Producer tool
BPM delay & reverb calculator.
Type your project tempo, drag the slider, or tap along to the beat. Get every musical delay time, LFO rate, and reverb suggestion in one place. Straight, dotted, and triplet divisions, plus a reverb cheatsheet tied to your BPM. No more Googling "delay time 128 BPM" every session.
Don't know the BPM yet? Use the Tap Tempo tool →
or pressSpace
1 beat at 124 BPM
483.9 ms · 2.07 Hz
Straight note divisions
| Note | Time (ms) | Rate (Hz) |
|---|---|---|
| 1/1Whole note | ||
| 1/2Half note | ||
| 1/4Quarter noteThe beat | ||
| 1/8Eighth note | ||
| 1/16Sixteenth note | ||
| 1/32Thirty-second note |
Dotted (× 1.5)
Adds half the note's value. Useful for groovy, off-the-grid delays.
| Note | Time (ms) | Rate (Hz) |
|---|---|---|
| 1/2.Half note (dotted) | ||
| 1/4.Quarter note (dotted) | ||
| 1/8.Eighth note (dotted) | ||
| 1/16.Sixteenth note (dotted) | ||
| 1/32.Thirty-second note (dotted) |
Triplet (× 2/3)
Three notes in the space of two. Common for shuffle hi-hats and shaker patterns.
| Note | Time (ms) | Rate (Hz) |
|---|---|---|
| 1/2THalf note (triplet) | ||
| 1/4TQuarter note (triplet) | ||
| 1/8TEighth note (triplet) | ||
| 1/16TSixteenth note (triplet) | ||
| 1/32TThirty-second note (triplet) |
Reverb cheatsheet
Suggested musical reverb times based on your BPM. Use these as starting points and trust your ears from there.
Pre-delay
Tight
Medium
Wide
Decay time
Short (1 bar)
Medium (2 bars)
Long (4 bars)
💡 Click any value to copy it to your clipboard.
How it works
- Type your BPM, drag the slider, pick a genre preset, or tap along to the beat (click the Tap button or hit Space).
- Every musical division is calculated instantly: whole notes down to 1/32, plus dotted and triplet variants.
- Click any value to copy it to your clipboard. Paste into your delay plugin's time field.
- The reverb cheatsheet shows pre-delay and decay times that lock to your project's bar grid.
🔒 100% browser-side. No file upload, no email collected. Just math. (Basic pageview analytics only, no personal data.)
Frequently asked questions
How does the tap tempo button work?
Tap the Tap button (or press the spacebar) along with the beat of a track. After 2 or more taps, the calculator detects the BPM from the average interval between your taps. It uses a rolling average over the last 8 intervals, so the more you tap the more accurate it gets. Stop tapping for 2 seconds and it resets, ready for the next track.
How do I calculate delay time from BPM?
The formula is: 60000 / BPM = milliseconds per quarter note. For example, at 128 BPM, one quarter note (1/4) = 60000 / 128 = 468.75 ms. Divide by 2 for 1/8 notes (234.4 ms), by 4 for 1/16 notes (117.2 ms), and so on. The calculator above does all these calculations automatically.
What's the difference between dotted and triplet timing?
A dotted note is 1.5× the length of its base note (1/4 dotted = 1/4 + 1/8). It creates a groovy, off-the-grid feel, common on delays for a wider stereo image. A triplet note is 2/3 the length of its base note (three notes fit in the space of two). Triplets create shuffle rhythms and are common on hi-hat patterns in house and techno.
What's a good reverb time for 128 BPM?
A good starting point: pre-delay of 15–30 ms, decay of 1.5–2.5 seconds for general use. Tied to BPM: a 1-bar decay at 128 BPM ≈ 1.88s (medium), a 2-bar decay ≈ 3.75s (long pads). The calculator suggests musical reverb times based on your project BPM so the tail aligns with your bars.
How do I sync an LFO to BPM without tempo sync?
If your synth's LFO has a Hz rate but no BPM-sync mode, set the Hz value to match your musical division. Convert ms to Hz with: 1000 / ms. At 128 BPM, a quarter-note rate is 1000 / 468.75 = 2.13 Hz. The calculator shows both ms and Hz for every division so you can plug the right value into any LFO.
Why are musical delay times important?
Delays at musical intervals (1/4, 1/8, 1/16, etc.) lock to your project's groove. Random delay times sound disconnected from the beat. Even subtle delays of 1/16 or 1/32 add depth and width without muddying the timing. Dotted delays add groove; triplet delays add shuffle. All while staying in sync with your kick.
What's the formula for BPM to milliseconds?
One quarter note in milliseconds = 60000 / BPM. For other note values, multiply by their fraction: 1/2 note = (60000 / BPM) × 2, 1/8 note = (60000 / BPM) × 0.5, 1/16 note = (60000 / BPM) × 0.25. The calculator includes whole notes (1/1) down to 1/32 notes, plus dotted and triplet variants for each.
How do I use this in Ableton, Logic, or FL Studio?
Most modern delay and reverb plugins have BPM sync built in. Set the rate to 1/4, 1/8, etc. directly. But sometimes you need a free-run value: 3rd-party plugins without tempo sync, analog hardware emulations, or when you want a slightly off-grid feel. Click any value in the calculator to copy it to your clipboard, then paste it into the plugin's time field.