BPM to Delay Time Calculator
Turn any tempo into delay and reverb times in milliseconds — quarter, eighth, sixteenth, dotted and triplet values, so your effects lock to the beat.
How it works
Quarter-note delay (ms) = 60,000 ÷ BPM · Dotted = ×1.5 · Triplet = ×2/3 · Halve for each smaller note value
Delay and modulation effects sound tightest when their time is a musical fraction of the beat rather than an arbitrary number. There are 60,000 milliseconds in a minute, so one beat (a quarter note) lasts 60,000 ÷ BPM. Every other note value is a simple multiple: an eighth is half a quarter, a dotted eighth is 1.5× an eighth, and a triplet is two-thirds of the straight value. Dial these numbers into a delay pedal or plugin and the echoes fall exactly on the grid.
Worked example
At 120 BPM, a quarter note is 60,000 ÷ 120 = 500 ms. An eighth note is half of that, 250 ms; a sixteenth is 125 ms. The popular dotted-eighth delay used on countless guitar parts is 500 × 0.75 = 375 ms.
Frequently asked questions
Should I use delay time or feedback to match the tempo?
Delay time sets where the echoes land relative to the beat — that is what these numbers give you. Feedback controls how many repeats you hear and does not need to match the tempo, though lower feedback keeps a busy mix clean.
What is a dotted-eighth delay?
A dotted eighth is 1.5 times an eighth note (three sixteenths). Setting a delay to the dotted-eighth value against straight eighth-note playing creates the shimmering, syncopated cross-rhythm made famous by U2 and countless ambient guitarists.
Do these times work for reverb pre-delay too?
Yes. Using a sixteenth- or eighth-note value as reverb pre-delay keeps the reverb tail out of the way of the dry transient and makes the space feel rhythmically connected to the track.
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This calculator is for educational purposes. Double-check important results before acting on them.