BPM to ms calculator and delay time chart
To convert BPM to milliseconds, divide 60,000 by the tempo: at 120 BPM a quarter note lasts 60,000 ÷ 120 = 500 ms. Halve it for an eighth note, multiply by 1.5 for a dotted note and by 2/3 for a triplet. The calculator above does this for every note value; the chart below lists common tempos.
BPM to ms formula
Quarter note in ms = 60,000 ÷ BPM. Multiply by 4 for a whole note, 2 for a half note, 0.5 for an eighth, 0.25 for a sixteenth and 0.125 for a thirty-second. For a dotted value multiply the result by 1.5; for a triplet multiply by 2/3. To turn a time into a rate for an LFO, divide 1,000 by the milliseconds to get hertz.
BPM to ms chart
Delay times for the note values producers use most, calculated from the formula above and rounded to a tenth of a millisecond below 100 ms.
| Tempo | Quarter | Dotted eighth | Eighth | Eighth triplet | Sixteenth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 BPM | 1000 ms | 750 ms | 500 ms | 333 ms | 250 ms |
| 70 BPM | 857 ms | 643 ms | 429 ms | 286 ms | 214 ms |
| 80 BPM | 750 ms | 563 ms | 375 ms | 250 ms | 188 ms |
| 90 BPM | 667 ms | 500 ms | 333 ms | 222 ms | 167 ms |
| 100 BPM | 600 ms | 450 ms | 300 ms | 200 ms | 150 ms |
| 110 BPM | 545 ms | 409 ms | 273 ms | 182 ms | 136 ms |
| 120 BPM | 500 ms | 375 ms | 250 ms | 167 ms | 125 ms |
| 128 BPM | 469 ms | 352 ms | 234 ms | 156 ms | 117 ms |
| 130 BPM | 462 ms | 346 ms | 231 ms | 154 ms | 115 ms |
| 140 BPM | 429 ms | 321 ms | 214 ms | 143 ms | 107 ms |
| 150 BPM | 400 ms | 300 ms | 200 ms | 133 ms | 100 ms |
| 160 BPM | 375 ms | 281 ms | 188 ms | 125 ms | 93.8 ms |
| 170 BPM | 353 ms | 265 ms | 176 ms | 118 ms | 88.2 ms |
| 174 BPM | 345 ms | 259 ms | 172 ms | 115 ms | 86.2 ms |
| 180 BPM | 333 ms | 250 ms | 167 ms | 111 ms | 83.3 ms |
Setting a tempo-synced delay
Start with a dotted-eighth delay for rhythmic guitar and synth echoes, or an eighth note for a tighter slap. Quarter-note delays suit vocals in slower songs. If the echoes clash with the groove, try the triplet value: it lands between the straight subdivisions and sounds looser.
Reverb pre-delay and release times
A pre-delay of a sixteenth or thirty-second note keeps the dry sound clear before the reverb starts while staying in time. Compressor release times set to a note value, often an eighth or sixteenth, let gain reduction recover with the beat rather than against it.
Check the tempo first
The result is only as good as the tempo. If you do not know a song’s BPM, tap along with the tap tempo tool, then check whether the music is better counted in half or double time before you set the delay.