BPM to Milliseconds Calculator
Turn a tempo in BPM into note delay times in milliseconds — quarter, eighth, sixteenth, dotted and triplet values for delay and reverb.
How it works
Quarter note ms = 60,000 ÷ BPM · Other notes scale it: whole ×4, half ×2, dotted ×1.5, eighth ×0.5, sixteenth ×0.25, triplet ×2⁄3
One quarter note lasts exactly 60,000 milliseconds divided by the tempo, because there are 60,000 ms in a minute and BPM counts quarter notes per minute. Every other note value is a simple multiple of that: a half note is twice as long, an eighth is half, and a sixteenth a quarter. Producers use these numbers to set delay and echo times that sit in the groove instead of fighting it — a delay tuned to the eighth-note value repeats in perfect time with the track. A dotted note adds half its value again (×1.5), giving the syncopated "dotted-eighth" delay heard on countless guitar and synth parts, while a triplet squeezes three evenly into the space of two (×2⁄3).
Worked example
At 120 BPM, a quarter note is 60,000 ÷ 120 = 500 ms. From there an eighth note is 250 ms, a sixteenth is 125 ms, a dotted quarter is 750 ms, and a quarter-note triplet is 500 × 2⁄3 ≈ 333.3 ms.
Frequently asked questions
How do I set a delay to the tempo?
Pick the note value you want the echoes to fall on and enter its millisecond time into the delay's time control (with tempo-sync off). An eighth-note delay at 120 BPM is 250 ms; a dotted-eighth is 375 ms.
What is a dotted note worth?
A dot adds half the note's value again, so it is ×1.5. A dotted quarter is one and a half quarter notes — 750 ms at 120 BPM — and the dotted-eighth delay is a staple of rhythmic guitar and synth lines.
Why use these times for reverb too?
Matching a reverb's pre-delay or decay to a note value keeps the tail breathing with the track rather than smearing across the beat. A decay near the quarter- or half-note time often sits most naturally in a mix.
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This calculator is for educational purposes. Double-check important results before acting on them.