BPM to Delay Time (ms) Calculator
Calculate delay, echo and LFO rate values in milliseconds from a BPM (tempo), across every common note division. Also converts a known delay time back into the BPM it is synced to — a free tool for DAW producers.
Delay Time Reference Table for Common BPM Values
Delay times (ms) for quarter, dotted eighth, eighth and sixteenth notes, listed for common tempos from 60 to 200 BPM.
| BPM | Quarter note | Dotted eighth note | Eighth note | Sixteenth note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 1,000.0 ms | 750.0 ms | 500.0 ms | 250.0 ms |
| 70 | 857.1 ms | 642.9 ms | 428.6 ms | 214.3 ms |
| 80 | 750.0 ms | 562.5 ms | 375.0 ms | 187.5 ms |
| 90 | 666.7 ms | 500.0 ms | 333.3 ms | 166.7 ms |
| 100 | 600.0 ms | 450.0 ms | 300.0 ms | 150.0 ms |
| 110 | 545.5 ms | 409.1 ms | 272.7 ms | 136.4 ms |
| 120 | 500.0 ms | 375.0 ms | 250.0 ms | 125.0 ms |
| 128 | 468.8 ms | 351.6 ms | 234.4 ms | 117.2 ms |
| 130 | 461.5 ms | 346.2 ms | 230.8 ms | 115.4 ms |
| 140 | 428.6 ms | 321.4 ms | 214.3 ms | 107.1 ms |
| 150 | 400.0 ms | 300.0 ms | 200.0 ms | 100.0 ms |
| 160 | 375.0 ms | 281.3 ms | 187.5 ms | 93.8 ms |
| 170 | 352.9 ms | 264.7 ms | 176.5 ms | 88.2 ms |
| 174 | 344.8 ms | 258.6 ms | 172.4 ms | 86.2 ms |
| 180 | 333.3 ms | 250.0 ms | 166.7 ms | 83.3 ms |
| 190 | 315.8 ms | 236.8 ms | 157.9 ms | 78.9 ms |
| 200 | 300.0 ms | 225.0 ms | 150.0 ms | 75.0 ms |
Tips
- Delay times are given in milliseconds (ms). Most DAW delay plugins accept direct ms input, so you can type the calculated value straight in.
- The dotted eighth note delay (e.g. 375ms at 120 BPM) is famous as the signature setting used extensively by U2 guitarist The Edge, and it hits a sweet spot for locking rhythmically with the beat.
- Use the reverse calculator to work out the BPM behind an existing track or sample delay time — handy when you do not already know a song's tempo.
- A triplet delay divides the same beat into three equal parts, producing a shorter interval than straight or dotted notes — useful for tightly-spaced, rhythmic echo effects.
Frequently Asked Questions
Side Note — How U2's The Edge Popularized the Dotted Eighth Note Delay
One of the reasons millisecond-based delay settings became common practice traces back to the "dotted eighth note delay" used extensively by U2 guitarist The Edge. The arrival of digital delay units in the 1980s let performers, for the first time, dial in a precise numeric delay time; by locking that value exactly to the song's tempo, he built a signature shimmering texture in which a single guitar sounds as though several are layered together.
What makes the dotted eighth note such an elegant choice is that it lands at exactly three-quarters of a beat, so the dry signal and the delayed repeat complement each other rhythmically instead of producing a flat, monotonous echo — the result feels lively and syncopated. Because working out that math by hand every time is tedious, tools that automatically convert a BPM into millisecond values became a standard part of many guitarists' and producers' workflow in the decades that followed.
Triplet delays are similarly popular in dance music and hip-hop production. Because a triplet divides the same beat into three equal parts, it produces a denser pattern of repeats than a straight or dotted note, which is a well-established technique for adding a floating, drifting feel to a vocal tail or a synth phrase. As long as you know the BPM, you can instantly work out the delay time for any note division, saving you from redoing the math by hand every time a track's tempo changes.