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Tempo Delay Calculator - BPM to Delay Time in Milliseconds

Enter a BPM or tap the tempo, and read off delay time in milliseconds and LFO rate in Hz for every note value from a whole note to a 1/64th, in straight, dotted, and triplet feels. Type a millisecond value instead and it converts back to BPM.

Type a BPM or tap it in, and every delay and LFO value updates instantly below.

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The maths behind a delay time

A delay time synced to the song starts from one number: the quarter note in milliseconds, found by dividing 60000 by the BPM. At 120 BPM that is 60000 / 120 = 500 ms. Every other note value is a simple fraction or multiple of that quarter note: an eighth note is half of it, a sixteenth is a quarter of it, and a whole note is four times it, so at 120 BPM the eighth note is 250 ms and the whole note is 2000 ms.

Dotted and triplet feels adjust that base value by a fixed ratio. A dotted note is one and a half times its plain length, because a dot adds half the note's value again, so a dotted eighth at 120 BPM is 250 × 1.5 = 375 ms, a classic rhythmic delay time. A triplet note is two thirds of its plain length, so a triplet eighth at 120 BPM is 250 × 2/3 ≈ 167 ms.

Putting the numbers to work

For delay and reverb pre-delay, pick the note value that matches the feel you want, then read off the milliseconds and type that number straight into the plugin. A dotted eighth delay keeps repeats locked to the groove without crowding the beat, a quarter note delay gives a slower, more spacious echo, and a short pre-delay around a thirty-second or sixteenth note keeps a reverb feeling attached to the source rather than smeared behind it.

The Hz column is the same numbers read as a rate instead of a duration, which is what a tempo-synced LFO, tremolo, auto-pan, or filter sweep asks for. A sidechain compressor's release time works the same way: set it to roughly a sixteenth or eighth note in milliseconds so the pumping resolves before the next beat instead of dragging into it. For chopping a loop into equal slices, match the note value to your slice length, a sixteenth note per hit for a sixteen-step chop.

Limits and things worth checking

These are exact results of the standard delay-time formulas, not measurements of any particular plugin, so treat them as the number to type in rather than a guarantee of what you will hear. Some delay units round to the nearest millisecond or snap their own time control to a fixed grid, which can shift a dotted or triplet value by a couple of milliseconds either way, usually too small to notice but worth checking on picky material.

Tap tempo is only as steady as your tapping. A handful of taps at a roughly even spacing gives a usable reading, but a rushed or dragged tap near the start or end of a run can pull the average off by several BPM, so it is worth tapping along for a full bar or two and checking the result against a number you already trust, like the track's listed tempo.

Tempo delay blueprint

What each setting does and where to start.

InputsBPM from 20 to 300 (typed or tapped), or a millisecond value to reverse into BPM.
OutputsDelay time in ms and LFO rate in Hz for every note from 1/1 to 1/64, straight, dotted, and triplet.
Formula60000 / BPM = quarter note ms; dotted = ×1.5; triplet = ×2/3; Hz = 1000 / ms.
Range20-300 BPM; note values from a whole note (1/1) to a 1/64th note.
Best forDelay and reverb pre-delay, tempo-synced LFOs and tremolo, sidechain release, sample slicing.
LimitsExact formula results only; a plugin's own rounding or time-grid can shift the value by a millisecond or two.
RelatedTime Signature Calculator for bar and section lengths in seconds.

How to Convert BPM to Delay Time

Three steps, all done instantly in your browser

1

Enter or tap your tempo

Type a BPM from 20 to 300, or click the tap tempo button in time with the track until the reading settles on a steady number.

Tips: Tap at least 8 times for a stable average; a few stray taps can pull a fast tempo off by several BPM.

2

Read the note value table

Every value from a whole note down to a 1/64th note appears in milliseconds and Hz, each shown straight, dotted, and as a triplet.

Tips: Dotted eighth is the classic rhythmic delay time; triplet eighth gives a busier, syncopated echo at the same tempo.

3

Reverse-check with ms to BPM

Already have a delay time you like from an old session? Enter the milliseconds and get the BPM it belongs to.

Tips: Handy for matching a new song to a delay preset you built for an older one.

Tempo Delay Calculator Questions

Getting delay, reverb, and LFO times to lock to the beat.

Divide 60000 by the BPM to get a quarter note in milliseconds, for example 60000 / 120 = 500 ms. Multiply that by 1.5 for a dotted note or by 2/3 for a triplet, and halve or double it to move between note values, so an eighth note is 250 ms and a sixteenth is 125 ms at 120 BPM.
They are exact results of the standard formulas, not rounded estimates, so a quarter note at 120 BPM is precisely 500 ms and 2 Hz. Your delay plugin or DAW may still round to the nearest millisecond or snap to its own grid, which can shift the sound by a fraction of a beat.
No. Every calculation, including the tap tempo averaging, runs in your browser and nothing about your session is sent to a server.
Yes, the time signature calculator converts BPM and a meter into seconds per bar and total song length, which is what you want for planning sections rather than echoes.
A short slapback usually sits in the 80 to 140 ms range, close to a sixteenth or dotted sixteenth note at most tempos, while a wash of repeats works better on a longer value like a dotted eighth or a quarter note with several repeats feeding back.
Yes, the same millisecond value converted to Hz, 1000 divided by the ms, is exactly what a tempo-synced LFO, tremolo, or auto-pan needs, since a delay time and an LFO cycle length are the same kind of number.

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Work out bar lengths, capo positions, and chord transpositions with the same quick, in-browser calculators.

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