Audio delay calculator

Give the tempo and the time signature

Express the length of the delay as fractions of a bar

Musical tempo

Beats per minute
128.1BPM
Beats per bar
4 beats
Delay fraction
3/16 bar

Converted to seconds

Length of 1 beat
0.468 sec
2.135 Hz
Length of 1 bar
1.874 sec
0.534 Hz
Delay length
0.351 sec
2.847 Hz

Repeated delays

A repeated delay syncs with the beat after 16 delays = 3 bars

1 reps
3/16
351.3 ms
2 reps
3/8
702.6 ms
3 reps
9/16
1053.8 ms
4 reps
3/4
1405.1 ms
5 reps
15/16
1756.4 ms
6 reps
9/8
2.108 sec
7 reps
21/16
2.459 sec
8 reps
3/2
2.81 sec
9 reps
27/16
3.162 sec
10 reps
15/8
3.513 sec
11 reps
33/16
3.864 sec
12 reps
9/4
4.215 sec
13 reps
39/16
4.567 sec
14 reps
21/8
4.918 sec
15 reps
45/16
5.269 sec
16 reps
3
5.621 sec

Visualized

1 bar2 bars3 bars4 bars
♩♩♩♩
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

How to use this page

If you have a 135 BPM song, and you want a phase modulation of 4 beats (1 bar): that is 1777.6 ms
If you have a 128 BPM song, and you want an audio delay of 2/3 of a beat: this is 312.5 ms

Music calculators & converters

Beats-per-minute
Convert BPM to Hz, bar length, fractions
Audio delay
Calculate audio delay length in msec
Music Frequency
Convert pitch to musical note and wavelength
Song length
Calculate song length from BPM
Music Scale
Generate scales with frequencies
Tap your tempo
Tap to find the BPM of a song or a heartbeat

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I calculate delay time from BPM?

For quarter note delay: 60000 ÷ BPM = ms. At 120 BPM: 60000÷120 = 500ms. For other note values: multiply by the fraction. Eighth note = 250ms, dotted eighth (3/16) = 375ms, sixteenth = 125ms.

What is a dotted delay and why use it?

A dotted note is 1.5× the original length. Dotted eighth = 3/16 bar. At 120 BPM: dotted eighth = 375ms (vs 250ms for eighth). Dotted delays create a "bouncing" feel popular in rock and pop music - the delay hits between beats.

How do I sync delay to my DAW tempo?

Most DAW delays have "sync" mode that locks to tempo. For hardware or manual setup: calculate ms using this tool and enter the value. Common musical delays: 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, dotted 1/8, or triplet variations.

What delay time for reverb pre-delay?

Pre-delay separates dry sound from reverb tail. For tempo-sync: use 1/32 or 1/64 note (15-30ms at 120 BPM). For natural sound: small rooms 1-10ms, medium rooms 10-30ms, halls 30-50ms. Too long = echo effect, too short = muddy sound.