How do you convert BPM to delay time in milliseconds?

One beat (a quarter note) lasts 60000 divided by the BPM milliseconds. So at 120 BPM a quarter note is 500 ms. Other note values are simple fractions or multiples of that beat length.

What is a dotted eighth delay and why is it popular?

A dotted eighth note is one and a half times an eighth note, equal to three sixteenths. Set as a delay time it creates the syncopated, galloping echo heard on countless guitar and synth parts. At 120 BPM it is 375 ms.

What is the difference between dotted and triplet timing?

A dotted value is 1.5 times the base note, making it longer; a triplet value is two thirds of the base note, making it shorter and giving a rolling, swung feel. The tool shows both for every division.

Should I use these times exactly or round them?

Use them as close as your plugin allows. Many delays sync to tempo automatically, but for hardware units or free-time plugins entering the exact millisecond value locks the echo to the grid.

Does this work for any tempo including odd ones?

Yes. The formula is purely arithmetic, so it is accurate for any BPM including fractional tempos like 128.5 or unusual ones like 174 used in drum and bass.

What is the BPM to Delay Time (ms) Calculator?

Converts tempo in BPM to delay times in milliseconds for whole, half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth and beyond, including dotted and triplet variants. Essential for music producers programming delays and echoes that sit in the groove. Runs 100% in your browser. It runs free in your browser on Gera Tools, with nothing uploaded.

BPM to Delay Time (ms) Calculator

Name: BPM to Delay Time (ms) Calculator
Creator: Gera Tools
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Delays sound best when their timing locks to the song. This tool converts your track’s BPM into precise delay times in milliseconds for every common note value, including the dotted and triplet variants producers reach for most.

How it works

Tempo in beats per minute tells you how long one beat lasts. A beat is a quarter note, so:

quarter note (ms) = 60000 / BPM

At 120 BPM that is 60000 / 120 = 500 ms. Every other note value scales from this single beat length:

Whole note = quarter x 4
Half note = quarter x 2
Eighth note = quarter / 2
Sixteenth note = quarter / 4, and so on

Two important feels modify any value:

Dotted = base x 1.5 (one and a half times as long)
Triplet = base x 2/3 (two thirds as long)

Worked example

At 120 BPM the quarter note is 500 ms. From that:

Eighth note: 250 ms
Dotted eighth: 250 x 1.5 = 375 ms (the classic rhythmic delay)
Eighth triplet: 250 x 2/3 = 166.7 ms
Sixteenth: 125 ms

Delay time table at common tempos

BPM	Quarter (ms)	Eighth (ms)	Dotted 8th (ms)	16th (ms)
80	750	375	562.5	187.5
100	600	300	450	150
120	500	250	375	125
140	428.6	214.3	321.4	107.1
160	375	187.5	281.25	93.75

Use these as a quick sanity-check against your plugin’s displayed value, or look up your exact tempo above and enter the millisecond figure directly.

Tips and notes

The dotted eighth is the go-to for ambient guitar and synth echoes; pair it with feedback around 30–40% for a defined repeat that does not clutter the mix.
For wide stereo delays, try a dotted eighth on one channel and a straight eighth on the other to create movement without adding density.
Quarter-note delays work well as slapback on vocals and lead guitar, especially at slower tempos where the gap is long enough to hear as a distinct echo.
Triplet delays (two thirds of the base note) create a swing or shuffle feel and work well over grooves with a triplet or swing subdivision.
If your delay plugin already syncs to tempo via MIDI clock, use these figures to sanity-check the displayed value or to replicate the setting on hardware that requires manual entry.
All values are computed locally in your browser; no data is sent anywhere.