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Single note lookup: BPM → milliseconds
Type a tempo and pick a note value: get the exact delay time in milliseconds for a hardware pedal, a mixer effect, or manual entry in any DAW. Defaults to 120 BPM quarter note = 500 ms.
TOOL · MATH · MUSIC PRODUCTION
Delay & Reverb Time Calculator
At 120 BPM, a quarter note is 500 ms, a dotted eighth 375 ms, and an eighth-note triplet 166.67 ms. Type any tempo below for the full table — straight, dotted, and triplet values plus the reverb pre-delay number — or look up a single note value for a hardware pedal or mixer.
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Full note table for a tempo
Enter a BPM and get every standard delay value at once — the complete chart to print, screenshot, or tape next to your mixer. Reverb pre-delay suggestion included.
The 60-second rule
Delay (ms) = 60,000 ÷ BPM × note value — one minute is 60,000 milliseconds, one beat is a 60,000/BPM slice of it, and every note value is a multiple of a beat: quarter = 1 beat, eighth = 0.5, dotted = ×1.5, triplet = ×2/3. At 120 BPM: a quarter note is 60,000 ÷ 120 = 500 ms; a dotted eighth is 500 × 0.75 = 375 ms; an eighth-note triplet is 500 × (1/3) = 166.67 ms.
The worked example, line by line
Setup: a 120 BPM track and a 90 BPM ballad.
One beat at 120 BPM. 60,000 ÷ 120 = 500 ms per quarter note — the master number everything else scales from.
The famous dotted eighth. An eighth note is half a beat (250 ms); dotted means ×1.5: 250 × 1.5 = 375 ms. This is the bouncing, galloping delay heard on countless rock and pop records — the repeat lands between the beats.
The full table at 120 BPM. Whole 2000 ms, half 1000 ms, quarter 500 ms, eighth 250 ms, sixteenth 125 ms, 32nd 62.5 ms, dotted half 1500 ms, dotted quarter 750 ms, dotted sixteenth 187.5 ms, quarter-note triplet 333.33 ms, eighth-note triplet 166.67 ms, sixteenth-note triplet 83.33 ms.
Branch — 90 BPM dotted quarter. One beat = 60,000 ÷ 90 = 666.67 ms; dotted quarter = 666.67 × 1.5 = 1000 ms exactly — a full second. Slow tempos turn dotted values into very usable round numbers.
Reverb pre-delay: the starting point
Pre-delay is the gap between the dry sound and the start of the reverb tail — it keeps words and transients clear instead of smeared. Start at 20–50 ms. The tempo-synced answer is about a 1/64 note: at 120 BPM that is 31.25 ms, right in the sweet spot. Room guides: small rooms 1–10 ms, medium rooms 10–30 ms, halls 30–50 ms. Too long and the pre-delay becomes its own echo; too short and the reverb muddies the dry sound. The full table below includes the 64th-note row so you can read the synced value straight off.
Output · formula · meaning
| Output | Formula | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Quarter note (ms) | 60,000 ÷ BPM | 500 ms at 120 BPM — one beat, the master number for the whole table. |
| Straight note (ms) | quarter × beats (whole 4, half 2, eighth 0.5, 16th 0.25) | 250 ms eighth / 125 ms sixteenth at 120 BPM — even subdivisions of the beat. |
| Dotted note (ms) | straight note × 1.5 | 375 ms dotted eighth at 120 BPM — the repeat lands between beats; the classic rock/pop bounce. |
| Triplet note (ms) | straight note × 2/3 | 166.67 ms eighth-note triplet at 120 BPM — three in the space of two; the shuffle/swing feel. |
| Reverb pre-delay suggestion | ≈ 1/64 note (60,000 ÷ BPM × 0.0625) | 31.25 ms at 120 BPM — inside the 20–50 ms starting window. |
Who uses this
- The bedroom producer with a hardware delay: no MIDI sync on the pedal — types 128 BPM, reads 351.56 ms for the dotted eighth, and dials it in by hand.
- The DJ setting echo on the mixer: mid-set, needs an eighth-note echo at 124 BPM — 241.94 ms, read off the table between tracks.
- The guitarist: wants the dotted-eighth U2-style wash at 100 BPM — 450 ms — and the quarter-note slapback next to it at 600 ms.
- The vocalist dialing reverb: skips the mud, sets pre-delay to the synced 1/64 note (31.25 ms at 120 BPM), and hears every word stay in front of the tail.
Accuracy & limitations
The math is exact — milliseconds from BPM is pure arithmetic, so the only error source is a wrong tempo. Tap tempo gives the live tempo; this calculator converts it — it does not detect tempo from audio. If your DAW has a sync mode, use it: it follows tempo changes automatically, while these numbers are frozen at the BPM you typed. Songs with tempo changes, ritards, or swing need recalculation per section — one table per tempo. Above 300 BPM the calculator flags the input: check for a doubled or halved tempo (300 BPM at quarter = 150 BPM at half notes). Dotted and triplet rows assume standard 4/4-style beat math; compound meters (6/8) reframe what “the beat” means.
Cite this calculatorBright Side Kit. “Delay & Reverb Time Calculator: BPM to ms | Bright Side Kit.” brightoolbox.com, 2026.
Bright Side Kit. "Delay & Reverb Time Calculator: BPM to ms | Bright Side Kit." https://brightoolbox.com/delay-reverb-time-calculator/ Accessed October 23, 2026.Data sources- Delay-time arithmetic — 60,000 ÷ BPM per beat, standard note-value fractions; verified against published delay-time tables.
- Reverb pre-delay ranges — small rooms 1–10 ms, medium 10–30 ms, halls 30–50 ms; tempo-synced starting point ≈ 1/64 note.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate delay time from BPM?
Quarter note first: 60,000 ÷ BPM = ms. At 120 BPM that is 500 ms. Then scale: eighth = ×0.5 (250 ms), sixteenth = ×0.25 (125 ms), dotted eighth = ×0.75 (375 ms), eighth-note triplet = ×(1/3) (166.67 ms). The lookup above does the scaling for you.
What is a dotted delay and why is the dotted eighth so popular?
A dotted note is 1.5× the straight value — a dotted eighth is 3/16 of a bar (375 ms at 120 BPM vs 250 ms straight). It is famous because the repeat lands between the beats, creating the bouncing, galloping feel all over rock and pop records — rhythmic without stepping on the next hit.
What does a triplet delay sound like?
A triplet squeezes three notes into the space of two (×2/3): an eighth-note triplet is 166.67 ms at 120 BPM. It gives a rolling, swung feel — the sound of shuffles, hip-hop hi-hats, and jazz-inflected grooves — noticeably different from the straight grid.
What pre-delay should I set on my reverb?
Start at 20–50 ms. For a tempo-synced starting point use about a 1/64 note (31.25 ms at 120 BPM — read it off the table). Room of thumb: small rooms 1–10 ms, medium 10–30 ms, halls 30–50 ms. Longer separates the voice from the tail; too long becomes an audible echo.
Should I sync my delay to the DAW or enter ms manually?
If the plugin or pedal offers sync mode, use it — it tracks tempo changes automatically. Enter milliseconds manually when sync is unavailable: hardware pedals, DJ mixers, and older outboard gear. That is exactly what this page is for — the numbers you dial in by hand.
Why does the calculator flag BPM over 300?
Almost nothing musical runs at quarter-note 300 BPM — the input is usually a doubled or halved tempo (300 BPM quarters = 150 BPM half notes = 75 BPM whole notes, all the same music). The flag asks you to double-check which note value your tempo is counted in, rather than silently giving you unusable 200 ms “whole notes.”
What if the tempo changes during the song?
Recalculate per section — run the new BPM through the table and automate or re-dial. DAW sync mode handles this automatically; manual setups need one table per tempo. Ballad intros that speed into the chorus are the classic case.