How to Calculate Delay Time: BPM to ms Explained
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You put a delay on your vocal and suddenly everything sits slightly off the beat. The echoes trip over your next line and the mix feels messy. Usually that is not the plugin's fault, it is the delay time. Good news: you can work it out from your beat's BPM in a few seconds. In this guide you get the formula, a table with the most used values and practical tips to set it right in FL Studio or Logic Pro.
The formula: from BPM to milliseconds
BPM means beats per minute. A minute lasts 60,000 milliseconds. So:
1 beat (a quarter note, 1/4) = 60,000 divided by your BPM
Example: your beat is at 120 BPM. 60,000 / 120 = 500 ms. A 500 ms delay repeats your vocal exactly on the next beat.
Every other value comes from that:
- 1/2 note: quarter note x 2
- 1/8 note: quarter note / 2
- 1/16 note: quarter note / 4
- Dotted: the straight value x 1.5 (so a dotted 1/8 is 1/8 x 1.5)
- Triplet: the straight value x 2/3
Table: delay times for common tempos
Rounded to whole milliseconds. Find your tempo and you are done.
| BPM | 1/4 | Dotted 1/8 | 1/8 | 1/8 triplet | 1/16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70 | 857 ms | 643 ms | 429 ms | 286 ms | 214 ms |
| 90 | 667 ms | 500 ms | 333 ms | 222 ms | 167 ms |
| 100 | 600 ms | 450 ms | 300 ms | 200 ms | 150 ms |
| 120 | 500 ms | 375 ms | 250 ms | 167 ms | 125 ms |
| 140 | 429 ms | 321 ms | 214 ms | 143 ms | 107 ms |
| 150 | 400 ms | 300 ms | 200 ms | 133 ms | 100 ms |
Your tempo is not in the list? Type it into the free BPM to ms calculator. You instantly see every note value, dotted and triplet, plus the value in Hz. Click a number and it is copied to your clipboard.
First: are you sure about your beat's BPM?
The whole calculation depends on the right tempo. If you bought a beat, check the file name or the product info first. If it is not there, you have two options:
- Load the beat into Beat Lab, which detects BPM and key for you.
- Tap along with the tap tempo and metronome if you just want a quick estimate.
Watch out with trap and drill: a beat can be set at 140 BPM but feel like 70. For your delay, just use the number your project is set to. A 1/8 at 140 BPM is exactly as long as a 1/16 at 70 BPM, so it stays in time. You simply pick a different note value.
Which note value works for vocals?
There is no single right answer, but these are useful starting points:
- 1/4: a clear, audible echo. Great at the end of a line or on a single word (a so-called delay throw).
- Dotted 1/8: gives a rolling, bouncy feel and lands between the beats, so the echo is less likely to pile up on your next word.
- 1/8 or 1/16: short repeats that make your vocal wider and fuller without an obvious echo, especially with low feedback and tucked in the mix.
- Triplet: handy when the beat has a triplet feel, or when your flow runs in triplets.
Fast rap verses get cluttered quickly with long delays. The busier your lyrics, the shorter or quieter your delay usually needs to be. Tip: put the delay on a send (a separate effect bus) instead of directly on your vocal track. That makes the amount easy to control and lets you EQ the echoes on their own. The setup is the same as in reverb on vocals in FL Studio with a send, just with a delay instead of a reverb.
How to set it in your DAW
FL Studio (Fruity Delay 3)
Fruity Delay 3 has a Tempo Sync option. With it on, the echoes follow the project tempo and you choose the time in steps. With Tempo Sync off, you set the time in milliseconds, with a range of 1 to 1000 ms according to Image-Line's manual. Right-click and choose Set to pick from preset values. On slow beats a long note value can go past 1000 ms, so just use Tempo Sync there.
Logic Pro (Stereo Delay)
Logic Pro's Stereo Delay has a Beat Sync button that locks the repeats to the project tempo. Turn sync off and you set the delay time yourself in milliseconds. That is where the table above comes in.
So why calculate at all?
If your delay can sync, you usually do not need to. The ms values are mostly useful for:
- plugins or hardware without a sync button;
- your reverb's pre-delay, so the reverb starts a little later and your vocal stays clear;
- an LFO or tremolo you have to set in Hz (1000 divided by the ms value gives Hz, so a 1/4 at 120 BPM is 2 Hz);
- nudging a delay slightly off the grid while knowing exactly where you are.
Step by step: delay on your vocal in 5 steps
- Check your beat's BPM (file name, product info or Beat Lab).
- Create a send bus and put your delay on it, with mix or wet at 100%.
- Pick a note value: start with a dotted 1/8 or a 1/4 and turn sync on, or type in the ms from the table.
- Keep the feedback low, so you hear a few repeats and not an endless echo.
- Cut lows and highs with an EQ on the delay bus and send only enough that you miss it when you mute it.
Want the rest of your vocal chain sorted too? Grab the free vocal chain cheat sheet for Logic Pro and FL Studio. It walks you through a complete vocal chain per DAW in the right order, with effects like reverb on a send, plus a checklist for a clean take.
FAQ
How do you convert BPM to ms?
Divide 60,000 by your BPM. That is the length of a quarter note in milliseconds. For a 1/8 divide that by 2, for a 1/16 by 4.
What is a dotted delay?
A dotted note lasts one and a half times as long as the straight note. A dotted 1/8 delay at 120 BPM is 250 x 1.5 = 375 ms.
Does my delay have to be exactly in time?
Not always, but in time sounds tightest in most cases. If you want it slightly off on purpose, move it in small steps and listen whether it still grooves with the beat.
Why does my delay sound messy even though it is in time?
Usually it is too loud, the feedback is too high or there is too much low end in the echoes. Turn it down, lower the feedback and filter the delay bus.