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Practical guide
PulseGrid Drums is a practice tool for timing, pocket, consistency, and control. This page explains not only where each control is, but why it matters and when it is worth changing during real electronic drum practice.
Setup Workspace teaches PulseGrid how your drum kit behaves. This is where you configure MIDI mapping, trigger calibration, dynamics, hi-hat behavior, latency, and diagnostics. A clean setup makes the later practice judgment much more honest.
What it does: Shows whether the browser can see your drum module and which MIDI input PulseGrid is using.
Why it matters: Without a stable MIDI input, the app cannot know what you actually played.
When to change it: Check this when the status is disconnected, the device name changed, or hits do not appear in the log.
What it does: Loads ready-made MIDI note maps for common layouts such as General MIDI, Roland TD-17, and Roland TD-27.
Why it matters: It lets you start quickly without assigning every pad by hand.
When to change it: Use it when you switch modules, reset your configuration, or many pads land on the wrong instruments.
What it does: Shows instruments and zones such as snare head, snare rim, ride bow, ride bell, and crash edge.
Why it matters: PulseGrid can tell whether a hit came from the expected part of the kit.
When to change it: Adjust this when a zone is unmapped, only part of a cymbal works, or you want to disable an optional zone.
What it does: Learn Mode waits for a hit and assigns the received MIDI note to the selected zone.
Why it matters: It is the fastest way to adapt PulseGrid to your exact kit.
When to change it: Use it when a preset is close, but one pad or one zone still maps incorrectly.
What it does: Lets you hit pads and see note, velocity, trigger, dynamics, and hi-hat openness without running a practice pattern.
Why it matters: You can verify that the app hears the same thing you are physically playing.
When to change it: Use it after mapping changes, velocity threshold changes, retrigger changes, or hi-hat calibration.
What it does: Sets the minimum force required for a trigger to count as a real hit.
Why it matters: It helps filter vibration, crosstalk, and accidental low-level triggers.
When to change it: Raise it when a pad triggers by itself. Avoid setting it too high, or ghost notes may disappear.
What it does: Sensitivity strengthens or softens trigger response; curve changes how playing force becomes velocity.
Why it matters: Your dynamic range in PulseGrid should match how you actually play.
When to change it: Adjust it when strong hits do not reach accents or quiet hits jump too easily into normal/accent range.
What it does: Defines a short time window where another hit from the same zone may be filtered as a repeated trigger.
Why it matters: It prevents one cymbal or pad stroke from being judged as two hits.
When to change it: Increase it when one stroke creates extra events. Keep it low enough to preserve fast doubles.
What it does: Turns a trigger zone on or off.
Why it matters: You can ignore a zone you do not use, or one that creates noise in your module.
When to change it: Disable optional zones when edge, bell, or rim data gets in the way of the exercise.
What it does: Lets you start or stop practice with a triple hit on a selected zone inside a short time window.
Why it matters: You do not need to put the sticks down to start another take.
When to change it: Enable it when you practice alone at the kit and want session control without touching the keyboard.
What it does: Corrects stable delay between audio, physical hits, MIDI events, and browser judgment.
Why it matters: If you play evenly but the app always says early or late, the judging offset may need calibration.
When to change it: Adjust it when Timing Feel repeatedly leans the same way across several simple takes.
What it does: Splits snare velocity into ghost, normal, and accent ranges.
Why it matters: Ghost notes and accents are part of the groove. PulseGrid can judge not only when you play, but how strongly.
When to change it: Adjust it when ghost notes are read as normal hits, or accents are not recognized despite strong strokes.
What it does: Sets pedal CC, open/closed boundary, closed side, and accent threshold.
Why it matters: Hi-hat control is a core part of the groove. The app must know whether you played closed, open, or accented hi-hat.
When to change it: Adjust it when open hi-hat appears closed, the pedal works backwards, or hi-hat accents are misread.
What it does: Shows recent MIDI events: note, velocity, trigger, mapping status, and filtered hits.
Why it matters: It is the fastest place to tell whether the problem is playing, mapping, module output, or trigger filtering.
When to change it: Use it when PulseGrid judges the wrong instrument, shows EXTRA, or does not see a hit.
What it does: `Scroll when start` scrolls to the trainer on start; `Show MIDI log` shows diagnostics in the main view.
Why it matters: You can adapt the screen to where your laptop or tablet sits around the kit.
When to change it: Enable the log during testing and calibration; disable auto-scroll if it gets in your way.
The main screen is the practice surface. You choose the pattern, tempo, subdivision, monitoring, and judging settings. PulseGrid compares the grid with the MIDI performance you play.
What it does: Starts or stops playback, counting, grid highlighting, and MIDI judgment.
Why it matters: It separates a real practice take from casual pad testing.
When to change it: Start after BPM, count-in, and pattern are ready. Stop when you want to cancel before Auto Stop.
What it does: Sets the practice tempo.
Why it matters: Timing at 70 BPM and 160 BPM are different physical tasks.
When to change it: Slow down when the pattern falls apart. Speed up only when accuracy and Timing Feel stay stable.
What it does: Time signature shapes the bar; subdivision defines how finely the grid divides time.
Why it matters: A different subdivision changes both precision and how you feel the pulse.
When to change it: Use 1/8 for simpler grooves, 1/16 for more detailed patterns, and odd meters for form control.
What it does: A pattern stores the groove, tempo, subdivision, active instruments, bars, title, author, and comment.
Why it matters: You can return to specific exercises and understand their goal.
When to change it: Edit metadata when you create your own exercise or want to describe its practice target.
What it does: Creates a link to the current pattern so it can be saved or shared.
Why it matters: You can send a practice pattern to a student, teacher, or test group.
When to change it: Use it when the pattern is ready and you want to preserve the exact grid state.
What it does: The grid shows instruments over time. Clicking steps turns hits on/off or changes articulation.
Why it matters: You can see exactly what should happen at every point in the bar.
When to change it: Use it to build your own groove, simplify a pattern, or isolate a difficult fragment.
What it does: Changes how many bars are shown per row.
Why it matters: It helps you view longer exercises or focus on a smaller section.
When to change it: Use GRID 2 on narrow screens and GRID 4 on larger monitors.
What it does: Instrument toggles decide which tracks are part of the pattern.
Why it matters: You can practice the full groove or isolate kick, snare, hi-hat, ride, hands, or feet.
When to change it: Use it when you want to remove noise and focus on one coordination problem.
What it does: The plus on the last bar adds an empty bar. Copy Bar appends an independent copy of the indicated bar to the end of the pattern. The trash icon beside SEQUENCER clears the whole grid.
Why it matters: You can quickly build loops, variations, and longer phrases.
When to change it: ADD BAR extends the form, COPY BAR repeats material, CLEAR GRID starts over.
What it does: Plays click at OFF, 4th, 8th, or 16th subdivision.
Why it matters: The click can guide a broad pulse or tightly reinforce subdivisions.
When to change it: Use 4th for pulse, 8th/16th for dense subdivision control, OFF to test independence.
What it does: Counts in before the pattern starts.
Why it matters: It lets you enter the tempo without a rushed first note.
When to change it: Use 1 bar for quick takes, 2 or 4 bars for harder tempos or clean starts from silence.
What it does: Auto Stop ends the session after a chosen number of loops; Loop Counter shows progress.
Why it matters: It forces a clear number of even repetitions instead of open-ended playing.
When to change it: Use 2 or 4 loops for quick tests, 8 or 16 for consistency and concentration.
What it does: Turns audible pattern playback on or off.
Why it matters: It helps you learn the model first, then test whether you can hold it with only the click.
When to change it: Keep it on for new material; turn it off when you want to test internal time.
What it does: Enables dynamic and articulation judgment where the pattern asks for it.
Why it matters: Clean timing without ghost note, accent, and hi-hat control is not always a convincing groove.
When to change it: Turn it off while learning rhythm. Turn it on once timing is stable and you want musical control.
What it does: Changes judgment tolerance for timing, dynamics, and selected hi-hat behavior.
Why it matters: EASY helps you learn the motion; HARD and EXTREME demand tighter placement.
When to change it: Raise difficulty only when the lower level is stable over several takes.
What it does: Shows how close the last judged hit was to the expected time.
Why it matters: This is not about points; it is fast feedback about pulse and placement.
When to change it: Read it with the millisecond offset. GOOD or OK without context is only part of the story.
What it does: MISS means an expected hit was not played, WRONG means the wrong instrument, EXTRA means an unplanned hit.
Why it matters: These are different problems: silence, wrong pad, or added material.
When to change it: If the judgment feels unfair, check mapping, retrigger, and latency in Setup Workspace.
What it does: Summarizes the take as a percentage of successful hits.
Why it matters: It gives a quick consistency read, but does not replace Timing Feel or specific error counts.
When to change it: Treat it as a series indicator. One high score matters less than several stable takes.
What it does: Shows whether your playing is centered, rushing, or dragging against the grid.
Why it matters: This is pocket feedback, not just single-hit feedback.
When to change it: Watch it after a few takes. If it leans one way, check latency first, then practice against the metronome.
What it does: Shows diagnostics without leaving the main screen.
Why it matters: You can immediately see whether problems come from playing, mapping, or MIDI data.
When to change it: Enable it during beta testing, calibration, and unclear judgments.
The best PulseGrid practice uses short, repeatable takes. Set up the kit honestly first, then isolate one problem at a time: timing, instrument choice, dynamics, or consistency.
If the judgment feels strange, do not assume it is always your playing. PulseGrid judges the data it receives. First check whether MIDI data, mapping, and calibration are honest.