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.
Delay times are quick to get right. When the track is done you can analyze your track with AI and get the mix, mastering and songwriting scored in one pass.
Analyze a track free →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.