72 BPM in Milliseconds: Delay Times and Note Lengths
At 72 BPM one beat (a quarter note) lasts 833.333 ms and one bar of 4/4 lasts 3.333 seconds. Below are the delay times for every note value, the same notes in Hz, bar and phrase lengths, samples per beat and the genres that typically sit at this tempo.
72 BPM at a glance
- One beat at 72 BPM lasts about 833.33 ms (60,000 divided by 72), an eighth note about 416.67 ms and a dotted eighth 625 ms.
- A beat here is not a whole number of milliseconds. The nearest tempo where it is: 75 BPM, with 800 ms per beat.
- At both 44.1 kHz and 48 kHz a beat is a whole number of samples (36,750 and 40,000), so loops cut on the beat line up exactly at either rate.
- A 4 bar phrase in 4/4 takes about 13.333 seconds, and 3 minutes of music at this tempo holds 54 bars of 4/4.
- Going from 72 to 73 BPM shortens each beat by 11.416 ms, about 1.37% of the beat.
- An LFO synced to quarter notes runs at 1.2 Hz; synced to whole bars of 4/4 it runs at 0.3 Hz.
Delay times at 72 BPM
Milliseconds for each note value. Dotted notes are 1.5 times as long, triplets 2/3 as long. Rounded to 2 decimals.
| Note | Straight | Dotted | Triplet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole note (1/1) | 3,333.33 ms | 5,000 ms | 2,222.22 ms |
| Half note (1/2) | 1,666.67 ms | 2,500 ms | 1,111.11 ms |
| Quarter note (1/4) | 833.33 ms | 1,250 ms | 555.56 ms |
| Eighth note (1/8) | 416.67 ms | 625 ms | 277.78 ms |
| Sixteenth note (1/16) | 208.33 ms | 312.5 ms | 138.89 ms |
| 1/32 note | 104.17 ms | 156.25 ms | 69.44 ms |
| 1/64 note | 52.08 ms | 78.13 ms | 34.72 ms |
72 BPM in Hz for LFOs
The rate that repeats once per note, for an LFO, tremolo or auto pan synced to 72 BPM. Rounded to 3 decimals.
| Note | Straight | Dotted | Triplet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole note (1/1) | 0.3 Hz | 0.2 Hz | 0.45 Hz |
| Half note (1/2) | 0.6 Hz | 0.4 Hz | 0.9 Hz |
| Quarter note (1/4) | 1.2 Hz | 0.8 Hz | 1.8 Hz |
| Eighth note (1/8) | 2.4 Hz | 1.6 Hz | 3.6 Hz |
| Sixteenth note (1/16) | 4.8 Hz | 3.2 Hz | 7.2 Hz |
| 1/32 note | 9.6 Hz | 6.4 Hz | 14.4 Hz |
| 1/64 note | 19.2 Hz | 12.8 Hz | 28.8 Hz |
Bar lengths at 72 BPM
| 1 bar of 4/4 | 3.333 s |
| 2 bars of 4/4 | 6.667 s |
| 4 bars of 4/4 | 13.333 s |
| 8 bars of 4/4 | 26.667 s |
| 16 bars of 4/4 | 53.333 s |
| 32 bars of 4/4 | 106.667 s |
| 1 bar of 3/4 | 2.5 s |
| 1 bar of 6/8 | 2.5 s |
| 1 bar of 7/8 | 2.917 s |
| 1 bar of 5/4 | 4.167 s |
Samples per beat at 72 BPM
| Rate | Per beat | Per 4/4 bar |
|---|---|---|
| 44.1 kHz | 36,750 | 147,000 |
| 48 kHz | 40,000 | 160,000 |
| 96 kHz | 80,000 | 320,000 |
Sample rate times 60, divided by 72.
What music is 72 BPM?
Slow (60 to 79 BPM). This is a slow tempo. Slow songs, ballads and laid back grooves live here, and a long note or a long delay tail has plenty of room. Because each beat is long, small timing differences are easy to hear, so slow tracks reward a tight, deliberate groove.
Typical tempo ranges that include 72 BPM: Ballads, Reggae, R&B, Downtempo and trip hop, Lofi hip hop.
Half time: 36 BPM, slower than the genre ranges listed here. Double time: 144 BPM, in the typical range of Techno, Trap (often felt at half time), Dubstep (felt at half time).
A track can be written at one tempo and felt at the other, so a song at 72 BPM may be counted as 36 or 144 in a DAW or DJ software. Ranges are typical only; plenty of songs sit outside them.
Work at 72 BPM
The BPM and Delay Time Calculator does this math for any tempo, including decimals, with tap tempo and milliseconds back to BPM. All free, in your browser.
Nearby tempos
Questions about 72 BPM
How many milliseconds is a beat at 72 BPM?
A quarter note beat at 72 BPM lasts about 833.33 ms, which is 60,000 divided by 72. An eighth note is about 416.67 ms and a sixteenth note is about 208.33 ms.
What delay time should I use at 72 BPM?
For a quarter note echo set about 833.33 ms, for a dotted eighth set 625 ms and for an eighth note triplet set about 277.78 ms. If your delay has a tempo sync mode, picking the note value there gives the same timing.
How long is one bar at 72 BPM?
One bar of 4/4 at 72 BPM lasts about 3.333 seconds, so 8 bars take about 26.667 seconds and 16 bars take about 53.333 seconds. A bar of 3/4 lasts 2.5 seconds.
Is 72 BPM fast or slow?
Slow (60 to 79 BPM). Typical ranges that include 72 BPM: Ballads, Reggae, R&B, Downtempo and trip hop, Lofi hip hop. Half time is 36 BPM and double time is 144 BPM.