Tool
Delay time calculator
Enter a tempo. The table shows delay times in milliseconds for common note values. Straight time uses milliseconds = (60000 / BPM) × beats. A dotted value is 1.5 times the straight time. A triplet value is two thirds of the straight time.
| Note | Straight (ms) | Dotted (ms) | Triplet (ms) |
|---|
What the numbers mean
A quarter note is one beat. A half note is two beats. A whole note is four beats. An eighth note is half a beat. The calculator treats BPM as quarter-note beats per minute, which matches the session metronome on this site.
The tempo you enter is stored in the session, so the metronome and this table can share one number. Empty or zero BPM is an error. The table will not show Infinity. The delay-time guide writes the same formula in full sentences.
Worked examples
60000 / 120 = 500. The straight quarter is 500 ms. The dotted quarter is 750 ms. The quarter-note triplet is 333.33 ms.
A beat lasts 1000 ms, so a straight eighth is 500 ms. Does that match a delay labeled 1/8 at 60 BPM?
A straight quarter is 666.67 ms. Times 1.5 is 1000 ms. That is one second between dotted-quarter hits.
Questions
Does this send a delay effect to a pedal?
No. The page only computes milliseconds from the tempo you type. You still set the pedal or plug-in yourself.
Are triplets two thirds or three against two?
Each triplet value here is the straight duration multiplied by 2/3, which is the usual time between triplet attacks that fill the same span as the straight note.
What if I use 6/8 on the metronome?
The metronome in 6/8 still labels BPM as the dotted-quarter pulse. This table always treats BPM as a quarter-note pulse. Convert first if you need eighth-note delay in 6/8.