Published by PitchChanger · Updated · How these guides are made
How to use this workflow
Confirm the pulse being counted
Use a steady musical section and confirm that your BPM describes quarter notes. Resolve half-time or double-time interpretations before doing the delay calculation.
Calculate and choose a supported time
Divide 60 by BPM to get quarter-note seconds, then multiply by the desired fraction. Round to the nearest 0.01 second within the available 0.01–2.00 second range.
Listen to the repeated attack
Open Reverb & Delay, enable delay and enter the supported time. Start with low feedback and mix. Compare repeats against the original rhythm, then Generate effect and check the saved result.
Keep the beat unit explicit
At 120 quarter notes per minute, one quarter note lasts 0.5 seconds. An eighth is 0.25 seconds, a dotted eighth is 0.375 seconds and an eighth-note triplet is about 0.166667 seconds. The formulas depend on the counted beat unit, not merely a tempo number.
If a tempo marking counts dotted quarters, first convert that pulse to the note unit needed for the delay. Time signature alone does not tell the browser which note value your BPM describes.
Map rhythmic values to the actual slider
This original worksheet uses the current 10 ms step and calculates error as selected time minus ideal time. It is arithmetic, not a measured echo export. The 120 BPM dotted-eighth target is exactly halfway between 0.37 and 0.38 seconds; either has 5 ms absolute error.
Swipe or scroll sideways to read all columns.
| Quarter BPM | Delay note | Ideal ms | Chosen control | Error ms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 120 | Quarter | 500.000 | 0.50 s | 0.000 |
| 120 | Eighth | 250.000 | 0.25 s | 0.000 |
| 120 | Dotted eighth | 375.000 | 0.38 s | +5.000 |
| 120 | Eighth triplet | 166.667 | 0.17 s | +3.333 |
| 90 | Quarter | 666.667 | 0.67 s | +3.333 |
| 140 | Quarter | 428.571 | 0.43 s | +1.429 |
Check the error across repeated echoes
In the calculated 120 BPM triplet case, each 0.17-second delay is about 3.333 ms longer than the ideal interval. After twelve intervals, the echo is about 40 ms later than the exact triplet grid. How audible that is depends on the source, mix and feedback; the arithmetic does not establish a listening threshold.
Low feedback exposes fewer repeats, which can make a near-target setting useful for a short accent. If strict long-term grid alignment is essential and the exact value is unavailable, use an external delay with finer or synchronized timing.
Set time, feedback and mix for different reasons
Delay time sets spacing. Feedback controls recirculation and repeat persistence; mix controls the balance with the dry source. Increasing feedback does not correct a rounded time. Reverb pre-delay is a separate gap before the room response, not the repeating-delay interval.
The delay-time range is 10–2,000 ms. A half-note delay at 40 quarter BPM would require 3,000 ms and is outside it. Choose another subdivision or another tool rather than labeling a clamped value as synchronized. Generate again after changing any setting.
Common questions
Is 500 ms always a quarter-note delay?
Only at 120 quarter-note BPM. At 60 quarter-note BPM, 500 ms corresponds to an eighth note.
Can I type BPM into a sync control?
There is no BPM sync control in this tool. Calculate seconds and use the available time steps; some exact rhythmic values cannot be represented.