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BPM to milliseconds calculator. Put a note value into time.
Calculate note durations and delay intervals from a quarter-note BPM tempo. Compare straight, dotted and triplet values, copy milliseconds or download a timing table. This free calculator needs no recording, account or AI credits.
Convert BPM to milliseconds
Free · no uploadBPM means quarter notes per minute here. Enter a steady tempo; this calculator does not listen to a recording.
Convert milliseconds to BPM
Use the note value and timing selected above. This infers a quarter-note tempo from a known interval; it does not detect which musical division a delay represents.
375 ms means 160 BPM as a straight quarter, 80 BPM as a straight eighth, or 120 BPM as a dotted eighth. The assumed note matters. This result does not change the forward tempo or table automatically.
Share this timing calculation
The link preserves tempo, note value, timing and the reverse interval. It contains numbers and settings, not audio or personal information. Both numeric inputs must be valid.
| Note | Straight | Dotted | Triplet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/1 | 2,000 | 3,000 | 1,333.333 |
| 1/2 | 1,000 | 1,500 | 666.667 |
| 1/4 | 500 | 750 | 333.333 |
| 1/8 | 250 | 375 | 166.667 |
| 1/16 | 125 | 187.5 | 83.333 |
| 1/32 | 62.5 | 93.75 | 41.667 |
| 1/64 | 31.25 | 46.875 | 20.833 |
A musical interval in time units
How to calculate a delay time from BPM
- 01 / TEMPO
Enter the quarter-note tempo
Use a known project tempo from 20 to 400 BPM, including decimals. If you only have a recording, the tap-tempo calculator estimates the rate you tap; check which musical pulse you are counting.
- 02 / DIVISION
Choose the note value
Select a whole through 1/64 note, then straight, dotted or triplet timing. At 120 BPM, an eighth note lasts 250 ms, a dotted eighth 375 ms and an eighth-note triplet about 166.667 ms.
- 03 / USE
Copy the duration or save the table
Enter the milliseconds into your own effect or editor. The CSV records all seven divisions at your chosen tempo. This page does not process audio, create an echo or change a plug-in setting.
A quick reference
Delay times at common BPM settings
All values are milliseconds, rounded to three decimal places. BPM counts quarter notes. Choose a tempo button to load a straight quarter-note calculation; then choose another note or timing above. The reverse interval loads the same quarter-note duration.
| Tempo preset | Quarter | Eighth | Dotted eighth | Triplet eighth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | 500 | 750 | 333.333 | |
| 750 | 375 | 562.5 | 250 | |
| 666.667 | 333.333 | 500 | 222.222 | |
| 600 | 300 | 450 | 200 | |
| 500 | 250 | 375 | 166.667 | |
| 468.75 | 234.375 | 351.563 | 156.25 | |
| 428.571 | 214.286 | 321.429 | 142.857 |
These are calculated intervals, not detected tempos or recommended effect settings. For example, 128 BPM gives a 468.75 ms quarter and a 351.5625 ms dotted eighth before display rounding. Your effect may round further or use a different beat convention.
The calculation
BPM to milliseconds formula
One minute contains 60,000 milliseconds. With a quarter-note BPM reference, one quarter note lasts 60,000 ÷ BPM. Multiply by four divided by the note denominator to get the chosen straight note value.
milliseconds = (60,000 ÷ BPM) × (4 ÷ note denominator) × timing multiplierThe multiplier is 1 for straight notes, 1.5 for dotted notes and 2/3 for triplets. At 90 BPM, a straight quarter is about 666.667 ms; a dotted quarter is 1,000 ms. Each triplet note occupies two thirds of the corresponding straight note, so three triplet eighths span the same time as two straight eighths.
Steinberg’s Cubasis delay reference distinguishes tempo-linked normal, dotted and triplet timing. A plug-in’s labels and supported values can differ: use its own manual to identify the intended division and whether its control expects milliseconds, seconds or synced note values.
Keep the assumption with the value
Share a reproducible delay-time calculation
Use Copy calculation link to keep the forward BPM, selected note, straight/dotted/triplet timing and reverse interval together. Opening the link restores those settings in this calculator. A saved number such as 375 ms is ambiguous without its note assumption; the link preserves that choice.
Settings are stored in the URL fragment after the # symbol. They are not a new audio file or an account-saved project. Anyone who receives the link can see its values. Ordinary page anchors do not change the calculator, and an invalid or unsupported shared state leaves the current settings intact. A browser refresh without the shared fragment returns to the default calculation.
Reverse the calculation
Milliseconds to BPM depends on the note value
Use the reverse calculator when you already know an interval in milliseconds. Its formula is BPM = 60,000 × quarter notes in the selected interval ÷ milliseconds. Enter 375 ms and choose a dotted eighth to infer 120 quarter-note BPM. Choose a straight quarter instead and the same 375 ms implies 160 BPM.
The reverse input accepts 0.001–18,000 ms, a range covering every note duration available in the forward calculator. It can infer a tempo outside the forward input’s 20–400 BPM range; that result is labelled rather than silently changed. Neither calculation determines the actual subdivision from a recording. Identify the intended note or count the pulse before using the inferred tempo in a project.
Choose what the number means
Delay repeats, practice gaps and reverb settings
A delay time is the interval between repeats, not the number of repeats or the duration of the whole echo tail. Feedback and the effect’s other settings influence that tail. This calculator supplies an interval; it does not choose an appropriate feedback or level for a mix.
For a practice sequence at 120 quarter-note BPM, one quarter-note pause is 500 ms, or 0.5 seconds. You can enter a suitable pause in the audio joiner’s repeated-clip workflow. That pause sits between clip boundaries; it does not automatically align their musical entrances to a beat grid. Keep count-ins and each clip’s actual duration in mind.
A note duration can also be a starting value for a reverb pre-delay or decay control, but it is not a measurement of a room or a guarantee that a reverb tail ends exactly there. The available range and meaning of a control belong to the effect you are using. Listen in context.
Tempo assumptions
Compound meter, swing and changing tempo
This calculator assumes the BPM beat is a quarter note. A tempo marking based on a dotted quarter means something different: 80 dotted-quarter beats per minute corresponds to 120 quarter notes per minute. Enter 120 here to express that rate using this page’s convention. A time signature alone does not tell you which note a tempo marking counts.
Triplet timing does not represent every swing setting. Swing can place alternate notes differently while preserving the overall beat; straight, dotted and triplet intervals are fixed ratios. For tempo changes, calculate from the local tempo or use an effect that follows your project’s tempo map. A single millisecond setting cannot follow a changing tempo by itself.
Rounded values can accumulate a small timing difference across repeated manual placements. Copy and CSV retain six decimal places; your editor may round further to its own time or sample grid. Verify the actual arrangement. No audio is analyzed, uploaded or generated by this calculator.
A few useful answers
BPM to milliseconds calculator questions
How do I convert BPM to milliseconds?
For a quarter note, divide 60,000 by BPM. For another straight note, multiply by four divided by its denominator. At 120 BPM a quarter note is 500 ms and an eighth note is 250 ms. This calculator accepts 20–400 BPM, including decimals.
Can I convert milliseconds back to BPM?
Yes. Enter 0.001–18,000 ms in the reverse calculator and choose the note value and timing above it. For example, 375 ms is a dotted eighth at 120 quarter-note BPM, but a straight quarter at 160 BPM. The interval alone cannot identify its musical division. The inferred BPM is separate from the forward tempo and table.
What is a dotted eighth delay at 120 BPM?
375 milliseconds. A straight eighth at 120 BPM is 250 ms, and a dotted note adds half that duration: 250 × 1.5 = 375. A triplet eighth instead lasts about 166.667 ms.
Can I calculate triplet delay times?
Yes. Choose a note and Triplet timing. Each interval is two thirds of the corresponding straight note. The table shows straight, dotted and triplet durations for whole through 1/64 notes together.
Does this add a delay effect to my audio?
No. It calculates durations and exports a CSV table, not audio. Enter the value into your own editor or effect, checking its units and supported range. No recording, microphone, upload or account is needed.
Is BPM always a quarter-note count?
No. This page uses that convention, but a tempo marking can name a different beat unit. For example, 80 dotted-quarter beats per minute corresponds to 120 quarter notes per minute. Confirm the marked beat unit before entering a tempo.
Are the calculated times exact?
Calculations retain JavaScript floating-point precision. Displayed values round to three decimal places; copy and CSV round to six. Your editor can round to a time or sample grid. A fixed time also does not follow tempo changes automatically.
After preparing your audio