Video Game Drums

V1.0 of Clone Hero brought with is official drum support. Songs from Rock Band and the later Guitar Hero games all included charts for drums, though at varying quality and configurations. Rock Band used a "4-Lane" charting technique that has 4 pads and the kick pedal and also included a "Pro Drum" mode that added 3 optional cymbals. Guitar Hero games used a "5-Lane" charting technique, with 3 pads, 2 cymbals, and the kick drum.

Clone Hero uses the RB3 Pro Drums layout as the primary drum format.

The "Drum Controllers" that shipped with these games are all usable in Clone Hero. To use them, open the profile menu, choose "Instrument" and select the configuration you have (4-lane drums or 5-lane drums). Then, when selecting a song, choose "Drums" if you are using 4-lane without cymbals or 5-lane drums, or "Pro Drums" if using the Rock Band 4-lane with cymbals.

You can also use a real Midi E-Kit with Clone Hero. For information on that, please see our Midi Drum Kit page.

For instructions on how to map a video game drum kit, please refer to this guide for detailed instructions.

Rock Band 4-Lane Drums

Rock Band drum kits come standard with 4 pads and a kick pedal. Users could then choose to buy the optional "Cymbal Expansion" kit that added 3 cymbals, this configuration is called "Pro Drums." Within the instrument selection (in the profile menu), select "Drums" and then in song selection either pick "Drums" or "Pro Drums" according to your configuration.

Rock Band 1

Pros: Typically easy to find second hand for low price, Wired.
Cons: Low quality foot pedal, pads are loud and "Clacky", No cymbal support, No velocity support, low quality build that breaks easily.
Notes: Wired on every system.
Consensus: Avoid unless you already have it and don't care about playing "Pro Drums"

Xbox 360: Wired, plug-and-play, Requires a breakaway cable to connect to your PC but typically comes with one. If you're having issues it may be the breakaway cable. Breakaway cables are easily purchased through ebay and aliexpress and are typically less than $10 USD.

All other variants: Wired, plug-and-play.

Rock band 2/3/Beatles

Pros: Relatively easy to find second hand for a low price, Supports 2x pedals and up to 3 cymbals, velocity sensitive.
Cons: Non-Xbox 360 kits have a bit of latency, pedals/pads are prone to breaking, cymbals are hard to find separately
Notes: The dongles for RB2, RB3, and Beatles RB are interchangeable on the same platform, additionally, the PS2 and PS3 dongles are also interchangeable.
Consensus: If you can find a good deal on these they're probably your best bet outside of an e-kit. Cymbals may be hard to find separately.

PS2/PS3: Requires the Rock Band 2 or The Beatles Rock Band drum dongle for PS2 & PS3. See the Receivers and Dongles page for more information.

Xbox 360: Requires a generic Xbox 360 wireless receiver. See the Receivers and Dongles page for more information.

Wii: Requires the Rock Band 2 or The Beatles Rock Band drum dongle for Wii. See the Receivers and Dongles page for more information.

Rock Band 4

Pros: Relatively easy to find second hand for low price, Supports 2x pedals and up to 3 cymbals, velocity sensitive
Cons: Pedals/pads are prone to breaking, cymbals are hard to find separately, PS4 cymbals don't work on PC without additional software, which only exists for Windows.
Consensus: Nearly identical to the RB2/3/Beatles kits outside of the PS4 cymbal issue.

PS4: Requires pairing via Bluetooth and an optional program for cymbal support. See the Drum Mapping Guide page for more information.

Xbox One: Requires an Xbox Wireless Receiver and a special program. See the Drum Mapping Guide page for more information.

ION Drum Rocker

Pros: Wired, the highest quality of the RB kits while not being an e-kit, has velocity support, sturdiest frame of the RB kits.
Cons: Hard to find, typically as expensive as a budget e-kit while lacking features, usually missing the blue cymbal
Note: Expandable up to 2x pedals but they are expensive and hard to find. Kit is wired and does not require any dongle.
Consensus: While good, unless you find a good deal you're probably better off just getting an e-kit

All variants: Wired, plug-and-play.

Rock Band Portable Kit

Pros: Portable, wired
Cons: Generally terrible and unreliable, no cymbal support
Note: Was available for the Xbox 360 only.
Consensus: Avoid unless you already have it, but still don't use it.

Xbox 360: Wired, plug-and-play.

Guitar Hero 5-Lane Drums

Guitar hero drum kits come standard with 3 pads, 2 cymbals, and a kick pedal. Within the instrument selection (in the profile menu), select "5 Lane Compatibility" and then in song selection pick "Pro Drums"

GH5, WOR, Band Hero Kit

Pros: Good pads, supports 2x pedal, supports velocity
Cons: Cymbals aren't great quality, flimsy frame
Consensus: Not bad, generally better than the GHWT kit.

PS2/PS3: Requires the Activision Wireless Drum Kit Receiver. See the Receivers and Dongles page for more information.

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Wii: Requires a Wii remote and a special program. See the Getting Started section for more information.

GH World Tour Kit

Pros: Typically cheaper than the GH5/WOR Kit, supports velocity
Cons: Cymbals are bad quality, flimsy frame and pedals
Consensus: The worst option for a 5-lane kit.

PS2/PS3: Requires a Guitar Hero World Tour drum receiver. See the Receivers and Dongles page for more information.

Logitech Premium Wireless GH Kit

Pros: Supports 2x Kick pedals, high quality pads and cymbals
Cons: Generally unreliable, very hard to find, similar to Ion kit it typically sells for as much as an e-kit
Consensus: The most well built 5-lane kit, if you want 5-lane this is the probably the best one to get, but sadly you're unlikely to ever find it for a reasonable price.

PS2/PS3: Requires a proprietary USB wireless receiver, not typically sold separately. Unknown Serial Number.

Other

Many other "Rhythm Game" controllers may work, however these are memes and not recommended in the slightest. There is no official support for these, and we kindly ask you avoid seeking help in the discord for any issues you may encounter with these.