Frequency & period calculator

Convert Hertz (Hz) to Milliseconds (ms)

Turn oscillator frequency into the duration of one complete cycle. Useful for LFO timing, modulation, audio engineering, and sample-level calculations.

Enter frequency or period

One complete cycle500milliseconds
Seconds0.5 s
Samples per cycle24,000
FormulaPeriod (ms) = 1,000 ÷ Frequency (Hz)

What this conversion means

Hertz measures how many cycles happen in one second. Milliseconds measure how long each cycle takes. Because frequency and period are reciprocals, a faster frequency produces a shorter cycle.

At 2 Hz, two cycles fit into one second, so each cycle lasts 500 ms. At 1,000 Hz, one thousand cycles fit into one second, so each cycle lasts 1 ms.

For producers, this is especially useful when an LFO, tremolo, autopan, chorus, or modulation plugin displays speed in Hz while another control expects milliseconds.

Hz to ms reference table

Common modulation, mains, and audio frequencies converted to the period of one complete cycle.

FrequencyPeriodAt 48 kHz
0.25 Hz4,000 ms192,000 samples
0.5 Hz2,000 ms96,000 samples
1 Hz1,000 ms48,000 samples
2 Hz500 ms24,000 samples
4 Hz250 ms12,000 samples
8 Hz125 ms6,000 samples
10 Hz100 ms4,800 samples
20 Hz50 ms2,400 samples
50 Hz20 ms960 samples
60 Hz16.6667 ms800 samples
100 Hz10 ms480 samples
440 Hz2.2727 ms109.09 samples
1,000 Hz1 ms48 samples
How do I convert Hz to milliseconds?

Divide 1,000 by the frequency in hertz. For example, 1,000 ÷ 4 Hz equals 250 milliseconds for one complete cycle.

How many milliseconds is 1 Hz?

One hertz is one cycle per second, so one complete cycle lasts 1,000 milliseconds.

Is Hz the same as BPM?

No. Hz counts cycles per second while BPM counts beats per minute. For a quarter-note pulse, multiply Hz by 60 to get BPM, or divide BPM by 60 to get Hz.

Why show samples per cycle?

Digital audio is stored as samples. Samples per cycle shows how many samples represent one waveform cycle at the selected sample rate, which is useful for audio analysis and synthesis.