Tempo to Milliseconds per Beat Calculator
The duration of a single beat is the starting point for almost every rhythm calculation in music production. It is simply 60,000 milliseconds divided by the tempo. Enter your tempo in beats per minute and the project sample rate, and this calculator returns the beat length in milliseconds and seconds, the beat rate in hertz, and the beat length in audio samples. From here you can derive any note value, delay time, or loop length.
Tempo conversion formula
milliseconds per beat = 60000 / BPM
seconds per beat = 60 / BPM
beat rate (Hz) = BPM / 60
samples per beat = seconds per beat * sample rate
One minute is 60,000 milliseconds, so dividing by the beats per minute gives the milliseconds in one beat. Every other figure follows from there.
Milliseconds per beat at common tempos
- 60 BPM: 1,000.00 ms.
- 90 BPM: about 666.67 ms.
- 120 BPM: 500.00 ms.
- 128 BPM: 468.75 ms.
- 140 BPM: about 428.57 ms.
Tempo to milliseconds: frequently asked questions
How do I convert BPM to milliseconds per beat?
Divide 60,000 by the tempo in beats per minute. There are 60,000 milliseconds in a minute, so at 120 BPM each beat lasts 60,000 / 120 = 500.00 ms. At 60 BPM a beat is 1,000 ms, and at 140 BPM it is about 428.57 ms.
What is the beat rate in hertz?
It is the number of beats per second, found by dividing the BPM by 60. At 120 BPM the beat rate is 2 Hz. The reciprocal of the beat rate is the seconds per beat, so a 2 Hz beat is 0.5 seconds long.
How many samples is one beat?
Multiply the beat duration in seconds by the sample rate. At 120 BPM and 44,100 Hz, a beat lasts 0.5 seconds, which is 22,050 samples. Change the sample rate input to match your project (for example 48,000 Hz for video).
Why is this useful?
Milliseconds per beat is the base unit for tempo-synced delays, LFO rates, gate timing, and automation. Once you know the beat length, every note value is a simple fraction or multiple of it, so this figure underpins most rhythm-related calculations in a DAW.
Sources and definitions
- Milliseconds per beat equals 60,000 / BPM because one minute is 60,000 milliseconds. This is a standard definition of tempo.
- National Institute of Standards and Technology: SI units reference (time, frequency).
Reviewed by the CalculatorHub team, edited by James Graham, 19 June 2026. See our methodology.