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
137.9BPM
Beats per bar
4 beats
Delay fraction
3/16 bar

Converted to seconds

Length of 1 beat
0.435 sec
2.298 Hz
Length of 1 bar
1.74 sec
0.575 Hz
Delay length
0.326 sec
3.064 Hz

Repeated delays

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

1 reps
3/16
326.3 ms
2 reps
3/8
652.7 ms
3 reps
9/16
979 ms
4 reps
3/4
1305.3 ms
5 reps
15/16
1631.6 ms
6 reps
9/8
1958 ms
7 reps
21/16
2.284 sec
8 reps
3/2
2.611 sec
9 reps
27/16
2.937 sec
10 reps
15/8
3.263 sec
11 reps
33/16
3.59 sec
12 reps
9/4
3.916 sec
13 reps
39/16
4.242 sec
14 reps
21/8
4.569 sec
15 reps
45/16
4.895 sec
16 reps
3
5.221 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.