BPM to MS Calculator: Tempo to Milliseconds
Translate musical tempo into exact millisecond intervals for delay plugins, reverb pre-delays, and synthesizer LFOs.
Tempo to Milliseconds Engine
120 BPM = 500.00 ms per quarter beat
BPM:
Quick BPM Presets:
Standard Notes1:1 Ratio
Whole Note (1/1)
2000.00 ms
Half Note (1/2)
1000.00 ms
Quarter Note (1/4) [Main Beat]
500.00 ms
Eighth Note (1/8)
250.00 ms
Sixteenth Note (1/16)
125.00 ms
Thirty-Second Note (1/32)
62.50 ms
Sixty-Fourth Note (1/64)
31.25 ms
Dotted Notes1.5x Length
Dotted Half (1/2D)
1500.00 ms
Dotted Quarter (1/4D)
750.00 ms
Dotted Eighth (1/8D) [Delay Classic]
375.00 ms
Dotted Sixteenth (1/16D)
187.50 ms
Dotted 32nd (1/32D)
93.75 ms
Triplet Notes0.667x Ratio
Half Triplet (1/2T)
666.67 ms
Quarter Triplet (1/4T)
333.33 ms
Eighth Triplet (1/8T)
166.67 ms
Sixteenth Triplet (1/16T)
83.33 ms
32nd Triplet (1/32T)
41.67 ms
Need stereo ping-pong delays, pre-delay times, or Haas effect stereo wideners?
Mathematical Formula & Calculation
Milliseconds Per Beat = 60,000 ÷ BPM
Plain English: Divide 60,000 by your song BPM to find the quarter-note duration in milliseconds.
Worked Example:
At 120 BPM: 60,000 ÷ 120 = 500 ms (Quarter Note). 8th note = 250 ms. 16th note = 125 ms. Dotted 8th = 375 ms. Quarter triplet = 333.33 ms.
- Quarter Note (1/4): 60,000 ÷ BPM
- Eighth Note (1/8): Quarter ÷ 2
- Sixteenth Note (1/16): Quarter ÷ 4
- Dotted Note: Base Value × 1.5
- Triplet Note: (Base Value × 2) ÷ 3
Frequently Asked Questions
There are 60 seconds in one minute and 1,000 milliseconds in each second, so one full minute contains exactly 60,000 milliseconds. Dividing 60,000 ms by your BPM yields the duration of one quarter-note beat in milliseconds.
Recommended Next Tool
MS to BPM Calculator
Perform the reverse calculation from millisecond intervals back into tempo.