Metronome Subdivision Calculator: Click Interval in ms for Eighths, Triplets and Sixteenths
See the click interval in milliseconds for any tempo and subdivision (eighths, triplets, sixteenths, quintuplets, sextuplets, septuplets and thirty-seconds), the equivalent subdivided BPM to set on a plain metronome, the bar length, and swung-eighth timings.
How it works
Beat interval (ms) = 60,000 ÷ BPM · Click interval = beat interval ÷ clicks per beat · Subdivided tempo = BPM × clicks per beat · Bar length = beat interval × beats per bar · Swung long eighth = beat × swing %, short = beat − long
Practising with subdivisions trains your internal clock between the main beats. One beat lasts 60,000 ÷ BPM milliseconds; splitting it into s equal parts means a click every beat ÷ s ms. Setting a plain metronome to BPM × s produces exactly the same stream of clicks, which is handy when your metronome only plays straight beats: just multiply. Eighth notes divide the beat into 2, triplets into 3, sixteenths into 4, quintuplets into 5, sextuplets into 6, septuplets into 7 and thirty-second notes into 8. The table lists every subdivision at your tempo so you can see which ones your metronome can still reach. The bar length uses the beats per bar from More options, and for eighth notes you can add swing: 50% is straight, 66.7% is the classic triplet (2:1) swing and 75% is a dotted-eighth-and-sixteenth feel. Tempo here is the beat the metronome counts; in 6/8 played "in two", enter the dotted-quarter tempo and choose triplets.
Worked example
At the default 120 BPM, one beat lasts 60,000 ÷ 120 = 500.0 ms. Eighth notes (2 per beat) click every 500 ÷ 2 = 250.0 ms, the same as a straight metronome at 120 × 2 = 240 BPM. In 4/4 that is 8 clicks per bar, and a bar lasts 4 × 500 ms = 2.000 s. Switch to triplets and the clicks come every 166.7 ms (360 BPM); with 66.7% swing the eighths become 333.5 ms + 166.5 ms.
Sources: Metronome: the usual 40–208 BPM range of mechanical metronomes (Wikipedia) · Swing (jazz performance style): swing ratios (Wikipedia)
Frequently asked questions
How do I click triplets on a basic metronome?
Multiply your tempo by three and set that as the metronome BPM. At 80 BPM, set 240 and count every third click as the main beat; the two clicks in between are your triplet subdivisions.
How many milliseconds is a sixteenth note at 120 BPM?
A beat at 120 BPM is 500 ms, so a sixteenth note (4 per beat) is 125 ms, an eighth note is 250 ms and an eighth-note triplet is 166.7 ms.
Why practise with subdivisions at all?
Hearing the space between beats filled in makes it far easier to place sixteenth notes, swung eighths and syncopations accurately. Once the feel is solid you can drop back to a quarter-note click, or put the click on beats 2 and 4 only.
What is a sextuplet?
A sextuplet packs six even notes into one beat, effectively two triplets or a triplet version of the sixteenth grid. It clicks every beat interval ÷ 6 milliseconds.
What swing percentage should I use?
Straight eighths are 50%. Classic triplet swing is 66.7% (a 2:1 long-short ratio) and a dotted-eighth shuffle is 75% (3:1). Jazz swing usually lies between 1:1 and 3:1, wider at slow tempos and narrower at fast ones, so try 58–67% for medium tempos and listen.
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This calculator is for educational purposes. Double-check important results before acting on them.