How to setup a MIDI Drum Kit on RPCS3.
Platform
Controller

NOTES:

  • Do NOT map this instrument via the “Pads” menu.
  • Your MIDI Drum Kit needs to:
    • be set to MIDI Channel 10.
    • be set to standard GM mapping.
      These should be default settings but consult the manual for your MIDI Drum Kit to make sure.
  • D-Pad: Left and D-Pad: Right cannot be used. This makes slowing down practice mode and cycling through trainers impossible.
  • RPCN Menus (for sending or accepting online invites) will cause a softlock. You will need an alternative input method to navigate these menus, such as [a typing keyboard or a gamepad].

Instructions:

If your MIDI Drum Kit has a USB port, all you need to do is plug it into your computer.

A picture of a MIDI Drum Kit's module, showing a USB port

If your MIDI Drum Kit only has a MIDI output, you will need a MIDI to USB interface.

A picture of a MIDI Drum Kit's module, showing a 5-DIN MIDI output highlighted in blue with a dotted blue outline.

Here’s an example of a MIDI to USB interface. Most will come with an LED indicator to show activity. To check that you’ve plugged it in correctly, you should see “MIDI In” blinking when you hit a pad.

A picture of a MIDI to USB interface.

If you have an audio interface, you may already have a way to plug in MIDI to your computer, as some audio interfaces come with MIDI inputs. For example, this Scarlett has MIDI connections in the back.

A picture of a Focusrite Scarlett's rear, showing a USB port, and 5-DIN MIDI input and output.

Find whichever way is the most convenient for you then connect your MIDI Drum Kit to your computer.

After that, right click on Rock Band 3 in RPCS3, then click on “Change Custom Configuration”.

A screenshot of RPCS3's right click menu, showing "Change Custom Configuration" highlighted

A screenshot of Rock Band 3's I/O custom settings, showing Emulated MIDI Devices, device type, and device selection highlighted in tan with a solid outline.

  • A tan square with a solid outline :
    • 🥁 Change your “Emulated MIDI type” from “Keyboard” to “Drums”, then select your MIDI Drum Kit or MIDI to USB interface in the drop-down menu next to it.

Mapping

Default Mapping:

  • START: Hihat Pedal, Hihat Pedal, Hihat Pedal, Snare
  • SELECT: Hihat Pedal, Hihat Pedal, Hihat Pedal, Snare Rim
  • Song select shortcuts: Hihat Pedal, Hihat Pedal, Hihat Pedal, Kick
MIDI Note# Trigger Type In-Game Action
38, 31, 34, 37, 39, 40 Snare Red Pad
48, 50 Hi-tom Yellow Pad
45, 50 Low-tom Blue Pad
41, 43 Floor-tom Green Pad
22, 26, 42, 46, 54 Hi-Hat Cymbal Yellow Cymbal
51, 53, 56, 59 Ride Cymbal Blue Cymbal
49, 52, 55, 57 Crash Cymbal Green Cymbal
33, 35, 36 Kick Pedal Foot Pedal
44 Hi-Hat Pedal Hi-Hat Pedal
CC#4 (Foot controller) Hi-Hat Pedal Position Allows Hi-Hat pedal to be held closed

Additional Setup:

You can adjust a variety of options in the rb3drums.yml file, located within the config folder inside your RPCS3 installation folder. Below are the defaults and what each option does.

Setting Description
Pulse width ms: 30 How long each drum pad hit is “held” for. You should leave this alone.
Minimum velocity: 10 The minimum velocity (how hard a pad is hit) needed for a signal to be sent. Anything below this number will not send a signal.
Combo window in milliseconds: 2000 Determines how long you have to press the Combos for Start, Select, and Kick Hold.
Stagger cymbal hits: true If you hit two cymbals at the same time, one will be delayed by the “Pulse width ms” above. You should leave this alone.
Midi id to note override: "" Allows you to remap what each MIDI note does. Read [Remapping] for more information.
Combo Start: HihatPedal,HihatPedal,HihatPedal,Snare Defines what combo will trigger the Start button
Combo Select: HihatPedal,HihatPedal,HihatPedal,SnareRim Defines what combo will trigger the Select button
Combo Toggle Hold Kick: HihatPedal,HihatPedal,HihatPedal,Kick Defines what combo will trigger the Hold Kick action, for library navigation.
Midi CC status: 176 Defines the status byte. Can be notated as 0xB0 as well. You should leave this alone.
Midi CC control number: 4 Defines the number of the Continuous Controller (CC), which acts as the hi-hat pedal. You should leave this alone.
Midi CC threshold: 64 Defines the middle point the hi-pedal pedal goes from closed to open.
Midi CC invert threshold: false Inverts the range for the hi-hat pedal, mentioned above.

Remapping

If your MIDI Drum Kit has incompatible mapping, you can remap using Midi id to note override: "" with the corrected notes.

  • To do this:
    • Go to MIDI Monitor
    • Play the pad you want to replace to find its MIDI Note number (“Note #[number]”).

The file uses the following note names:

Kick
HihatPedal
Snare
SnareRim
HiTom
LowTom
FloorTom
HihatWithPedalUp
Hihat
Ride
Crash

Examples of common replacements:

  • Blue cymbal is mapped to Note #51 and Green cymbals is mapped to Note #49 and your kit has these reversed.
    • Midi id to note override: "49=Ride,51=Crash" will reverse them to be closer to the game’s layout
  • You want to map Open Hi-Hat to Blue cymbal.
    • Midi id to note override: "46=Ride"

In rb3drums.yml, you will find Combo Start, Combo Select, Combo Toggle Hold Kick, which allow you to customize the combos to activate their respective buttons.

[Back to Controllers]

Research by [Linos]
Implemented by [nswarm]

Tags: midi drums english