Delay time calculator: BPM to milliseconds
Tap the button, or press T, in time with the track. It averages your last eight taps.
| Note | Straight | Dotted | Triplet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/1Whole note | 2,000 ms0.50 Hz | 3,000 ms0.33 Hz | 1,333.3 ms0.75 Hz |
| 1/2Half note | 1,000 ms1.00 Hz | 1,500 ms0.67 Hz | 666.7 ms1.50 Hz |
| 1/4Quarter note | 500 ms2.00 Hz | 750 ms1.33 Hz | 333.3 ms3.00 Hz |
| 1/8Eighth note | 250 ms4.00 Hz | 375 ms2.67 Hz | 166.7 ms6.00 Hz |
| 1/16Sixteenth | 125 ms8.00 Hz | 187.5 ms5.33 Hz | 83.3 ms12.00 Hz |
| 1/32Thirty-second | 62.5 ms16.00 Hz | 93.8 ms10.67 Hz | 41.7 ms24.00 Hz |
| 1/64Sixty-fourth | 31.2 ms32.00 Hz | 46.9 ms21.33 Hz | 20.8 ms48.00 Hz |
Quarter-note delay in milliseconds is 60,000 ÷ BPM. At 120 BPM that is 500 ms. An eighth is half that (250 ms), a dotted eighth is three quarters of it (375 ms), and a sixteenth is a quarter of it (125 ms).
Know the milliseconds, need the tempo?
How the math works
One beat at a given tempo lasts 60,000 ÷ BPM milliseconds, and in 4/4 a beat is a quarter note. Every other value comes off that:
- Straight notes halve as you go down: 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32.
- Dotted notes are one and a half times the straight value. A dotted eighth is 0.75 of a beat.
- Triplets fit three in the space of two, so they are two thirds of the straight value. An eighth-note triplet is a third of a beat.
- Hz is 1,000 ÷ ms. Use it for anything that syncs in cycles per second: a tremolo, a chorus or phaser rate, an LFO, an autopan.
Which value to start with
- Dotted eighth: the rhythmic, cascading guitar delay. Each repeat lands between the beats, so a simple eighth-note part turns into a busy sixteenth-note pattern. The Edge from U2 is the famous example.
- Quarter or half note: long, obvious repeats on a vocal or a lead line in a slow song. Roll the highs off the delay so it sits behind the dry signal.
- Eighth-note triplet: a swung, rolling feel, good under shuffles and 6/8.
- Slapback: one quick repeat, usually set by ear rather than synced, somewhere around 80 to 150 ms. Rockabilly vocals and guitars.
- Whole note or longer, with lots of feedback: ambient washes. Put a reverb after it and the repeats blur into a pad.
Sync is a starting point. A delay a few milliseconds behind the grid can feel more laid back; one slightly ahead pushes. Try nudging it once it is in time.
Delay times for common tempos
| BPM | 1/4 | 1/8 | Dotted 1/8 | 1/8 triplet | 1/16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 1,000 | 500 | 750 | 333.3 | 250 |
| 65 | 923.1 | 461.5 | 692.3 | 307.7 | 230.8 |
| 70 | 857.1 | 428.6 | 642.9 | 285.7 | 214.3 |
| 75 | 800 | 400 | 600 | 266.7 | 200 |
| 80 | 750 | 375 | 562.5 | 250 | 187.5 |
| 85 | 705.9 | 352.9 | 529.4 | 235.3 | 176.5 |
| 90 | 666.7 | 333.3 | 500 | 222.2 | 166.7 |
| 95 | 631.6 | 315.8 | 473.7 | 210.5 | 157.9 |
| 100 | 600 | 300 | 450 | 200 | 150 |
| 105 | 571.4 | 285.7 | 428.6 | 190.5 | 142.9 |
| 110 | 545.5 | 272.7 | 409.1 | 181.8 | 136.4 |
| 115 | 521.7 | 260.9 | 391.3 | 173.9 | 130.4 |
| 120 | 500 | 250 | 375 | 166.7 | 125 |
| 125 | 480 | 240 | 360 | 160 | 120 |
| 130 | 461.5 | 230.8 | 346.2 | 153.8 | 115.4 |
| 135 | 444.4 | 222.2 | 333.3 | 148.1 | 111.1 |
| 140 | 428.6 | 214.3 | 321.4 | 142.9 | 107.1 |
| 145 | 413.8 | 206.9 | 310.3 | 137.9 | 103.4 |
| 150 | 400 | 200 | 300 | 133.3 | 100 |
| 155 | 387.1 | 193.5 | 290.3 | 129 | 96.8 |
| 160 | 375 | 187.5 | 281.2 | 125 | 93.8 |
| 165 | 363.6 | 181.8 | 272.7 | 121.2 | 90.9 |
| 170 | 352.9 | 176.5 | 264.7 | 117.6 | 88.2 |
| 175 | 342.9 | 171.4 | 257.1 | 114.3 | 85.7 |
| 180 | 333.3 | 166.7 | 250 | 111.1 | 83.3 |
Put a dotted-eighth delay in front of Adrift.
Adrift is a two-knob shoegaze reverb. Feed it a synced delay and MELT smears the repeats into one warm wall, and FREEZE holds it so you can play over the top. You can play it in your browser before you buy.
Play Adrift live →Quick answers
How do I convert BPM to milliseconds?
Divide 60,000 by the BPM to get one quarter note in milliseconds. At 120 BPM that is 500 ms. Halve it for an eighth note (250 ms), multiply by 0.75 for a dotted eighth (375 ms), and divide by 3 for an eighth-note triplet (166.7 ms).
What is a dotted eighth delay at 120 BPM?
375 ms. A dotted eighth is three quarters of a beat, and a beat at 120 BPM is 500 ms.
What is the delay time for a quarter note at 140 BPM?
428.6 ms. An eighth note at 140 BPM is 214.3 ms and a dotted eighth is 321.4 ms.
How do I find the BPM of a song?
Use the tap tempo button above: tap along with the beat for a few bars and it averages the gaps between your taps. If the number feels twice or half what you expected, use the ½× or 2× button.
What is a good slapback delay time?
Slapback is a single quick repeat with little or no feedback, usually set by ear rather than synced to tempo. Somewhere around 80 to 150 ms is the usual range.
How do I convert milliseconds to Hz?
Divide 1,000 by the milliseconds. 500 ms is 2 Hz, 250 ms is 4 Hz. That is how you sync a tremolo, chorus or LFO rate to the song.
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