Metronome Reference
See the beat length and frequency of a metronome at any BPM.
About Metronome Reference
At 120 BPM a metronome ticks every half second, which is two beats per second and a frequency of two hertz. Musicians and producers reference beat length and frequency to program clicks, lights and other time-synced systems.
Formula
Metronome Reference
Beat length ms = 60000 / BPM; frequency = BPM / 60
- beat length
- Milliseconds between two consecutive ticks
Worked example
With the default values below, Metronome Reference returns Beat Length of 500.00. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Tempo (BPM)accepts 20–300 BPM
- 120 BPM
Results
- Beat Length
- 500.00 ms
- Beats per Second
- 2.00 BPS
- Beat Frequency
- 2.00 Hz
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2Metronome Reference
- 3Beat Length= 500.00 ms
- 4Beats per Second= 2.00 BPS
- 5Beat Frequency= 2.00 Hz
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the single input listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Metronome Reference calculated?
Beat length ms = 60000 / BPM; frequency = BPM / 60 At 120 BPM a metronome ticks every half second, which is two beats per second and a frequency of two hertz.
Why does Metronome Reference matter?
Musicians and producers reference beat length and frequency to program clicks, lights and other time-synced systems.
What values do I need to enter?
This calculator takes 1 input: Tempo (BPM). The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.