🎛️ BPM to Delay Time Calculator
Enter your track's tempo to get delay, echo and reverb pre-delay times in milliseconds for each note value — straight, dotted and triplet.
| Note | Straight | Dotted | Triplet | Hz |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole (1/1) | 2000 ms | 3000 ms | 1333.3 ms | 0.5 |
| Half (1/2) | 1000 ms | 1500 ms | 666.7 ms | 1 |
| Quarter (1/4) | 500 ms | 750 ms | 333.3 ms | 2 |
| Eighth (1/8) | 250 ms | 375 ms | 166.7 ms | 4 |
| Sixteenth (1/16) | 125 ms | 187.5 ms | 83.3 ms | 8 |
| Thirty-second (1/32) | 62.5 ms | 93.8 ms | 41.7 ms | 16 |
A quarter-note beat is 60,000 ÷ BPM milliseconds. Dotted = ×1.5, triplet = ×⅔. Use these for tempo-synced delay, echo and reverb pre-delay; the Hz column suits tempo-synced LFOs. 🔒 In your browser.
How the bpm to delay time calculator works
A quarter-note beat lasts 60,000 ÷ BPM milliseconds. From that, every note division follows: an eighth is half, a sixteenth a quarter, and so on. Dotted values are 1.5× as long and triplets are ⅔ as long. The tool builds the full table so you can dial tempo-synced delay and modulation by ear or by number.
Setting a delay to a note value locks the echoes to the groove instead of muddying it. Dotted-eighth delays are a classic rhythmic effect; the Hz column converts the same timings for tempo-synced LFOs and tremolo. If your plugin syncs to host tempo, you may not need the numbers — but they're essential for hardware and free-running units.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate delay time from BPM?
A quarter note is 60,000 ÷ BPM milliseconds. At 120 BPM that's 500 ms; an eighth note is 250 ms, a sixteenth 125 ms. Dotted values ×1.5, triplets ×⅔. The tool lists them all.
What delay time should I use at 120 BPM?
It depends on the effect: a quarter-note delay is 500 ms, an eighth 250 ms, a dotted-eighth 375 ms (a popular rhythmic delay). Match the note value to the feel you want.
What is a dotted-eighth delay?
A delay set to 1.5× an eighth note — 375 ms at 120 BPM. It creates an offbeat, galloping echo made famous on many guitar and synth parts. The tool gives the dotted time for every division.
How do I sync an LFO to tempo?
Convert the note value's period (in ms) to a frequency: Hz = 1,000 ÷ ms. A quarter note at 120 BPM (500 ms) is 2 Hz. The Hz column does this for you.
What about reverb pre-delay?
Setting reverb pre-delay to a small note value (like a sixteenth or thirty-second) separates the dry sound from the tail in time with the track, keeping things clear. Use the shorter divisions in the table.