Free tool · no account needed
BPM to MS Calculator
Convert any tempo into note lengths in milliseconds, samples and hertz. Straight, dotted and triplet values for everything from a whole note to a 64th.
ms, samples and Hz Full reference chart No signup
2.000 Hz · 22,050 samples · bar = 2.00 s
Made with Drumloop AI — describe a beat and hear it in seconds.
Generate drum loops with Drumloop AIHow to convert BPM to milliseconds
- Type your project tempo into the BPM field, or tap it in with the tap tempo tool.
- Read the straight column for standard note values, the dotted column for 1.5× lengths, and the triplet column for two-thirds lengths.
- Use the sample column when your plugin asks for samples rather than milliseconds — it follows your chosen sample rate.
- Copy the figure into your delay, LFO rate or envelope release and the effect will sit in time with the track.
Note lengths at 120 BPM
| Note value | Straight | Dotted | Triplet | Hz |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole note 1/1 | 2000.0 | 3000.0 | 1333.3 | 0.500 |
| Half note 1/2 | 1000.0 | 1500.0 | 666.7 | 1.000 |
| Quarter note 1/4 | 500.0 | 750.0 | 333.3 | 2.000 |
| Eighth note 1/8 | 250.0 | 375.0 | 166.7 | 4.000 |
| Sixteenth note 1/16 | 125.0 | 187.5 | 83.33 | 8.000 |
| Thirty-second note 1/32 | 62.50 | 93.75 | 41.67 | 16.000 |
| Sixty-fourth note 1/64 | 31.25 | 46.88 | 20.83 | 32.000 |
Bars, beats and seconds
Loop lengths and song sections are usually counted in bars, but everything downstream — render lengths, video cues, sample slots — is counted in seconds. In 4/4 the conversion is four beats to the bar, so the numbers below update with your tempo.
| Length | Beats | Seconds | Samples (at rate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 bar | 4 | 2.00 | 88,200 |
| 2 bars | 8 | 4.00 | 176,400 |
| 4 bars | 16 | 8.00 | 352,800 |
| 8 bars | 32 | 16.00 | 705,600 |
| 16 bars | 64 | 32.00 | 1,411,200 |
| 32 bars | 128 | 64.00 | 2,822,400 |
| 64 bars | 256 | 128.00 | 5,644,800 |
Quick reference: milliseconds per beat
The tempos producers actually work at, with the four note values you reach for most. Every tempo listed here that has a matching loop library links straight to it.
| BPM | 1/4 (beat) | 1/8 | 1/16 | Dotted 1/8 | Bar (4/4) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 1000.0 | 500.0 | 250.0 | 750.0 | 4000.0 |
| 70 | 857.1 | 428.6 | 214.3 | 642.9 | 3428.6 |
| 80 | 750.0 | 375.0 | 187.5 | 562.5 | 3000.0 |
| 85 | 705.9 | 352.9 | 176.5 | 529.4 | 2823.5 |
| 90 | 666.7 | 333.3 | 166.7 | 500.0 | 2666.7 |
| 95 | 631.6 | 315.8 | 157.9 | 473.7 | 2526.3 |
| 100 | 600.0 | 300.0 | 150.0 | 450.0 | 2400.0 |
| 110 | 545.5 | 272.7 | 136.4 | 409.1 | 2181.8 |
| 120 | 500.0 | 250.0 | 125.0 | 375.0 | 2000.0 |
| 125 | 480.0 | 240.0 | 120.0 | 360.0 | 1920.0 |
| 128 | 468.8 | 234.4 | 117.2 | 351.6 | 1875.0 |
| 130 | 461.5 | 230.8 | 115.4 | 346.2 | 1846.2 |
| 140 | 428.6 | 214.3 | 107.1 | 321.4 | 1714.3 |
| 150 | 400.0 | 200.0 | 100.0 | 300.0 | 1600.0 |
| 160 | 375.0 | 187.5 | 93.75 | 281.3 | 1500.0 |
| 170 | 352.9 | 176.5 | 88.24 | 264.7 | 1411.8 |
| 174 | 344.8 | 172.4 | 86.21 | 258.6 | 1379.3 |
| 180 | 333.3 | 166.7 | 83.33 | 250.0 | 1333.3 |
The maths behind the table
Tempo is stated in beats per minute, and a minute is 60,000 milliseconds, so one beat is 60,000 ÷ BPM milliseconds long. That single formula produces everything else on this page. Because a quarter note is defined as one beat, a note of any other value is just a fraction or multiple of it.
A whole note lasts four beats, a half note two, an eighth note half a beat and a sixteenth a quarter of a beat. Written as a rule: a note of division d lasts (4 ÷ d) × beat length. Set d to 8 and you get half a beat, which is the eighth note.
Dots and triplets modify that result rather than replacing it. A dot adds half of the note's own value, so the length is multiplied by 1.5 — a dotted eighth at 120 BPM is 250 × 1.5 = 375 ms. A triplet squeezes three notes into the space of two, so each is multiplied by two-thirds: an eighth-note triplet at 120 BPM is 250 × 0.667 = 166.7 ms.
Hertz is the reciprocal of time, so a note's frequency is 1,000 ÷ its length in milliseconds. At 120 BPM a beat of 500 ms is 2 Hz. That conversion is what you need whenever a synth asks for an LFO rate in hertz instead of note divisions.
Where these numbers get used
Delay times are the obvious one, and they get their own page on the delay and reverb calculator. Beyond that: tremolo and auto-pan LFO rates, gate and envelope release times so a sound clears before the next hit, compressor release matched to the beat so the pumping is musical, sidechain envelope lengths, and the pre-delay on a reverb. Sample-accurate figures matter when you are chopping breaks — knowing that one bar at 174 BPM is 60,838 samples at 44.1 kHz tells you exactly where to cut.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert BPM to milliseconds?
Divide 60,000 by the tempo. That gives you the length of one quarter-note beat in milliseconds: at 120 BPM, 60,000 ÷ 120 = 500 ms. Every other note value scales from there — an eighth note is half a beat (250 ms at 120 BPM), a sixteenth is a quarter of a beat (125 ms), a half note is two beats (1,000 ms).
What is 120 BPM in milliseconds?
One beat at 120 BPM is exactly 500 ms. A whole note is 2,000 ms, a half note 1,000 ms, an eighth note 250 ms, a sixteenth 125 ms and a 32nd 62.5 ms. A dotted eighth — the classic rhythmic delay setting — is 375 ms.
How do I work out dotted and triplet note lengths?
A dot adds half the note value again, so a dotted note is the straight length multiplied by 1.5. A triplet fits three notes in the space of two, so a triplet note is the straight length multiplied by two-thirds. Both columns in the table above are calculated for you at whatever tempo you enter.
How do I convert BPM to Hz?
Divide the tempo by 60. A tempo of 120 BPM is 2 Hz, because two beats pass every second. This matters when you are setting an LFO in hertz rather than in note divisions — a 2 Hz LFO pulses once per beat at 120 BPM. To go the other way, multiply the frequency by 60.
How do I convert milliseconds back to BPM?
Divide 60,000 by the millisecond value. A 500 ms beat is 120 BPM; a 428.6 ms beat is 140 BPM. This is handy when you have inherited a delay setting or a loop length and want to know what tempo it implies. The converter above does it both ways.
How many samples is one beat?
Multiply the beat length in seconds by the sample rate. At 120 BPM and 44.1 kHz, one beat is 0.5 × 44,100 = 22,050 samples. At 48 kHz the same beat is 24,000 samples. Sample-accurate figures matter when you are slicing loops or setting a delay in a sampler that counts in samples rather than milliseconds.
How long is a bar at my tempo?
In 4/4, a bar is four beats, so it lasts four times the beat length: two seconds at 120 BPM. Eight bars at 120 BPM is 16 seconds. Use the song-length section above to work out how many bars fit a target duration — useful when you are scoring to picture or making a loop of an exact length.
Can I get drum loops at this tempo?
Yes. Drumloop AI generates original, royalty-free drum loops at any BPM from a text description, and the free drum loop library is browsable by tempo.
More free music tools
The maths is done. Now write the drums.
Drumloop AI generates original, royalty-free drum loops at exactly the tempo you are working at — described in plain English.