Example 1
At 120 BPM the calculator shows 500 ms for one quarter note.
BPM to Milliseconds Calculator
Enter a tempo in BPM. The calculator divides 60,000 ms by BPM and shows the time of one quarter note. At 120 BPM the result is 500 ms. At 60 BPM that is a full second. From the same tempo come the eighth, sixteenth, dotted quarter, and eighth triplet. This is not the length of a whole bar — that belongs on the bar-duration page.
Result
Enter a tempo in BPM. The result shows up here.
One bar: bar time from BPM. A chosen note value: note duration in ms. Full track: bars and BPM.
How it works
BPM120
quarter500 ms
On a sequencer or a delay, the beat is usually a quarter note. The calculator finds milliseconds as 60,000 / BPM. At 120 BPM the result is a clean 500 ms. At 60 BPM it is 1000 ms, a full second between hits. A tempo of 100 BPM gives 600 ms, an easy check of a delay knob.
The calculator shows whole milliseconds, because that is what you set on hardware. At 140 BPM the exact value is 428.57 ms, and the result shows 429 ms. At 128 BPM the exact value is 468.75 ms, and the result shows 469 ms. A typical drum and bass tempo of 174 BPM is exactly 344.83 ms, and the result shows 345 ms. Two decimal places stay in the note when you want the remainder.
These are the milliseconds of one quarter note. In 4/4 the bar has four of these beats, so at 120 BPM the bar lasts 2 s. That time is on the bar-duration calculator. Eighth notes and sixteenth notes have their own denominator on the note-duration page. An eighth note at 120 BPM is 250 ms, half of this result.
Tempo must be greater than zero. A tempo of zero or below is outside the formula, because a metronome does not count beats backward. A comma and a period in the number work the same way, so you can enter 128.5 as 128,5. At 128.5 BPM the exact value is 466.93 ms, and the result shows 467 ms.
Enter the BPM and click Calculate. The calculator shows the milliseconds of one quarter note. If the metronome in the project ticks eighth notes, convert the tempo to a quarter-note BPM first. The calculator does not guess whether the program calls an eighth note the beat.
You set the same result on a delay, a kick sidechain, and a sample grid. At 80 BPM the result is a clean 750 ms. That is a slow gap in a ballad. At 90 BPM the exact value is 666.67 ms, and the result shows 667 ms. At 150 BPM the result is a clean 400 ms, which matches a delay locked at 400 ms.
From the same BPM the calculator also finds seconds, the tick rate in hertz, and a short row of note values: an eighth note, a sixteenth note, a dotted quarter, and an eighth-note triplet. The quarter note stays the main result. Hertz on this page means how often the quarter note ticks, not the pitch of a note.
How to use
- Enter the tempo in BPM, for example 120. A comma and a period are the same.
- Click Calculate. 120 gives 500 ms, 60 gives 1000 ms, and 100 gives 600 ms.
- The result is whole milliseconds. At 140 BPM the calculator rounds 428.57 to 429 ms. The finer value is in the note.
- If you need a whole bar, open bar duration. On that page the quarter notes in the bar multiply this beat.
- This page already shows an eighth note, a sixteenth note, a dotted quarter, and an eighth-note triplet as results. The full table is on the note-duration calculator, where you enter a denominator.
Formula
ms = 60,000 / BPM
The beat in this calculator is a quarter note. BPM must be greater than zero. The result on the page is rounded to whole milliseconds. Two decimal places stay in the note.
This is the definition of tempo in beats per minute: a minute has 60,000 ms, so one quarter note lasts 60,000 / BPM milliseconds. The formula has no separate author. A metronome marks the same tempo.
Seconds are the milliseconds divided by 1,000. Tick rate in hertz is BPM divided by 60. An eighth note is half of the quarter note. A sixteenth note is one quarter of it. A dotted quarter is one and a half times the quarter note. An eighth-note triplet is two thirds of the quarter note.
BPM and ms of one quarter note
Here milliseconds equal 60,000 / BPM. At 120 BPM the result is a clean 500 ms. At 60 BPM it is a full second. The beat in this calculator is a quarter note.
- BPM
- How many quarter notes fit in a minute. 60,000 / 120 = 500. At 90 BPM the exact value is 666.67 ms, and the result shows 667 ms. Empty tempo does not insert 120.
- ms
- Milliseconds of one beat, rounded to a whole number. At 120 BPM the result is 500 ms. A note denominator does not enter this formula. The beat is always a quarter note.
- Hz
- BPM divided by 60. At 120 BPM the result is 2 Hz. That is how often the quarter note ticks, not the pitch of a note.
- eighth
- Half of the quarter note, from the same BPM. At 120 BPM it lasts 250 ms. A sixteenth lasts 125 ms, a dotted quarter lasts 750 ms, and an eighth-note triplet lasts 333.33 ms.
Real-life examples
Example 2
At 60 BPM a quarter note lasts 1000 ms, a full second.
Example 3
At 140 BPM the result is 429 ms after rounding from 428.57 ms.
Example 4
At 90 BPM the result is 667 ms after rounding from 666.67 ms.
Example 5
At 128 BPM the result is 469 ms after rounding from 468.75 ms.
Example 6
At 174 BPM, a drum and bass tempo, the result is 345 ms after rounding from 344.83 ms.
Example 7
At 80 BPM a quarter note lasts a clean 750 ms.
Example 8
At 100 BPM a quarter note lasts a clean 600 ms.
Ways to use this calculator
- You set a delay to one quarter note when the session only shows BPM.
- You check how many milliseconds one quarter note lasts when an effect should follow the kick drum.
- You compare 120 BPM (500 ms) with 128 BPM (469 ms) before you copy a delay preset.
- You read an eighth note and an eighth-note triplet from the same BPM, without a second field.
Frequently asked questions
How does the calculator find beat time?
The calculator finds milliseconds as 60,000 / BPM and rounds the result to a whole number of ms. At 120 BPM the result is a clean 500 ms. At 60 BPM the result is 1000 ms. At 100 BPM the result is 600 ms. At 80 BPM the result is a clean 750 ms. At 150 BPM the result is a clean 400 ms.
How are milliseconds rounded?
The result on the page is whole milliseconds. Two decimal places stay in the note. At 140 BPM the exact value is 428.57 ms, and the result shows 429 ms. At 128 BPM the values are 468.75 ms and 469 ms. At 174 BPM the values are 344.83 ms and 345 ms. At 90 BPM the values are 666.67 ms and 667 ms. At 128.5 BPM the values are 466.93 ms and 467 ms.
Is the result the length of a whole bar?
No. This is one quarter note. At 120 BPM a 4/4 bar lasts 2 s, four times 500 ms. That time is on the bar-length calculator. The calculator does not guess the score and does not add a pickup.
How do you get an eighth note from this result?
An eighth note is half of this result. You can also open the note-duration calculator and enter denominator 8. At 120 BPM an eighth note lasts 250 ms. If the metronome ticks eighth notes, convert the tempo to a quarter-note BPM first. The calculator always divides the minute as a quarter note, not as an eighth note.
Does a comma in the tempo work the same way as a period?
Yes. 128.5 and 128,5 are the same tempo. At 128.5 BPM the result is 467 ms. Tempo must be greater than zero.
Is the hertz figure the pitch of a note?
No. The calculator divides BPM by 60. At 120 BPM the result is 2 Hz, two quarter notes per second. That is how often the beat ticks, not the frequency of a musical pitch.
How do I convert BPM to milliseconds?
Divide 60,000 by BPM. At 120 BPM: 60,000 ÷ 120 = 500 ms (quarter note). At 90 BPM: about 666.67 ms, shown as 667 ms after rounding.
How many ms are a quarter, an eighth, and a dotted eighth at 120 BPM?
Quarter 500 ms, eighth 250 ms, dotted eighth 375 ms. An eighth triplet is 500 × 2/3 ≈ 166.67 ms.
How many ms is a quarter note at 128 BPM?
60,000 ÷ 128 = 468.75 ms; the main result shows 469 ms. A dotted eighth at that tempo is 351.56 ms.
How is this different from the note duration calculator?
Here you enter only BPM. Note duration needs a denominator (1, 2, 4, 8, 16) and uses 240,000 ÷ (BPM × denominator). This page always starts from the quarter note.
How is a beat different from bar length?
A beat is one quarter note: 60,000 ÷ BPM. In 4/4 a bar is four such beats, so at 120 BPM a bar lasts 2000 ms — that is on the bar-duration page.
How do I go from milliseconds back to BPM?
BPM = 60,000 ÷ quarter-note ms. At 500 ms: 60,000 ÷ 500 = 120. This page only computes BPM → ms.
Knowledge sources
Beat time follows the definition of tempo in beats per minute. A metronome marks the same tempo.
Page updated November 3, 2026.