How to Use Guitar Hero Drums on the PC As a Drum Set

"Guitar Hero: World Tour" adds new instruments to the "Guitar Hero" franchise, including a drum set with cymbals. Xbox 360 are designed from the start to use with Windows PCs, and drivers for PlayStation 3 controllers were created that allow those controllers to be used on PCs as well, so many gamers hoped that the realistic drum controller set from the game could also be used with a PC. Though the drums for "Guitar Hero: World Tour" cannot be used as a PC drum set out of the box, minimal configuration is needed to get them functioning correctly with your computer.

Install ASIO4All and LoopBe1 (see Resources). Extract the PS360MIDI Drummer files from the .zip file you downloaded, saving them in a folder on your hard drive. If you have not installed audio studio software or an MIDI drum plugin yet, install these as well (see Resources).

Launch the PS360MIDI Drummer program from the folder you extracted its files to. The program allows you to adjust the velocity of the different drum pads and cymbals as well as change the MIDI device being used and the MIDI channel for the drums. Use the "Hit" buttons for each drum pad and cymbal to preview the impacts while making adjustments to the default settings.

Plug the wireless adapter for your "Guitar Hero: World Tour" drums into your computer. If using the Xbox 360 version, use the installation CD that came with your Xbox 360 wireless adapter to install the drivers for the adapter. If a message appears asking you to install drivers, click "OK."

Turn on the "Guitar Hero" drums. A message window will pop up in the PS360MIDI Drummer program telling you that the drums have been detected. The software will convert any input from the drum controller to an MIDI drum beat.

Launch your audio studio software. Adjust the software's settings to use the ASIO4All driver, then use your audio studio's channel guide or menu to create a new channel using your MIDI drum sampler. Test your "Guitar Hero" drums, adjusting the MIDI channel in PS360MIDI Drummer or in the drum sampler settings if the drums aren't detected. Once on the proper channel, the drum sampler will register the MIDI signals from PS360MIDI Drummer and allow you to use your "Guitar Hero: World Tour" drums as an electronic drum kit in your audio studio.