BPM to Delay Time Calculator
Convert beats per minute (BPM) to delay time in milliseconds for any note value. Essential for syncing echo and reverb pre-delay to your song's tempo.
How to use this tool
- Enter bpm and note value in the fields above.
- Results update instantly as you type — or click Calculate.
- Read your delay time and the full breakdown beneath it.
Enter your song's tempo and choose a note value to instantly get the matching delay or reverb pre-delay time in milliseconds.
Formula
Beat duration (ms) = 60 000 ÷ BPM
Delay time (ms) = Beat duration × note multiplier
Note multipliers: whole = 4, half = 2, quarter = 1, eighth = 0.5, sixteenth = 0.25; dotted values add half again (e.g. dotted quarter = 1.5); triplet values divide by 3 (e.g. triplet eighth = 1/3).
How it works
This calculator converts a tempo in beats per minute to the corresponding delay time in milliseconds for a chosen note value. It first derives the quarter-note duration from BPM (60 000 ÷ BPM), then multiplies by a note-value ratio to cover whole notes through triplet eighths. Syncing delay and reverb pre-delay to exact rhythmic subdivisions keeps echoes locked to the groove and avoids flamming.
Worked example
Worked example
- BPM = 120, note value = quarter.
- Beat duration = 60 000 ÷ 120 = 500 ms.
- Quarter-note multiplier = 1.
- Delay time = 500 × 1 = 500 ms.
At 120 BPM, a quarter-note delay = 500 ms.
Key terms
- BPM (Beats Per Minute)
- A measure of musical tempo indicating how many quarter-note beats occur in one minute.
- Delay time
- The gap in milliseconds between the original signal and its echo, set to a rhythmic subdivision to keep echoes musical.
- Note value multiplier
- A ratio relative to the quarter note. A whole note = 4×, an eighth note = 0.5×, a dotted quarter = 1.5×, a triplet eighth = 1/3×.
- Dotted note
- A note whose duration is extended by half its original value. A dotted quarter lasts 1.5 beat durations.
- Triplet
- Three notes played in the time normally occupied by two, giving each note a multiplier of 2/3 (quarter triplet) or 1/3 (eighth triplet) of the beat.
Frequently asked questions
- What is BPM to delay conversion?
- BPM to delay conversion finds the delay time (in ms) that places echoes exactly on a musical note boundary. Formula: delay_ms = 60000 / BPM × note_multiplier.
- What delay time should I use for quarter notes at 120 BPM?
- At 120 BPM a quarter note lasts 500 ms. A dotted eighth is 375 ms — a classic U2-style slapback delay.