Delay Time Calculator
Enter your song's tempo and get every note value in milliseconds — straight, dotted, and triplet — plus the Hz rate for tempo-syncing LFOs.
| Note value | Straight (ms) | Dotted (ms) | Triplet (ms) | Rate (Hz) |
|---|
Dotted values are 1.5× the straight length; triplet values are two-thirds of it. The Hz column is the straight value expressed as cycles per second (1000 ÷ ms) — use it to tempo-sync LFOs on chorus, tremolo, auto-pan, and filter plugins.
Why sync delay to the tempo
A delay is a rhythm generator. Every repeat is a new hit in the arrangement, and if those hits don't line up with the beat, they blur the groove and eat space in the mix. Set the delay to a note value of the song's tempo and the repeats become part of the rhythm section instead — they reinforce the pulse, tuck neatly behind the dry signal, and can be pushed louder before they feel messy.
The math is one line: a quarter note lasts 60000 ÷ BPM milliseconds. At 120 BPM that's 500 ms. Double it for a half note, halve it for an eighth, and so on. Most modern plugins can sync to the host tempo for you — this chart is for hardware, un-syncable plugins, samplers, and for knowing what number you're actually hearing.
Which note value to reach for
Quarter & eighth: the groove
Straight quarter- and eighth-note delays reinforce the beat and are the safest choice behind a vocal. Feed the eighth a little feedback and it reads as depth rather than a distinct echo.
Dotted eighth: the movement
The dotted eighth lands between the beats, creating a cascading, syncopated pattern from even a simple part — the sound U2's guitar rig made famous. Try it on arpeggiated synths and picked guitars.
Short values: the thickener
Sixteenths and thirty-seconds thicken a part without an audible echo. Below roughly 80 ms the effect stops reading as rhythm entirely and becomes slapback or doubling — great on vocals and snares.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate delay time from BPM?
One beat (a quarter note) lasts 60000 ÷ BPM milliseconds. At 120 BPM that's 500 ms. Double it for longer note values and halve it for shorter ones: a half note is 1000 ms, an eighth 250 ms, a sixteenth 125 ms. Set your delay to one of these values and the echoes repeat in time with the song.
What is a dotted eighth delay?
A dotted eighth is 1.5× the length of a straight eighth — at 120 BPM that's 375 ms instead of 250 ms. Delays set to a dotted eighth create a syncopated, cascading rhythm against the beat. It's one of the most famous delay settings in popular music, heard all over U2's guitar sound.
What delay time should I use?
Depends on the effect. Quarter and eighth notes reinforce the groove and sit naturally behind vocals. Dotted eighths add syncopated movement. Sixteenths thicken a part without an obvious echo. Very short values (under ~80 ms) act as slapback or doubling instead of rhythm. Start from the tempo-synced value and adjust by ear.
What is the Hz column for?
Hz is cycles per second — the inverse of the millisecond value (1000 ÷ ms). Many LFOs on chorus, tremolo, auto-pan, and filter plugins are set in Hz rather than note values. Using the Hz that matches a note length locks the modulation to the tempo, so wobbles and sweeps land on the beat.