81 BPM in Milliseconds: Delay Times and Note Lengths
At 81 BPM one beat (a quarter note) lasts 740.741 ms and one bar of 4/4 lasts 2.963 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.
81 BPM at a glance
- One beat at 81 BPM lasts about 740.74 ms (60,000 divided by 81), an eighth note about 370.37 ms and a dotted eighth about 555.56 ms.
- A beat here is not a whole number of milliseconds. The nearest tempo where it is: 80 BPM, with 750 ms per beat.
- A beat is 32,666.667 samples at 44.1 kHz and 35,555.556 samples at 48 kHz, neither a whole number, so sample accurate loop points round slightly at both rates.
- A 4 bar phrase in 4/4 takes about 11.852 seconds, and 3 minutes of music at this tempo holds 60.75 bars of 4/4.
- Going from 81 to 82 BPM shortens each beat by 9.033 ms, about 1.22% of the beat.
- An LFO synced to quarter notes runs at 1.35 Hz; synced to whole bars of 4/4 it runs at 0.3375 Hz.
Delay times at 81 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) | 2,962.96 ms | 4,444.44 ms | 1,975.31 ms |
| Half note (1/2) | 1,481.48 ms | 2,222.22 ms | 987.65 ms |
| Quarter note (1/4) | 740.74 ms | 1,111.11 ms | 493.83 ms |
| Eighth note (1/8) | 370.37 ms | 555.56 ms | 246.91 ms |
| Sixteenth note (1/16) | 185.19 ms | 277.78 ms | 123.46 ms |
| 1/32 note | 92.59 ms | 138.89 ms | 61.73 ms |
| 1/64 note | 46.3 ms | 69.44 ms | 30.86 ms |
81 BPM in Hz for LFOs
The rate that repeats once per note, for an LFO, tremolo or auto pan synced to 81 BPM. Rounded to 3 decimals.
| Note | Straight | Dotted | Triplet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole note (1/1) | 0.338 Hz | 0.225 Hz | 0.506 Hz |
| Half note (1/2) | 0.675 Hz | 0.45 Hz | 1.013 Hz |
| Quarter note (1/4) | 1.35 Hz | 0.9 Hz | 2.025 Hz |
| Eighth note (1/8) | 2.7 Hz | 1.8 Hz | 4.05 Hz |
| Sixteenth note (1/16) | 5.4 Hz | 3.6 Hz | 8.1 Hz |
| 1/32 note | 10.8 Hz | 7.2 Hz | 16.2 Hz |
| 1/64 note | 21.6 Hz | 14.4 Hz | 32.4 Hz |
Bar lengths at 81 BPM
| 1 bar of 4/4 | 2.963 s |
| 2 bars of 4/4 | 5.926 s |
| 4 bars of 4/4 | 11.852 s |
| 8 bars of 4/4 | 23.704 s |
| 16 bars of 4/4 | 47.407 s |
| 32 bars of 4/4 | 94.815 s |
| 1 bar of 3/4 | 2.222 s |
| 1 bar of 6/8 | 2.222 s |
| 1 bar of 7/8 | 2.593 s |
| 1 bar of 5/4 | 3.704 s |
Samples per beat at 81 BPM
| Rate | Per beat | Per 4/4 bar |
|---|---|---|
| 44.1 kHz | 32,666.667 | 130,666.667 |
| 48 kHz | 35,555.556 | 142,222.222 |
| 96 kHz | 71,111.111 | 284,444.444 |
Sample rate times 60, divided by 81.
What music is 81 BPM?
Relaxed (80 to 99 BPM). This is a relaxed, head nodding tempo. A lot of hip hop, R&B and laid back grooves sit in this range, where the gap between beats leaves space for swing, ghost notes and vocal phrasing.
Typical tempo ranges that include 81 BPM: Reggae, R&B, Downtempo and trip hop, Lofi hip hop, Hip hop.
Half time: 40.5 BPM, slower than the genre ranges listed here. Double time: 162 BPM, in the typical range of Footwork and juke, Drum and bass, Punk, Hardcore techno and gabber.
A track can be written at one tempo and felt at the other, so a song at 81 BPM may be counted as 40.5 or 162 in a DAW or DJ software. Ranges are typical only; plenty of songs sit outside them.
Work at 81 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 81 BPM
How many milliseconds is a beat at 81 BPM?
A quarter note beat at 81 BPM lasts about 740.74 ms, which is 60,000 divided by 81. An eighth note is about 370.37 ms and a sixteenth note is about 185.19 ms.
What delay time should I use at 81 BPM?
For a quarter note echo set about 740.74 ms, for a dotted eighth set about 555.56 ms and for an eighth note triplet set about 246.91 ms. If your delay has a tempo sync mode, picking the note value there gives the same timing.
How long is one bar at 81 BPM?
One bar of 4/4 at 81 BPM lasts about 2.963 seconds, so 8 bars take about 23.704 seconds and 16 bars take about 47.407 seconds. A bar of 3/4 lasts about 2.222 seconds.
Is 81 BPM fast or slow?
Relaxed (80 to 99 BPM). Typical ranges that include 81 BPM: Reggae, R&B, Downtempo and trip hop, Lofi hip hop, Hip hop. Half time is 40.5 BPM and double time is 162 BPM.