BPM Delay and Reverb Calculator

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bpm to ms

BPM to ms: table from 1/1 to 1/64

The calculator opens at 120 BPM. Change the value, or press Tap in time with the track, and the Delay tab table shows every note value at once, ready to copy with one press.

Sixty thousand divided by the tempo

BPM means beats per minute, and a minute has 60,000 ms, so each beat lasts 60,000 ÷ BPM ms. Since the beat is the quarter note (1/4), 120 BPM gives 500 ms, 60 BPM gives 1,000 ms and 90 BPM gives 666.67 ms. At 140 BPM it is 428.57 ms, and at 174 BPM, the usual drum and bass tempo, 344.83 ms. The higher the tempo, the shorter the time: doubling the BPM halves the milliseconds.
For the other note values, start from the quarter note. A whole note (1/1) is worth 4 quarters and a half note (1/2) is worth 2. Going down, each value is half the previous one. At 120 BPM the full table reads: 1/1 = 2,000 ms, 1/2 = 1,000, 1/4 = 500, 1/8 = 250, 1/16 = 125, 1/32 = 62.5 and 1/64 = 31.25 ms. In the dotted column each value is multiplied by 1.5 (a dotted 1/4 lasts 750 ms) and in the triplet column by 2/3 (a 1/4 triplet lasts 333.33 ms).
Milliseconds serve more than delay: compressor attack and release times, loop lengths, LFO periods. The table also gives Hz and samples. If your tempo has decimals, such as 127.5 BPM, type the value with a comma or a dot, and the tool uses the exact number in the math.

Checked quarter-note times

Slow tempo

Input: 60 BPM
Expected output: 1000 ms

60,000 ÷ 60.

Medium-slow tempo

Input: 90 BPM
Expected output: 666.67 ms

60,000 ÷ 90.

Default of many DAWs

Input: 120 BPM
Expected output: 500 ms

Quarter note; the eighth 1/8 has 250 ms.

Fast tempo

Input: 140 BPM
Expected output: 428.57 ms

60,000 ÷ 140.

Drum and bass

Input: 174 BPM
Expected output: 344.83 ms

60,000 ÷ 174.

Full tool FAQ

How do I convert BPM to milliseconds?

Divide 60,000 by the BPM to get the length of a quarter note in ms. For other note values, multiply by 4 and divide by the denominator: at 120 BPM, 60,000 ÷ 120 = 500 ms for 1/4, 250 ms for 1/8 and 125 ms for 1/16.

What is the delay time at 120 BPM for 1/4, 1/8 and 1/16?

What are dotted and triplet notes in a delay?

How do I find the delay time for 128 BPM?

How do I convert ms to Hz?

What reverb pre-delay should I use?

How do I sync the reverb decay to the tempo?

How does tap tempo work?

Why would I need samples?

What BPM range does the tool accept?

Frequently asked questions

How many ms is a 4/4 bar at 120 BPM?

Four quarter notes of 500 ms each, or 2,000 ms (2 seconds). The calculator shows the bar length for the chosen time signature in the summary just under the BPM field.

Does the result work for any plugin?

It works for any control that accepts milliseconds. Many delays already sync to the project tempo, and the table is useful when a plugin only asks for a free time.

How do I find the BPM of a song?

Press the Tap button in time with the song, or send the file to the site's BPM detector. With the BPM in the field, the table recalculates instantly.

Next steps

Note

Straight

Dotted

Triplet

1/1

1/2

1/4

1/8

1/16

1/32

1/64

Sixty thousand divided by the tempo

BPM means beats per minute, and a minute has 60,000 ms, so each beat lasts 60,000 ÷ BPM ms. Since the beat is the quarter note (1/4), 120 BPM gives 500 ms, 60 BPM gives 1,000 ms and 90 BPM gives 666.67 ms. At 140 BPM it is 428.57 ms, and at 174 BPM, the usual drum and bass tempo, 344.83 ms. The higher the tempo, the shorter the time: doubling the BPM halves the milliseconds.

For the other note values, start from the quarter note. A whole note (1/1) is worth 4 quarters and a half note (1/2) is worth 2. Going down, each value is half the previous one. At 120 BPM the full table reads: 1/1 = 2,000 ms, 1/2 = 1,000, 1/4 = 500, 1/8 = 250, 1/16 = 125, 1/32 = 62.5 and 1/64 = 31.25 ms. In the dotted column each value is multiplied by 1.5 (a dotted 1/4 lasts 750 ms) and in the triplet column by 2/3 (a 1/4 triplet lasts 333.33 ms).

Milliseconds serve more than delay: compressor attack and release times, loop lengths, LFO periods. The table also gives Hz and samples. If your tempo has decimals, such as 127.5 BPM, type the value with a comma or a dot, and the tool uses the exact number in the math.

Checked quarter-note times

Slow tempo

Input: 60 BPM
Expected output: 1000 ms

60,000 ÷ 60.

Medium-slow tempo

Input: 90 BPM
Expected output: 666.67 ms

60,000 ÷ 90.

Default of many DAWs

Input: 120 BPM
Expected output: 500 ms

Quarter note; the eighth 1/8 has 250 ms.

Fast tempo

Input: 140 BPM
Expected output: 428.57 ms

60,000 ÷ 140.

Drum and bass

Input: 174 BPM
Expected output: 344.83 ms

60,000 ÷ 174.

Full tool FAQ

How do I convert BPM to milliseconds?

What is the delay time at 120 BPM for 1/4, 1/8 and 1/16?

What are dotted and triplet notes in a delay?

How do I find the delay time for 128 BPM?

How do I convert ms to Hz?

What reverb pre-delay should I use?

How do I sync the reverb decay to the tempo?

How does tap tempo work?

Why would I need samples?

What BPM range does the tool accept?

Frequently asked questions

How many ms is a 4/4 bar at 120 BPM?

Four quarter notes of 500 ms each, or 2,000 ms (2 seconds). The calculator shows the bar length for the chosen time signature in the summary just under the BPM field.

Does the result work for any plugin?

It works for any control that accepts milliseconds. Many delays already sync to the project tempo, and the table is useful when a plugin only asks for a free time.

How do I find the BPM of a song?

Press the Tap button in time with the song, or send the file to the site's BPM detector. With the BPM in the field, the table recalculates instantly.