Delay Calculator: BPM to Milliseconds
I made this delay calculator because the other ones made me click a button every time I changed the BPM. Type your song tempo and every time below changes as you type, from a whole note to a 1/128 note, as straight, triplet and dotted notes. Use the times for delays, reverb pre-delay and early reflections.
All times are in milliseconds (ms).
| Note | Straight | Triplet | Dotted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/1whole | 2000.00 | 1333.33 | 3000.00 |
| 1/2half | 1000.00 | 666.67 | 1500.00 |
| 1/4quarter | 500.00 | 333.33 | 750.00 |
| 1/8eighth | 250.00 | 166.67 | 375.00 |
| 1/1616th | 125.00 | 83.33 | 187.50 |
| 1/3232nd | 62.50 | 41.67 | 93.75 |
| 1/6464th | 31.25 | 20.83 | 46.88 |
| 1/128128th | 15.63 | 10.42 | 23.44 |
Why use a delay calculator
When an echo repeats on a note value, it lands on the beat instead of between beats, so it sits in the groove of the song. A reverb set to note values does the same: it starts and fades in time with the music, and the mix stays clear.
Delay times
Set the delay time to a note value from the table. A 1/4 or 1/8 note gives a steady echo on the beat. A dotted 1/8 note gives a bouncing echo that plays against the beat. A triplet gives a swung echo.
Reverb pre-delay
Pre-delay is the gap between the dry sound and the start of the reverb. A short note value, such as a 1/64 or 1/32 note, keeps the attack of each note clear and starts the reverb in time with the beat.
Early reflection times
Early reflections are the first echoes from the walls of a room, before the reverb tail. Set the early reflection time to a short note value, such as a 1/64 or 1/128 note, so the first reflections land in time with the song.
Reverb decay
For the decay or reverb time, try a 1/2 note or a whole note. The tail then fades before the next bar.
How to use the delay calculator
- Type the song tempo in the Song BPM box.
- Find the note value you want, for example a dotted 1/8 note.
- Set the delay time, pre-delay or early reflection time on your plugin or hardware unit to that number of milliseconds.
How the delay calculator works
A quarter note lasts 60,000 divided by the BPM, in milliseconds. At 120 BPM, a quarter note is 500 ms. A half note is twice as long, and an eighth note is half as long.
A dotted note is 1.5 times as long as the straight note, so a dotted 1/8 note at 120 BPM is 375 ms. A triplet note is 2/3 as long, so a 1/8 triplet at 120 BPM is 166.67 ms.
Delay times on hardware
My AKG ADR 68K editor has a tempo calculator built in. It works out the delay time for your song tempo and sends it to the unit.