BPM to Milliseconds Converter
Convert beats per minute (BPM) to delay and reverb timing values in milliseconds for all common note subdivisions.
Results
What is it?
Tempo-synced delays and reverbs lock rhythmic effects to the project BPM, making them feel musical rather than arbitrary. The formula is: note duration (ms) = (60,000 / BPM) × note value factor. A quarter note factor is 1, half note is 2, eighth note is 0.5, and so on.
How to use
Enter the BPM of your project. The calculator returns delay times for all common note subdivisions. Enter these values into your delay plugin's time parameter (in ms) to sync it rhythmically to the tempo. For stereo delays, set the left channel to one note value and the right to another (e.g. quarter + dotted eighth).
Example scenario
At 120 BPM: quarter note = 500 ms, eighth note = 250 ms, dotted quarter = 750 ms. A dotted-eighth delay (375 ms) panned in stereo against a quarter-note delay (500 ms) creates the classic "U2 The Edge" slapback effect that sits rhythmically in the groove.
Pro tip
Use triplet values for a syncopated, swinging feel. Reverb pre-delay set to 1/16th note (62.5 ms at 120 BPM) keeps the attack of a vocal dry and present before the reverb blooms — one of the most common professional mixing tricks. Most modern DAWs can sync delay plugins automatically via tempo host sync, but manual ms entry is essential for hardware units.