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Music Technology
Week 2: Beat Making
Day 7: MIDI & the Beat Grid

Day 7: MIDI & the Beat Grid

Tuesday, August 11th, 2026

Objectives

  • I can explain what MIDI is.
  • I can add drum sounds to a Patterns Beatmaker grid.
  • I can program the hi-hat and kick parts of a beat pattern.

Warmup

We’ll watch a video together about MIDI. In the video Colin explains what MIDI is. The Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) is a way for electronic instruments and computers to communicate. It allows you to control virtual instruments — like the drum sounds in Soundtrap — using a MIDI controller or by programming a pattern directly into a grid.

In the video he uses microcontrollers and MIDI to make a drum machine.

As you watch, answer these questions in your head:

  1. What do the letters M-I-D-I stand for?
  2. Is MIDI sound (aka audio) or instructions (telling an instrument what to play)?
  3. What is velocity?

Checkpoint: Warmup

  • I have watched the video.
  • I can briefly explain what MIDI is and what the letters in MIDI stand for.

Work Session

Introducing Patterns Beatmaker

Soundtrap has a built-in drum machine called the Patterns Beatmaker. Instead of dragging in pre-made loops, you build a beat one hit at a time on a grid — kind of like filling in boxes on a piece of graph paper. Each row is a drum sound, and each column is a moment in time. Click a box, and that drum plays at that moment.

From a new project, simply click the Patterns Beatmaker option in the middle of the screen.

OR

Add a new track and choose the pattern option.

The Rock Beat Pattern

Today you are going to program the Rock Beat — a pattern built from a steady hi-hat, a kick on beats 1 and 3, and a snare on beats 2 and 4. The grid below has 16 steps — two steps per beat. An X means click that box.

Step12345678910111213141516
Closed Hi-HatXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
KickXXXX
SnareXXXX
Measure1-------2-------

Work one drum at a time:

  1. Program the closed hi-hat first — click every box (steps 1, 2, 3, etc.) in the hi-hat row.
  2. Program the kick next — click step 1, 5, 9, and 13.
  3. Press play and listen. Does it sound like a steady groove yet?

If you finish early, try muting the hi-hat row for one loop through the pattern — how does the beat feel without it?

Checkpoint: Work Session

  • I added a Patterns Beatmaker track with Kick, Snare, and Closed Hi-Hat sounds.
  • I programmed the closed hi-hat on every step
  • I programmed the kick on steps 1, 5, 9, and 13.
  • I programmed the snare on steps 3, 7, 11, and 15.

Extras

You can experiment by adding additional sounds to your pattern, like a Crash Cymbal or Open Hi-Hat.

You can change the rhythm from 1/8th to 1/16th to get more steps for more control.

You can increase the length from 2 measures to 4 measures to make a longer pattern.

You can try velocity mode which gives you control over the loudness of each step.

Closing

Exit Ticket

Before you leave, be ready to answer:

  1. What is MIDI, in your own words?
  2. In the Rock Beat pattern, which steps does the kick play on?

Standards

  • MSMTC8.CR.1 — Generate musical ideas for various purposes and contexts (programming rhythmic ideas step by step in Patterns Beatmaker).
  • MSMTC8.CR.2 — Select and develop musical ideas for defined purposes and contexts (choosing drum sounds and arranging them into a beat pattern).
Last updated on
Day 8: Writing a Drum BeatDay 6: Introduction to Drums