Example 1
120 BPM and 4 -> 500 ms for the note.
Note duration calculator
Type a tempo and a note denominator. The calculator divides 240000 by BPM times the denominator. 120 BPM and 4 give 500 ms for a quarter, 8 gives 250 ms for an eighth. There is no dotted-note field.
The beat alone: quarter note from BPM. A full bar: barline time. Pitch: note frequency.
Result
Enter a value. The result shows up here.
How it works
A whole note in 4/4 lasts four quarter notes. Whole-note time is 240,000 / BPM milliseconds, because 4 × 60,000. The chosen note is that whole divided by the denominator: 1 whole, 2 half, 4 quarter, 8 eighth, 16 sixteenth. The formula collapses to 240,000 / (BPM × denominator). At 120 BPM a quarter is 500 ms, an eighth 250 ms, a sixteenth 125 ms, a half 1000 ms, a whole 2000 ms.
There is no dotted-note field. A dotted value is 1.5 times this result, which you scale yourself or type as an unusual denominator if that is easier. Denominator 32 also passes: the formula does not stop at 16. Three eighth-note triplets fill a quarter, so one triplet is 1/12 of a whole note. You can type 12 on purpose and get that time.
BPM and the denominator must be greater than zero. Zero is rejected, because dividing by zero does not make a grid. The result is whole milliseconds. The note keeps two decimal places so you can see the cut. At 140 BPM and 4 you get 428.57, 429 ms on the page. At 90 BPM and 8 it is 333.33, 333 on the page. At 128 BPM and 16 it is 117.19, 117 on the page.
When the denominator is 4, the result matches the BPM-to-ms page, because the beat there is a quarter. 240,000 / (BPM × 4) is the same as 60,000 / BPM. Here you can drop to 8 and 16 or climb to 1 and 2 without dividing by hand. A bar still lives on its own page: in 4/4 at 120 BPM the bar is 2000 ms, the quarter 500 ms.
The metric/US header does not turn a sixteenth into inches. Note milliseconds are not a length. A comma and a period mean the same in both fields, so 90.5 and 90,5 are one tempo. Type 120 and 4, click Calculate, and match the 500 ms example.
Note frequency from A4 is another calculator: hertz there, time here. A delay, gate, or LFO in a plugin usually wants a whole number of milliseconds, which is why the first card rounds.
How to use
- Type BPM, for example 120.
- Type the denominator: 1 whole, 2 half, 4 quarter, 8 eighth, 16 sixteenth. 32 also passes.
- Click Calculate. 120 and 4 give 500 ms. 120 and 8 give 250 ms.
- There is no dotted-note field. Multiply the result by 1.5 if you need a dot.
- When you only want a quarter, the BPM-to-ms page is shorter. Open barline time for a full bar.
Formula
ms = 240000 / (BPM × denominator)
Denominator 1 = whole, 2 = half, 4 = quarter, 8 = eighth, 16 = sixteenth. Both numbers > 0. The calculator rounds to whole ms.
BPM and note ms from the denominator
Here ms = 240000 / (BPM × denominator). 120 BPM and 4 give 500 ms for a quarter. 8 at the same tempo is 250 ms for an eighth.
- BPM
- Beats per minute of the quarter note. It sits in the denominator with the note value. 120 with 4 is 500 ms. 60 with 4 would be 1000 ms.
- ms
- Milliseconds of that note, rounded to a whole number. 240000 / (120 × 4) = 500. Denominator 1 is a whole, 2 a half, 16 a sixteenth.
Real-life examples
Example 2
120 BPM and 8 -> 250 ms for an eighth.
Example 3
120 BPM and 2 -> 1000 ms for a half note.
Example 4
120 BPM and 1 -> 2000 ms for a whole note.
Example 5
120 BPM and 16 -> 125 ms for a sixteenth.
Example 6
140 BPM and 4 -> 429 ms after rounding.
Example 7
90 BPM and 8 -> 333 ms for an eighth.
Example 8
128 BPM and 16 -> 117 ms on the grid.
Ways to use this calculator
- You set a gate or delay to an eighth when you know BPM and need milliseconds.
- You check a sixteenth grid in a sampler before you draw transients on the timeline.
- You compare 120 BPM and 4 with 140 BPM and 4: 500 ms versus 429 ms after rounding.
Frequently asked questions
How many ms is a quarter and a sixteenth at 120 BPM?
A quarter (denominator 4) is 500 ms. A sixteenth (16) is 125 ms. A half is 1000, a whole 2000.
What do denominators 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 mean?
1 is a whole note, 2 a half, 4 a quarter, 8 an eighth, 16 a sixteenth. Score notation, not MIDI numbers.
Is a dotted note in the form?
No. A dot adds half the value. Multiply the result by 1.5 or use an unusual denominator.
Does denominator 32 pass?
Yes. The formula does not stop at 16. BPM and the denominator must be greater than zero.
Is an eighth-note triplet denominator 12?
Three of those triplets fill a quarter, so one is 1/12 of a whole note. Type 12 on purpose.
Why does denominator 4 match the BPM-to-ms page?
The beat there is a quarter. 240,000 / (BPM × 4) is 60,000 / BPM. Another denominator steps down or up from that quarter.
How is this different from bar time?
Here one note at a given denominator. A bar is several quarters under a barline. In 4/4 at 120 BPM the bar is 2000 ms.
Why does the calculator round to whole milliseconds?
Most delays and LFOs want a whole number. The note under the forms keeps two decimal places.
What at 140 BPM and 4, and at 90 BPM and 8?
429 ms and 333 ms after rounding. 128 BPM and 16 give 117 ms.
Does a comma in 90.5 work?
Yes. 90.5 and 90,5 are the same tempo. The denominator is usually whole, but a fraction also passes.
Knowledge sources
Frequency and intervals in this calculator follow the hertz and A440 concert pitch.
Page updated in 2026.