are near the bottom of the page.
http://mp3.deepsound.net/eng/samples_calculs.php
-
- KVRist
- 441 posts since 30 Apr, 2007
jcrisman wrote:
From link: http://forums.allaboutjazz.com/showthread.php?t=37855
Number of Measures x Beats per Measure = Total Beats
Total Beats / Beats per Minute = Total Time
The answer is in minutes and a decimal. To change the decimal to seconds, multiply by .60.
Yep, but you are actually multiplying by 60 (not 0.60) to convert from portions of a minute into seconds.
Back in ninth grade science I learned a useful approach to unit conversion which can be applied to so many different things. Basically you just keep the unit labels in the problem and cancel them out when they appear in both the numerator and denominator. You multiply things in whatever path needed to get to the proper unit label at the end. So let's say we have a song with 48 measures, 4 beats per measure, 150 beats per minute, and of course 60 seconds per minute:
48 measures x (4 beats / 1 measure) = 192 beats
192 beats x (1 minute / 150 beats) = 1.28 minutes
.28 minutes x (60 seconds / 1 minute) = 16.8 seconds
So total song time is about 1:17.
-
- KVRist
- 364 posts since 15 Aug, 2009
You are correct, Nystul. I overlooked the decimal point that was accidentally placed in front of the 60.Nystul wrote: Yep, but you are actually multiplying by 60 (not 0.60) to convert from portions of a minute into seconds.