Set delay time by the rhythmic answer you want

The idea to listen for

Delay repeats a source after a chosen interval. Tempo-synced values offer convenient relationships, but a synchronized echo is not automatically useful. An eighth-note echo and a dotted-eighth echo distribute events differently around the source. The goal is hearing whether the repeat answers the phrase or crowds its next note. Feedback determines further repeats and should be kept modest while you compare the first one.

Set up a fair comparison

Try the exercise

1. Use a sparse phrase with a noticeable gap. Set a quiet delay with only one clearly audible repeat.
2. Compare a straight subdivision with a dotted alternative at the same return level. Listen to where the first answer lands.
3. Restore modest feedback and check the next phrase boundary. Keep repeats that support the rhythm rather than filling every gap.

If the result is not working

If the echo seems late regardless of timing, the dry phrase may leave no suitable space. Remove a source note before forcing another delay value. If repeated notes build too quickly, reduce feedback.

A closer listening check

Ignore the original note for one pass and follow only the first repeat. Could you describe it as a deliberate answer? That is a stronger reason to keep a setting than its mathematical connection to BPM.