Free tool
Delay Time Calculator
Tempo-synced delay times in milliseconds, with the divisions producers actually reach for called out first.
Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Project tempo
Quarter
483.9 ms
Slapback in time with the beat
Dotted eighth
362.9 ms
Wide off-grid bounce
Eighth
241.9 ms
Tight rhythmic repeats
Common delay settings
Quarter
483.9 ms
Slapback in time with the beat
Dotted eighth
362.9 ms
Wide off-grid bounce
Eighth
241.9 ms
Tight rhythmic repeats
Triplet eighth
161.3 ms
Rolling swing
Sixteenth
121 ms
Short, dense repeats
Dotted sixteenth
181.5 ms
Syncopated stutter
Every division
| Note | Straight | Dotted | Triplet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole (1/1) | 1935.5ms | 2903.2ms | 1290.3ms |
| Half (1/2) | 967.7ms | 1451.6ms | 645.2ms |
| Quarter (1/4) | 483.9ms | 725.8ms | 322.6ms |
| Eighth (1/8) | 241.9ms | 362.9ms | 161.3ms |
| Sixteenth (1/16) | 121ms | 181.5ms | 80.65ms |
| Thirty-second (1/32) | 60.48ms | 90.73ms | 40.32ms |
If your plugin offers tempo sync, use it instead of typing times — it follows tempo changes, a typed value does not.
Detail
How this works
A delay sits in time when its repeat length is a musical division of the beat. One beat is 60000 / BPM milliseconds, so at 124 BPM a quarter note is about 483.9 ms and an eighth about 242 ms.
Dotted values are 1.5× longer and triplets are two thirds as long. Those two are what make a delay feel wide or swung rather than simply doubled, which is why they get their own columns rather than being buried in a formula.
Feedback and filtering matter as much as timing: a correctly timed delay with too much feedback still blurs a mix. Start with the time, then tune the tail.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
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