BPM to MS Calculator
Enter a tempo and get the length of every note value in milliseconds and Hz, straight, dotted and triplet. Or enter a beat length in milliseconds and get the tempo back.
One beat = one quarter note
Type here to convert milliseconds back to BPM
Quarter note
500.0 ms
2.000 Hz
Eighth note
250.0 ms
half a beat
One bar (4/4)
2000 ms
four beats
| Note value | Straight | Dotted (×1.5) | Triplet (×⅔) | Hz (straight) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole note (1/1) | 2000.00 ms | 3000.00 ms | 1333.33 ms | 0.500 |
| Half note (1/2) | 1000.00 ms | 1500.00 ms | 666.67 ms | 1.000 |
| Quarter note (1/4) | 500.00 ms | 750.00 ms | 333.33 ms | 2.000 |
| Eighth note (1/8) | 250.00 ms | 375.00 ms | 166.67 ms | 4.000 |
| Sixteenth (1/16) | 125.00 ms | 187.50 ms | 83.33 ms | 8.000 |
| Thirty-second (1/32) | 62.50 ms | 93.75 ms | 41.67 ms | 16.000 |
| Sixty-fourth (1/64) | 31.25 ms | 46.88 ms | 20.83 ms | 32.000 |
Beat = 60,000 ÷ 120 = 500.00 ms. Each row multiplies that beat by the note's share of a quarter note. Hz = 1,000 ÷ ms, for LFO rates.
The formula
BPM means beats per minute, and a minute is 60,000 milliseconds, so one beat lasts 60,000 ÷ BPM milliseconds. At 120 BPM that is 500 ms; at 128 it is 468.75 ms; at 174 it is 344.8 ms. In nearly all popular music the beat is a quarter note, so every other note value is a fixed fraction or multiple of that number: an eighth note is half a beat, a sixteenth a quarter of a beat, a whole note four beats. Dotted notes are one and a half times their plain value, triplets two-thirds.
Quick reference: quarter, eighth and sixteenth at common tempos
| BPM | 1/4 (ms) | 1/8 (ms) | 1/8 dotted | 1/8 triplet | 1/16 (ms) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70 | 857.1 | 428.6 | 642.9 | 285.7 | 214.3 |
| 80 | 750.0 | 375.0 | 562.5 | 250.0 | 187.5 |
| 90 | 666.7 | 333.3 | 500.0 | 222.2 | 166.7 |
| 100 | 600.0 | 300.0 | 450.0 | 200.0 | 150.0 |
| 110 | 545.5 | 272.7 | 409.1 | 181.8 | 136.4 |
| 120 | 500.0 | 250.0 | 375.0 | 166.7 | 125.0 |
| 125 | 480.0 | 240.0 | 360.0 | 160.0 | 120.0 |
| 128 | 468.8 | 234.4 | 351.6 | 156.3 | 117.2 |
| 130 | 461.5 | 230.8 | 346.2 | 153.8 | 115.4 |
| 140 | 428.6 | 214.3 | 321.4 | 142.9 | 107.1 |
| 150 | 400.0 | 200.0 | 300.0 | 133.3 | 100.0 |
| 160 | 375.0 | 187.5 | 281.3 | 125.0 | 93.8 |
| 170 | 352.9 | 176.5 | 264.7 | 117.6 | 88.2 |
| 174 | 344.8 | 172.4 | 258.6 | 114.9 | 86.2 |
| 180 | 333.3 | 166.7 | 250.0 | 111.1 | 83.3 |
Using the numbers
Most modern plug-ins have a tempo-sync switch that does this for you, but hardware delays, older plug-ins, compressor releases and anything with a plain millisecond field do not. Type the value from the table, then nudge: a delay set a few milliseconds short of the grid feels tighter, a few long feels lazier, and neither is wrong. For LFOs, the Hz column is the same beat expressed as cycles per second, so a 0.5 Hz filter sweep at 120 BPM opens and closes once per bar.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I convert BPM to milliseconds?
Divide 60,000 by the BPM. That is the length of one quarter-note beat in milliseconds: 60,000 ÷ 120 = 500 ms. Halve it for an eighth (250 ms), halve again for a sixteenth (125 ms), double it for a half note (1,000 ms). Multiply any value by 1.5 for the dotted version and by two-thirds for the triplet.
How do I convert milliseconds back to BPM?
Same formula the other way: BPM = 60,000 ÷ ms. A 400 ms beat is 150 BPM. If you measured an eighth note, double the ms first (or halve the BPM after), because the formula assumes the interval is one quarter-note beat.
Why does the table also show Hz?
An LFO rate is a frequency, not a time. Hz = 1,000 ÷ ms, so a quarter note at 120 BPM (500 ms) is 2 Hz, and a whole bar (2,000 ms) is 0.5 Hz. Set a tremolo or filter LFO to those values and it locks to the grid without a sync button.
What are dotted and triplet timings for?
A dotted eighth delay (375 ms at 120 BPM) gives the classic U2-style rhythmic echo that lands between the beats. Triplet values (an eighth triplet is 166.7 ms at 120) create a swung, shuffled feel against a straight beat. Both are the same beat length scaled by 1.5 or by 2⁄3.
Where else do these numbers matter?
Compressor release times (a sixteenth or eighth so the gain recovers before the next hit), sidechain release, gate hold, sampler loop points, and the attack of a synth pad that should reach full volume by the next beat. Anywhere a plug-in asks for ms and you want it musical, this table is the answer.
These tools use the standard tempo, pitch and timing formulas (60,000 ÷ BPM, A4 = 440 Hz equal temperament, 1,200 cents per octave). They run in your browser; the tap counter uses your keyboard or mouse timing, so expect a beat or two of settling before the reading is stable.