Delay time note values and how to use them
How whole, half, quarter, eighth and sixteenth delays relate, what dotted and triplet timing add, and how to pick a value that fits the track.
How note values become milliseconds
Tempo sets one anchor: a quarter note lasts 60000 divided by the BPM. From there every value is a simple fraction. A half note is two quarters, an eighth note is half a quarter, and a sixteenth is half again. At 120 BPM that gives 1000 ms for a half note, 500 ms for a quarter, 250 ms for an eighth and 125 ms for a sixteenth. Because the relationship is linear, doubling the tempo halves every delay time.
Straight, dotted and triplet feel
The three modifiers change the character of a repeat without changing the tempo. Straight timing lands the echo squarely on the grid. A dotted value is 1.5 times longer, so a dotted eighth at 120 BPM is 375 ms and pushes the repeat just past the straight eighth for a rolling, off-beat pulse. A triplet is two thirds of the straight value, packing three even echoes into the space of two and giving a rounder, rolling motion often used on ambient and shuffle parts.
Matching feedback and mix to the value
Short values such as sixteenths work well with low feedback so repeats stay tight and rhythmic. Longer quarter and dotted-eighth delays usually sound better with a touch more feedback and a lower mix so the echoes support the part rather than crowd it. When a delay clutters a busy section, switch to a shorter value or a triplet so the repeats slot between the notes rather than doubling them.
Common tempos worth memorising
A few reference points speed up mixing. At 120 BPM the quarter note is 500 ms and the eighth is 250 ms. At 128 BPM, common in dance music, the quarter note is about 469 ms. At 90 BPM the quarter is 667 ms, useful for hip hop and downtempo. Rather than memorise a whole grid, keep the quarter-note figure in mind and halve or double it to reach the value you need, or read it straight off the table.