BPM to Milliseconds
Turn a tempo into note durations in milliseconds, for straight, dotted and triplet values.
One beat (quarter note)
500 ms
| Note | Straight (ms) | Dotted (ms) | Triplet (ms) | Frequency (Hz) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole note | 2,000 | 3,000 | 1,333.33 | 0.5 |
| Half note | 1,000 | 1,500 | 666.67 | 1 |
| Quarter note | 500 | 750 | 333.33 | 2 |
| 8th note | 250 | 375 | 166.67 | 4 |
| 16th note | 125 | 187.5 | 83.33 | 8 |
| 32nd note | 62.5 | 93.75 | 41.67 | 16 |
Delays, tremolos and LFOs only sit right in a track when their timing is derived from the tempo rather than dialled in by ear. Enter a tempo and you get the duration of every common note value in milliseconds, ready to be typed into a plugin that has no tempo sync.
How it works
A tempo in BPM counts quarter notes per minute, so one quarter note lasts 60000 / BPM milliseconds. Every other note value is a multiple of that: a half note is twice as long, an eighth note half as long, and so on.
A dotted note lasts one and a half times its straight value, because the dot adds half of the note back. A triplet note lasts two thirds of it, because three triplets take the space of two straight notes.
The frequency column is simply 1000 divided by the duration, which is what an LFO rate expects when it is set in hertz.
Examples
| Case | Input | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Quarter note delay at 120 BPM | 120 | 500 ms |
| Dotted eighth delay at 120 BPM, the classic guitar echo | 120 | 375 ms |
| Sixteenth note at 174 BPM | 174 | 86.21 ms |
Frequently asked questions
Which note value should I use for a delay?
A quarter note delay follows the pulse and is the safest starting point. An eighth or dotted eighth delay adds movement without blurring the beat, which is why the dotted eighth is so common on guitars. A sixteenth delay behaves more like a slapback or a thickener.
What is the difference between a dotted and a triplet delay?
A dotted note is longer than the straight value by half, so a dotted eighth lasts three sixteenths. A triplet note is shorter, at two thirds of the straight value, so three of them fit where two straight notes would. Dotted values push against the grid, triplets divide it differently.
Does this work in 3/4 or 6/8?
The durations stay correct as long as the BPM value counts quarter notes, which is what DAWs do by default in every time signature. In 6/8 the pulse is often felt as a dotted quarter note, so use the dotted quarter row for one beat rather than the quarter note row.
Why does my delay still sound slightly off?
Plugins often accept only whole milliseconds, and rounding 86.21 down to 86 drifts by a few milliseconds over a long passage. When the plugin offers tempo sync, prefer it; these values are meant for the ones that do not.
Good to know
- Durations are given with two decimals but computed at full precision, so chained values do not accumulate rounding error.
- The tempo is assumed to be constant. Tracks with tempo automation need a value per section.