BPM ↔ Milliseconds Delay Calculator (Music Tempo)
Enter the song BPM and the tool returns millisecond delay times for every common note value (whole down to thirty-second) plus dotted (× 1.5) and triplet (× 2 ⁄ 3) variants, in 4 ⁄ 4 time. Music producers reach for this any time they sync delay, ping-pong, reverb pre-delay, sidechain release, tape-stop or any other time-based parameter to the grid in their DAW.
Enter a BPM between 1 and 1000.
| Note | Straight | Dotted (× 1.5) | Triplet (× 2 ⁄ 3) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole (1 ⁄ 1) | — | — | — |
| Half (1 ⁄ 2) | — | — | — |
| Quarter (1 ⁄ 4) | — | — | — |
| Eighth (1 ⁄ 8) | — | — | — |
| Sixteenth (1 ⁄ 16) | — | — | — |
| Thirty-second (1 ⁄ 32) | — | — | — |
Based on 4 ⁄ 4 time, where one beat = one quarter note. Dotted = × 1.5, triplet = × 2 ⁄ 3. Used to sync delay, reverb pre-delay and echo to the grid.
Formula
delay(ms) = (60 000 ⁄ BPM) × note multiplier · dotted = × 1.5 · triplet = × 2 ⁄ 3
- · Note multipliers (relative to one quarter note): whole 4, half 2, quarter 1, eighth 0.5, sixteenth 0.25, thirty-second 0.125.
- · Canonical 120 BPM reference: quarter = 500 ms, eighth = 250 ms, sixteenth = 125 ms — committed to memory by most house / pop producers.
- · Dotted = straight × 1.5; triplet = straight × 2 ⁄ 3. Slap-back echo often uses dotted eighth; hip-hop hi-hats often use triplet sixteenth.
- · Beat frequency (Hz) = BPM ÷ 60 — handy for syncing LFOs and sidechain compressors.
- · The math assumes 4 ⁄ 4 time, where one beat = one quarter note. 3 ⁄ 4 or compound meters change what "beat" means but the millisecond conversion logic is unchanged.
Frequently asked
Why is a quarter note 500 ms at 120 BPM?
There are 60 000 ms in a minute. At 120 beats per minute that's 2 beats per second, so 0.5 s = 500 ms per beat. The whole conversion collapses to one formula: 60 000 ÷ BPM = ms per beat. Other useful reference points: 60 BPM quarter = 1000 ms (easiest to remember); 140 BPM ≈ 428.57 ms; 174 BPM (DnB) ≈ 344.83 ms.
Why do producers love the dotted eighth delay?
A dotted eighth (straight 1 ⁄ 8 × 1.5) lands 8 ⁄ 3 ≈ 2.67 times per bar — out of phase with the grid yet looping, which produces the classic "triplet feel over 4 ⁄ 4" sound. The Edge (U2), Coldplay and Pink Floyd are signature users. At 120 BPM, dotted 1 ⁄ 8 = 250 × 1.5 = 375 ms — that's the value delay and reverb plugins lock to when "sync" is on.
My plugin only accepts Hz, not ms — how do I convert?
Frequency (Hz) = 1 ÷ period in seconds = 1000 ÷ ms. Examples at 120 BPM: quarter = 500 ms = 2 Hz; eighth = 250 ms = 4 Hz; sixteenth = 125 ms = 8 Hz. Divide any millisecond value the tool returns into 1000 to get the equivalent Hz for synced LFOs and sidechain envelopes.
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