120 BPM to Milliseconds
Note lengths and delay times at 120 BPM — the tempo of the "default" tempo — pop, rock, house and techno. Use the table below to set delay repeats, reverb pre-delay, LFO rates and sequencer steps that lock to the groove.
Note lengths at 120 BPM
One beat (a quarter note) = 500.00 ms. Values are exact for a straight 120 BPM grid.
| Note value | Straight | Dotted | Triplet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole note (1/1) | 2000.00 | 3000.00 | 1333.33 |
| Half note (1/2) | 1000.00 | 1500.00 | 666.67 |
| Quarter note (1/4) | 500.00 | 750.00 | 333.33 |
| Eighth note (1/8) | 250.00 | 375.00 | 166.67 |
| Sixteenth note (1/16) | 125.00 | 187.50 | 83.33 |
| 32nd note (1/32) | 62.50 | 93.75 | 41.67 |
| One bar (4/4) | 2000.00 | 3000.00 | 1333.33 |
Set your delay and reverb to 120 BPM
The most common reason to need these numbers is a tempo-locked delay. A delay set to an exact note value stays glued to the rhythm; a delay set to an arbitrary number slowly drifts out of time. At 120 BPM:
- Dotted eighth (375.00 ms) — the classic choice; falls between beats and fills gaps without clutter.
- Eighth (250.00 ms) — tighter, doubles the repeat density.
- Quarter (500.00 ms) — clear repeats sitting on every beat.
- Bar (2000.00 ms, 4/4) — a slow, spacious echo.
How 120 BPM compares to nearby tempos
Frequently asked questions
- How do you convert 120 BPM to milliseconds?
- One beat lasts 60,000 ÷ 120 ≈ 500.00 ms. Every other note value scales from that single number: a half note is twice the beat, an eighth note is half, a sixteenth is a quarter, and so on.
- What is one beat (a quarter note) in milliseconds at 120 BPM?
- At 120 BPM a quarter note — one beat — is 500.00 ms. That is the anchor for every delay, reverb pre-delay and sequencer step at this tempo.
- What delay time matches 120 BPM?
- The classic choice is a dotted eighth note, which lands between beats and fills the gaps without cluttering the groove. At 120 BPM an eighth note is 250.00 ms, so a dotted eighth is 375.00 ms. A straight eighth (250.00 ms) doubles the repeat density; a quarter note (500.00 ms) sits on every beat.
- How long is one bar at 120 BPM in 4/4?
- A bar of 4/4 holds four beats, so at 120 BPM it lasts about 2000.00 ms. For other time signatures multiply the quarter-note length by the number of beats per bar.
Last updated: 2026-09-01