⏱️ Delay & Reverb Calculator
Enter your session BPM to get tempo-synced delay times for every note division.
| Note Division | Delay (ms) | |
|---|---|---|
| Whole Note | 2000.0 ms | |
| Whole Note (dotted)• | 3000.0 ms | |
| Whole Note (triplet)3 | 1333.3 ms | |
| Half Note | 1000.0 ms | |
| Half Note (dotted)• | 1500.0 ms | |
| Half Note (triplet)3 | 666.7 ms | |
| Quarter Note | 500.0 ms | |
| Quarter Note (dotted)• | 750.0 ms | |
| Quarter Note (triplet)3 | 333.3 ms | |
| Eighth Note | 250.0 ms | |
| Eighth Note (dotted)• | 375.0 ms | |
| Eighth Note (triplet)3 | 166.7 ms | |
| Sixteenth Note | 125.0 ms | |
| Sixteenth Note (dotted)• | 187.5 ms | |
| Sixteenth Note (triplet)3 | 83.3 ms | |
| Thirty-second Note | 62.5 ms |
About this tool
The Delay & Reverb Calculator converts your session tempo into precise delay times in milliseconds for every common note division — whole, half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth, and thirty-second notes plus their dotted and triplet variants. Dial in tempo-synced delays, pre-delay, and tremolo rates that lock to the grid in any DAW or hardware unit that expects a time value rather than a note length.
FAQ
How are the delay times calculated?+
A quarter note at X BPM lasts 60000 / X milliseconds. Every other division is a multiple of that: a half note is ×2, an eighth is ×0.5, a dotted note is ×1.5, a triplet is ×2/3.
When should I use dotted vs. triplet delays?+
Dotted delays (notably dotted-eighth) add groove and space — a staple of U2-style guitar lines. Triplet delays give a rolling feel that sits well against straight rhythms.
What pre-delay should I use on a reverb?+
A short room often sits around 10–30 ms; a larger hall sits around 30–80 ms. Syncing pre-delay to a 16th or 32nd note at your tempo is a common trick to keep the tail feeling musical.
Does this work for LFOs, tremolo, or sidechain?+
Yes — any time-based effect that takes a millisecond value can be synced with these numbers. Just pick the division that matches the rhythm you want.