Use Drum Module Sounds in Beat Studio: Wiring Guide

This is the wiring guide for the first setup tutorial, for when you want to hear your drum module’s own kit when you hit a pad.

Your module plays your hits with no delay. Beat Studio plays the pattern’s drums, the backing track and the click. Both have to reach the same headphones, so something has to mix them together.

Before you start, open the Beat Studio mixer and click M on the My Drums channel to mute your own hits, so only the module plays them. The mixer is in the training view’s Studio mode. The default Focus mode doesn’t show it.

The Beat Studio mixer with channels for Click, Pattern, My Drums, Audio and Drums. The M button on the My Drums channel is lit red, so your own hits are muted.

Only one thing should make a sound when you hit a pad. If every hit sounds doubled, flammed or echoed, Beat Studio is playing it too, so mute your own hits in the mixer. The pattern’s drums are different: they’re the part you play along to, and you set their level in the mixer.

Without an audio interface

The module does the mixing:

Drum module → USB cable → computer (MIDI)
Computer headphone jack → audio cable → module’s Mix In or AUX In
Module’s headphone jack → your headphones

In Step 4, choose your computer’s headphone output as the output device, since that’s what feeds the module. Balance the backing track against your drums with the module’s Mix In level or your computer’s volume. Check your module’s manual for the name of the input and the cable it takes.

Wiring diagram for drum module sounds without an audio interface: the drum module sends MIDI to the computer over USB, where your own hits are muted in the mixer. The computer's headphone jack feeds the module's Mix In or AUX In, and the headphones plug into the module, which plays your hits plus Beat Studio's pattern drums, backing track and click.

With an audio interface

The module still does the mixing. The interface just replaces the computer’s headphone jack:

Drum module → USB cable → computer (MIDI)
Computer → USB cable → audio interface (Beat Studio audio)
Interface output → audio cable → module’s Mix In or AUX In
Module’s headphone jack → your headphones

In Step 4, choose the interface as the output device. Balance the backing track against your drums with the module’s Mix In level or the interface’s output volume.

Wiring diagram for drum module sounds with an audio interface: the drum module sends MIDI to the computer over USB, where your own hits are muted in the mixer. The computer sends Beat Studio's audio to the interface over USB, the interface's output feeds the module's Mix In or AUX In, and the headphones plug into the module.

Good to know

The pattern’s drums come from Beat Studio’s kit, so they can sound different from your module’s kit. If that’s distracting while you play along, turn them down in the mixer.

Other setups

These two setups are the basic ones, and they work with almost any kit. Many drum modules and audio interfaces can do more: some modules work as a USB audio interface themselves, and many interfaces and mixers can route the module’s audio and the computer’s audio in other ways. Those setups can work well too, but they depend on your gear, so check its manual. Whatever you build, the same rule applies: only one thing should make a sound when you hit a pad.

Next step

Your cables are done. Go back to the first setup tutorial and check that Beat Studio sees your kit. If you’d rather hear Beat Studio’s kit, see the Beat Studio sounds wiring guide.