Online Tool Store
Tempo to Delay Calculator
Enter a song's BPM to calculate the millisecond delay times for straight, dotted, and triplet echo/delay pedal note divisions.
🔒 This tool runs entirely in your browser. Your files are never uploaded to a server.
| Note division | Delay time |
|---|
How Tempo to Delay Calculator works
- Enter your song's tempo in BPM, either by typing it or dragging the slider.
- The table recalculates instantly, showing the millisecond delay time for ten common note divisions.
- Dial your delay/echo pedal to the millisecond value for whichever rhythmic feel you want.
The formula
A quarter note's length in milliseconds comes directly from tempo:
quarter note (ms) = 60000 / BPM
Every other division scales that value: eighth = ×0.5, sixteenth = ×0.25, dotted = ×1.5 of the next-smaller note, triplet = ×(2/3) of the next-larger note. At 120 BPM a quarter note is 500 ms, so a dotted eighth delay lands at 375 ms.
FAQ
Why is the dotted eighth delay the most commonly used setting?
A dotted-eighth delay (used famously on The Edge's U2 tone) creates a rhythmic, syncopated repeat that sits between the beats rather than on top of them, which is why it's the most requested division on digital delay pedals.
How is the triplet value different from the dotted value?
A dotted note is 1.5× the next-smaller division (adds half its own value again), while a triplet is 2/3 of the next-larger division (three notes fit where two normally would) — they land on different points in the beat, not just different lengths.
My delay pedal only shows one knob in milliseconds — how do I use this?
Read off the millisecond value for whichever note division you want (e.g. eighth note) and dial your pedal to that exact number — that's the whole point of the table, since most pedals don't do the BPM math for you.
How we compare
| Feature | Online Tool Store | Doing the math by hand | A delay pedal's tap-tempo |
|---|---|---|---|
| No file upload — runs in your browser | ✓ | N/A | ✗ |
| No sign-up required | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Free, no watermark | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
Tap-tempo is quick if your pedal has it, but it can't tell you the dotted or triplet variant of that tempo — this gives you the full table of ten divisions at once, so you can compare feels before committing to one on the pedal.