Open the program you will be using to create your MIDI drum track, such as FL Studio, Propellerhead Reason or Ableton Live. If you are using a physical device, such as a keyboard or music production controller, plug it in.
Select a tempo that you would like your drum beat to play at. This will vary depending on the genre of music you want to create.
Go to your software or device’s step sequencer. Import the sounds you want into the channels of your step sequencer. These can either be samples you created or samples you collected from various sources. Generally, you will want at least kick drum, snare, hi-hat and splash cymbal sounds. If you cannot import sounds, choose stock samples that sound good together.
Program a one-bar drum sample that you like. This will be the foundation of the drum track, so make the bar fit the genre of music you are trying to create. Keep it simple overall; you can always add more accents later.
Duplicate your bar 16 times for the verse drums or eight times for the chorus drums. Many MIDI drum programs have a copy and paste feature to save you time. If you cannot copy and paste, manually program the duplicate drum patterns.
Add accents to humanize your beat and keep it from being repetitive. At bars four, eight and 16, add to or delete parts of the drum pattern to make it rhythmically interesting. For example, cut out kick drums to add additional groove to the beat or add in snare rolls to build tension. If your MIDI drum program allows you to adjust the velocities of drum hits, do so to make the beat feel less robotic.