Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about Beat Studio — setup, MIDI, drum kits, and more.
- What is Beat Studio?
- Where can I download Beat Studio?
- Do I need a subscription for Beat Studio?
- What is the difference between FREE and PRO?
- How do I activate my PRO licence?
- Does Beat Studio need an internet connection?
- How do I update to a new version?
- Can I use Beat Studio with my device or drum kit?
- How do I connect my device to Beat Studio?
- Is there latency in Beat Studio?
- How do I map MIDI to my device?
- How can I change drum sounds/kits in Beat Studio?
- Can I create and edit my own patterns in Beat Studio?
- How can I play along with songs in Beat Studio?
What is Beat Studio?
Beat Studio is a desktop drum trainer for Windows and macOS. Connect your electronic drum kit over USB-MIDI, pick a pattern or import a song, and play along with every hit scored for timing, accuracy and dynamics. It includes a pattern editor, song import from MIDI, Guitar Pro and audio files, drum notation, custom drum kits, and a library that tracks your progress with session summaries and pattern history.
Where can I download Beat Studio?
Beat Studio runs on Windows and macOS, on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. New versions are posted on the Beat Studio Patreon page, and the PRO licence is sold on Gumroad.
Do I need a subscription for Beat Studio?
No. Beat Studio is free to download and use in FREE mode. To unlock PRO, buy a lifetime licence with a single purchase on Gumroad — no subscription, and it's yours to keep.
Until version 2.1, Beat Studio was sold as Patreon memberships and single versions. Those are no longer sold — see Beat Studio 2.1 for the background.
What is the difference between FREE and PRO?
There is one Beat Studio app. It runs in FREE mode until you enter a licence key, and then it becomes PRO.
- FREE — Live feedback and scoring, basic pattern editor, one professional drum kit, and universal MIDI support
- PRO — Everything in FREE plus: metronome, custom pattern lengths and time signatures, swing, sub-pattern and progressive BPM training, blind/semi-blind modes, live timing and dynamics graphs, pattern packs, MIDI/Guitar Pro file import, audio and URL import with stem separation, synthesized backing tracks, extra drum kits, custom kits (WAV/SF2), audio effects (reverb, delay, flanger, distortion), rudiment support, notation, audio recording, and session analytics
The current price is on the Gumroad page.
How do I activate my PRO licence?
- Buy a licence on Gumroad. The licence key is in your purchase email.
- In Beat Studio, open Settings → Licence and click Enter key…
- Paste your key, save, and restart Beat Studio. It now runs in PRO mode.
If activation doesn't work, email contact@beatstudio.io and include the Support ID shown in the same Licence section.
Does Beat Studio need an internet connection?
Only now and then. With a PRO licence, Beat Studio checks the licence each time it starts, but it can also be used completely offline for a few weeks at a time. After that, it needs an internet connection to verify the licence again. This all happens automatically — just launch the app and play.
How do I update to a new version?
Download the new version and replace your existing Beat Studio app folder with it. Your licence key is stored in your user data folder, not in the app folder, so you won't need to enter it again.
Can I use Beat Studio with my device or drum kit?
Beat Studio works with all MIDI devices — electronic drum kits, drum pads, MIDI keyboards, and more. Popular brands like Alesis, Roland, and Yamaha are all supported. If your device sends MIDI over USB, Beat Studio can use it.
Beat Studio includes a built-in MIDI Mapping Wizard. The wizard walks you through each drum one at a time — just hit the pad when prompted, and the app captures the correct MIDI note automatically. You can hit each pad multiple times to map alternate notes (e.g., rim shot and center hit for snare). Your custom mapping is saved per device, so switching between kits doesn't require remapping.
Beat Studio also supports hi-hat pedal detection via MIDI CC (continuous controller). During the mapping wizard, the app auto-detects your pedal's CC channel and calibrates the open/closed threshold, so open and closed hi-hat sounds respond accurately to your pedal position.
How do I connect my device to Beat Studio?
Connect your electronic drum kit to your computer with a USB cable and power it on, ideally before you start Beat Studio. Beat Studio detects MIDI input devices automatically — check that your kit is selected under Settings → Device & input → Drum module.
If you connect the kit while Beat Studio is already running, click Rescan in the same section. You don't need to restart the app. If the kit still doesn't show up, see Troubleshooting.
For the full setup, see the first setup guide. Where your headphones and audio cables go depends on whose drum sounds you want to hear: see the wiring guides for Beat Studio sounds and drum module sounds.
Is there latency in Beat Studio?
Beat Studio is designed for minimal latency. It uses a native audio engine with platform-optimized backends — WASAPI on Windows and Core Audio on macOS — to deliver professional-grade low-latency audio playback. Every system has some input latency, typically 5–10 ms, but Beat Studio includes automatic latency compensation so your hits are always scored on time.
You can tune audio latency yourself with Audio buffer and, on Windows, Output mode in Settings → Device & input. See crackling audio and the Windows output modes guide for what each setting does.
How do I map MIDI to my device?
Open Settings → Device & input and scroll to MIDI Pad Mapping. It lists each drum with its assigned MIDI notes. Click a pad's field, then hit that pad on your kit — hit again to add a second trigger, such as rim and head. The hi-hat, including the pedal, is set up in one guided step.
For a guided setup of the whole kit, click Open Mapping Wizard and hit each pad when prompted. Your mapping is saved per device, so switching between kits is seamless. The MIDI mapping guide goes through it step by step.
How can I change drum sounds/kits in Beat Studio?
FREE includes one professional drum kit. PRO adds multiple built-in kits (Rock, Jazz, Electronic, TR-808 and more), which you switch between under Kits in the library sidebar. To make your own, click New kit and build it:
- from individual WAV files
- from a SoundFont (SF2) file
- from a song's drum stem — see the step-by-step tutorial
You can also duplicate an existing kit to change specific drum sounds while keeping the rest.
Can I create and edit my own patterns in Beat Studio?
Yes — Beat Studio includes a full pattern editor with advanced tools for building your own drum patterns from scratch. Available tools depend on your tier:
- FREE — basic editing tools to get you started
- PRO — advanced editor tools unlocked
How can I play along with songs in Beat Studio?
Click New pattern in the library. The wizard asks what you're starting from: nothing, a MIDI or Guitar Pro file, an audio recording, or an audio recording together with a MIDI or Guitar Pro file. Song import is a PRO feature; FREE lets you build patterns from scratch.
- MIDI or Guitar Pro file (.mid, .gp, .gpx, .gp5) — extracts the drum track for you to practise and uses all other instruments (bass, guitar, keys, etc.) as your backing track.
- Audio recording or URL — separates the drum stem so you play along with the original recording with the drums removed, and can detect the drum pattern straight from the audio.
- Audio plus a MIDI or Guitar Pro file — matches the file's hits to the recording, so the pattern follows the song's real tempo.
Free song sources: gprotab.net · midiworld.com
Bonus — You can also import SoundFonts (.sf2) to change the drum or instrument sounds in your backing tracks, making them sound more realistic: polyphone.io · 500 SoundFonts