⏱️ Setlist Duration Calculator
List your songs with their lengths, set the gap between them, and see how long your whole set runs — so it fits the pitch, the rota slot, or the stage time you've been given.
🎶 Time Your Set
What is a Setlist Duration Calculator?
It totals the run time of a performance from the songs you're planning to play. Enter each track's length and an optional gap between songs, and it adds them up — song time plus the pauses for tuning, banter, and collecting tips — to show exactly how long your set will take.
Buskers and gigging performers use it to fit a set to a limited pitch or a festival slot, to decide whether to add an encore or drop a track, and to pace an evening across multiple sets. It's a planning estimate — real performances stretch and shrink with the crowd — so leave a little slack against a hard cut-off.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How does the setlist duration calculator work?
Add each song with its length in minutes and seconds, then set an optional gap for the pauses between songs — tuning, banter, or passing the hat. It sums every song length and adds that gap for each changeover (one fewer than the number of songs) to give a total run time, shown in minutes and seconds, or hours when your set runs long.
Why should a busker time their set?
Pitches and slots are often limited — a rota might give you 45 minutes before the next performer, or a festival stage a strict 30. Timing your set means you open strong, land your best material, and finish cleanly without being cut off mid-song, which matters both for the crowd and for keeping your pitch booking.
How much gap should I leave between songs?
For street performance, 20–40 seconds per changeover is common — enough to retune, thank the crowd, and nudge the tip jar without losing the audience you've gathered. Longer gaps let takings build but risk people drifting off; shorter ones keep energy high but leave less room to collect tips. Set the gap to match how you actually work a crowd.
Will my set really run to the exact time shown?
Treat it as a planning estimate. Live sets drift — crowds sing along, an encore appears, or you stretch a favourite when the hat is filling. Build in a little slack against a hard cut-off, and use the total to decide whether to add a song or trim one before you start.