BPM to ms: Delay and Reverb Times for Any Tempo

To convert BPM to milliseconds, divide 60,000 by the tempo: the result is the length of one beat (a quarter note) in ms. At 120 BPM, one beat lasts 500 ms, an eighth note 250 ms and a sixteenth 125 ms. For a dotted note, multiply the straight value by 1.5; for a triplet, multiply by 2/3. This guide gives you the formulas, ready-made tables for common club tempos and practical tips for using tempo-synced delay and reverb in DJ sets and productions.

The formula

One beat (quarter note) in ms = 60,000 ÷ BPM

The 60,000 comes from the number of milliseconds in a minute. Everything else is a multiple or fraction of the quarter note:

Note value	Multiply the quarter note by
Whole note (1/1, one bar in 4/4)	4
Half note (1/2)	2
Quarter note (1/4)	1
Eighth note (1/8)	0.5
Sixteenth note (1/16)	0.25
Thirty-second note (1/32)	0.125
Dotted value	× 1.5
Triplet value	× 2/3

Worked example at 128 BPM: 60,000 ÷ 128 = 468.75 ms per beat. An eighth note is 234.4 ms, a dotted eighth is 234.4 × 1.5 = 351.6 ms, and an eighth-note triplet is 234.4 × 2/3 = 156.25 ms.

You do not need to calculate this by hand. Type any tempo, or tap it in, on our BPM to ms calculator and it shows straight, dotted and triplet values from whole notes down to 1/32, plus the matching frequency in Hz.

Delay times at 120, 128 and 140 BPM

Values are rounded to one decimal place.

Straight notes

Note	120 BPM	128 BPM	140 BPM
1/1	2000 ms	1875 ms	1714.3 ms
1/2	1000 ms	937.5 ms	857.1 ms
1/4	500 ms	468.8 ms	428.6 ms
1/8	250 ms	234.4 ms	214.3 ms
1/16	125 ms	117.2 ms	107.1 ms
1/32	62.5 ms	58.6 ms	53.6 ms

Dotted notes

Note	120 BPM	128 BPM	140 BPM
Dotted 1/4	750 ms	703.1 ms	642.9 ms
Dotted 1/8	375 ms	351.6 ms	321.4 ms
Dotted 1/16	187.5 ms	175.8 ms	160.7 ms

Triplets

Note	120 BPM	128 BPM	140 BPM
1/4 triplet	333.3 ms	312.5 ms	285.7 ms
1/8 triplet	166.7 ms	156.3 ms	142.9 ms
1/16 triplet	83.3 ms	78.1 ms	71.4 ms

Need another tempo? Check the typical range for your genre in our BPM by genre guide, then enter the exact value in the calculator.

From ms to Hz for modulation effects

Some effects, such as LFOs on filters, tremolo or auto-pan, use a rate in hertz instead of a time. To convert:

Hz = 1000 ÷ time in ms

At 120 BPM, a quarter note is 500 ms, which equals 2 Hz. An eighth note at 250 ms equals 4 Hz. Syncing a filter sweep or tremolo to these rates keeps the movement locked to the groove.

Using tempo-synced delay in a DJ set

Most DJ mixers and software have a beat-synced echo or delay that follows the track's tempo automatically, usually set in beat fractions like 1/2, 3/4 or 1 beat. Knowing what those values sound like helps you choose quickly:

Setting	Effect in a mix
1/4 beat (a sixteenth)	Fast, rhythmic stutter; adds energy to hi-hats
1/2 beat (an eighth)	Busy echo; good for percussion fills
3/4 beat (a dotted eighth)	Rolling, syncopated echo; popular on vocals and leads
1 beat (a quarter)	Clear, on-beat echo; ideal for echo-out transitions
2 beats (a half note)	Long, spacious echo for breakdowns

The classic use is the echo out: turn the echo on, close the outgoing channel at the end of a phrase and let the repeats ring out while the new track starts. It is the easiest way to move between tracks with very different tempos. Our guide to DJ transition techniques shows how it fits with other transitions.

A worked example: echo out at 126 BPM

You are playing a track at 126 BPM and want to leave it with an echo before starting a new track at 100 BPM.

1. One beat at 126 BPM is 60,000 ÷ 126 ≈ 476 ms. A 1-beat echo repeats every 476 ms; a 1/2-beat echo every 238 ms.
2. Choose a 1-beat echo for a clear, spacious tail. Set the feedback so you hear around four to six repeats.
3. On the last bar of a phrase, switch the echo on and close the channel on the "one" of the next bar.
4. Let the repeats fade for about two bars (roughly 3.8 seconds at 126 BPM), then start the new track on its first beat.

Because the repeats follow the old tempo, the new track at a different tempo does not clash with them for long. Shorter feedback gives a quicker change; longer feedback a more dramatic one.

Using delay and reverb in production

Delay

• Vocals: a dotted-eighth or quarter-note delay, mixed low, adds space without clutter. Filter the repeats so they sit behind the dry vocal.
• Leads and plucks: eighth or dotted-eighth delays create rhythmic patterns that interact with the groove.
• Slapback: a very short delay, roughly 60 to 120 ms, thickens a sound without a distinct echo. It does not have to be tempo-synced.

Reverb pre-delay

Pre-delay is the gap between the dry sound and the start of the reverb. A short, tempo-related value keeps the reverb from smearing the attack of the sound.

• At 120 BPM: a 1/64 note is about 31 ms, a 1/32 note 62.5 ms.
• At 128 BPM: a 1/64 note is about 29 ms, a 1/32 note about 59 ms.

Reverb decay

Some producers set the reverb tail so it fades before the next beat or bar. For example, at 128 BPM a half-note decay is 937.5 ms and a whole-bar decay is 1875 ms. Treat this as a starting point and adjust by ear.

Bar and phrase lengths

The same formula scales up to bars and phrases, which helps with arrangement and DJ timing:

Length	120 BPM	128 BPM	140 BPM
1 bar	2.0 s	1.875 s	1.71 s
8 bars	16.0 s	15.0 s	13.7 s
16 bars	32.0 s	30.0 s	27.4 s
32 bars	64.0 s	60.0 s	54.9 s

Our guide to DJ phrasing explains why these lengths matter when you mix.

Common mistakes

• Using the wrong BPM. If the tempo is detected at half or double speed, every delay time will be off by the same factor. Confirm the tempo first; see how to find the BPM of a song.
• Too much feedback. Long feedback on a busy delay quickly turns into noise.
• Delay too loud. Repeats usually work best clearly quieter than the dry signal.
• Ignoring dotted and triplet values. Straight values can sound stiff; dotted and triplet times often groove better.
• Over-syncing. Not every effect has to be tempo-locked. Trust your ears.

Quick reference

• Quarter note: 60,000 ÷ BPM.
• Eighth: half of that. Sixteenth: a quarter of that.
• Dotted: × 1.5. Triplet: × 2/3.
• Hz: 1000 ÷ ms.

Keep the BPM tapper open in a browser tab while you work and you will have every value at a glance.