BPM to Delay Time Calculator
Enter your track tempo in BPM and read off the delay time in milliseconds for every note value. Straight, dotted and triplet times are shown, with the matching frequency in Hz for syncing LFOs and filters.
How to use the BPM to delay calculator
- Enter the tempo of your project in beats per minute.
- Find the note value you want, such as 1/8 or dotted 1/8.
- Dial the milliseconds into your delay or reverb plugin, or use the Hz value for tempo-synced modulation.
Examples
Quarter note at 120 BPM
120 BPM, quarter note
500 ms (2 Hz)
Dotted eighth at 120 BPM
120 BPM, dotted 1/8
375 ms
Frequently asked questions
How is delay time calculated from BPM?
A quarter note lasts 60000 / BPM milliseconds. Other note values scale from that, so an eighth note is half a quarter note and a sixteenth is a quarter of it.
What are dotted and triplet delay times?
A dotted note lasts 1.5 times the straight value, giving a wider groove. A triplet lasts two thirds of the straight value, fitting three notes where two would normally sit.
Why is a dotted eighth delay so popular?
At a given tempo a dotted eighth delay creates the syncopated, galloping echo heard on many guitar and synth parts. At 120 BPM that is 375 ms.
What is the Hz column for?
It is the delay time expressed as a frequency (1000 / ms). Use it to tune tempo-synced LFOs, tremolo or filter sweeps to the same note value as your delay.
Does this work for reverb pre-delay too?
Yes. Pre-delay and reverb decay are often set to a note value so the tail breathes with the track. Pick a note value and use the same milliseconds.
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