Delay Time Calculator
Tempo-synced delay times for pedals, outboard units and plugins without a sync button: every note value straight, dotted and triplet, ready to copy.
Updated · By Niraj Kumar
https://checkpre.com/music/delay-time-calculator
↑ ↓ nudge by 1, with Shift by 0.1. One beat = 500 ms.
Delay times · click to copy
| Note | Straight | Dotted | Triplet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 bars | |||
| 1/1 (bar) | |||
| 1/2 | |||
| 1/4 | |||
| 1/8 | |||
| 1/16 | |||
| 1/32 | |||
| 1/64 |
Delay time → BPM
120 BPM
Reverb pre-delay & decay
- Pre-delay
- Decay
- Total
- Pre-delay
- Decay
- Total
- Pre-delay
- Decay
- Total
- Pre-delay
- Decay
- Total
A starting point: shorten the decay until the tail stops masking the next phrase.
Bar & sample length
How do I calculate delay time for a song?
Set the delay to 60,000 ÷ BPM for a quarter-note echo, and scale it for other notes. At 120 BPM that is 500 ms; an eighth is 250 ms, the dotted eighth guitarists love is 375 ms, and a sixteenth triplet 83.33 ms. Click any value in the table to copy it.
quarter note (ms) = 60 000 ÷ BPM; note = quarter × q;
dotted = note × 1.5; triplet = note × 2/3; rate (Hz) = 1000 ÷ ms;
bar = quarter × beats × 4 ÷ unit; samples = seconds × sample rateThis page uses the same method as the BPM to MS Calculator, which explains each term and assumption in full.
Worked example
Setting a guitar pedal's delay by hand for a song at 120 BPM, wanting the classic dotted eighth rhythm.
- 1Quarter note: 60,000 ÷ 120 = 500 ms
- 2Eighth note: 500 ÷ 2 = 250 ms; dotted: 250 × 1.5 = 375 ms
- 3Sixteenth triplet: 125 × 2/3 = 83.33 ms
- 4LFO once per beat: 1000 ÷ 500 = 2 Hz
- 5Hall reverb: pre-delay 1/64 = 31.25 ms, decay 3,968.75 ms to end on 2 bars
At 120 BPM: 500 ms quarter, 375 ms dotted eighth, 83.33 ms sixteenth triplet, 2 Hz per beat.
Frequently asked questions
What delay time should I use for vocals?
A quarter or eighth note for audible echoes that follow the phrasing, at 500 or 250 ms at 120 BPM. For width without obvious echoes, a short slap of 60 to 120 ms, or a 1/32 or 1/64 note, mixed low. Filter the repeats so they sit behind the dry vocal rather than competing with it.
What is a ping-pong delay time?
Ping-pong alternates repeats between left and right. Each side usually repeats at the set note value, so an eighth-note ping-pong hits one side every eighth note and each side every quarter. On units with separate left and right times, try an eighth on one side and a dotted eighth on the other for a wide, rhythmic spread.
How many repeats should a delay have?
Set by the feedback control. Two or three repeats keep a busy mix clear; long feedback works on sparse parts and throws, such as the last word of a line. Because every repeat is locked to the tempo, longer feedback stays in time; it is the build-up of level, not timing, that muddies a mix.
Related calculators
- BPM to MS CalculatorOne tempo in, every straight, dotted and triplet note out in milliseconds and hertz, with reverb pre-delay and loop lengths. Tap the tempo, click to copy.
- Reverb Pre-Delay CalculatorTempo-synced pre-delay and decay times for a hall, a large or small room and a tight ambience, so the reverb tail clears before the next hit.
- BPM to Hz Calculator for LFO RatesSynced LFO, tremolo and clock rates in hertz for any note value, for synths, modular and pedals whose rate knob reads Hz.
- 120 BPM to MS: Delay Time ChartEvery delay time, LFO rate and reverb pre-delay at 120 BPM, the tempo of pop, house and the default tempo in most DAWs, straight, dotted and triplet.
- 90 BPM to MS: Delay Time ChartEvery delay time, LFO rate and reverb pre-delay at 90 BPM, the tempo of hip-hop, reggae and mid-tempo pop, straight, dotted and triplet.