| Note Value | Standard | Dotted | Triplet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole Note | — | — | — |
| Half Note | — | — | — |
| Quarter Note | — | — | — |
| Eighth Note | — | — | — |
| Sixteenth Note | — | — | — |
You enter your song's tempo in beats per minute. The tool divides 60,000 milliseconds (one minute) by the BPM to get the quarter-note duration, then scales up or down for other note values — whole notes are 4× a quarter, eighths are half, sixteenths are a quarter. Dotted values multiply by 1.5 and triplet values multiply by two-thirds. The results are rounded to whole milliseconds for direct entry into delay plugins.
A dotted note lasts 1.5 times a standard note. In a delay plugin, a dotted-eighth setting makes repeats land on off-beats, creating a rhythmic "ping-pong" feel popularized by U2-style guitar tones.
Open your delay plugin, switch the time parameter from "sync" to "ms" (milliseconds) mode, then type in the value from the table. This gives you tempo-locked delays even when your DAW's sync mode is unavailable or imprecise.
Standard delays repeat on the beat and sound rhythmic. Dotted eighth delays create a galloping off-beat pattern. Triplet delays add a swing or shuffle feel. Experiment with each to find what suits your track.
Yes. Setting a reverb's pre-delay to a musically related value (often a sixteenth or thirty-second note) keeps the reverb onset rhythmically coherent and prevents it from smearing transients.
Recalculate for the new tempo section. If your DAW supports tempo automation, using the DAW's built-in sync mode may be easier than manual millisecond entry for variable-tempo tracks.
Estimate only. Results reflect your inputs and standard formulas. Double-check important decisions independently.