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for those of you that are new to this, a sample is a short audio recording that can be used in a track.
capture sounds around you with the built-in microphone, or use the stereo line-input to sample your favorite synthesizer, connect your CM–15 mic, even your phone!
sampling is a powerful tool that can make your track truly unique. sample something then record it using K.O.II’s powerful built in sequencer!
enter sample mode
to record a sound, press (SAMPLE) to enter sample mode. you will see all the buttons light up. the leds will blink to let you know you are in sample mode.
sample
press and hold a pad while in sample mode to start recording your sample. once a sample has been recorded to a pad it will stop blinking and light up to let you know it has been recorded to. pro-tip! after recording, audition a sample by pushing the pad again.
add more samples
while in SAMPLE mode, you can continue capturing samples to additional pads.
stereo/mono/l/r
pressing (minus) or (plus) when sampling with the input jack allows you to choose between: stereo (LR) left audio signal (L) right audio signal (R) summed center mono (C).
input level
the (knobX) knob controls input level.
threshold
the (knobY) knob adjusts the threshold allowing you to trigger the recording to start only when you make just the right amount of noise.
re-take sample
record something that’s not quite right? get a second chance by pressing sample again and retaking it!
exit sample mode
exit sample mode by hitting (MAIN).
permanently delete sample
samples are stored automatically and can only be deleted by removing them in the SOUND menu.
holding (ERASE) + (SOUND) will delete the currently selected sample from the device.
sound library
every time you sample something, it is stored inside the sound library.
samples are stored in the next available slot and automatically assigned in order.
pro-tip! if you want to sample your favorite acid synth, you can explicitly choose a destination for it by holding sound, typing a number on the pads (like 3..0..3..), pressing (enter), then hit sample!
to transfer audio files to use as samples to/from a computer, use the file transfer tool.
sample tool
connect K.O.II via usb-c and go to: teenage.engineering/apps/ep-sample-tool here are instructions on how to use the sample tool
a great technique when making beats is to experiment with chopping up a drum rhythm or a chord-progression into smaller pieces. play them back in random order using the pads until you find something that has a groove to it.
chop it up
if you want to chop your sample up across different pads, you can choose between AUTO-CHOP, which lets K.O II do it for you, or LIVE CHOP to do it manually. (SHIFT) + (SAMPLE) = (CHOP)
auto-chop
intelligently divide your sample into individual slices, they will be assigned to as many pads as the sample needs. press (GROUPA)-(GROUPD) to select the group you wish to AUTO-CHOP. this will reset any pad assignments so make sure you pick an empty group or one you are happy to write over.
the sample chop point is auto detected using beat tracking, populating from bottom left to top right. use (minus)/(plus) to decide on the number of slices.
intelligently divide your sample into individual slices, they will be assigned to as many pads as the sample needs.
press (GROUPA) -(GROUPD) to select the group you wish to AUTO-CHOP. this will reset any pad assignments so make sure you pick an empty group or one you are happy to write over.
live chop
If you know where you want to slice, try LIVE CHOP. by using this hands-on approach, you have direct control over the placement of your sample's cuts.
when in CHOP mode, press and hold a pad to CHOP. the break will be assigned depending on the amount of time the pad is held. keep pressing pads as the sample plays to chop it up across your pads.
in and outputs
if it's not sounding quite right you can refine the exact in and out points of each chop by selecting the pad and turning (knobX) and (knobY) to set the precise start and end points.
pro-tip! holding down (SHIFT) while turning the (knobX) and (knobY) knobs will allow for finer control so you can find the perfect start and end points.
sense of rhythm or not, quantization to the rescue! TIMING allows you manually select the note interval of the step sequencer, as well as enable or disable quantized recording.
sound note interval illustration
8 = 8 steps per bar
16 = 16 steps per bar
32 = 32 steps per bar
the 8T and 16T are triplet variations. 8T = 12 steps per bar 16T = 24 steps per bar
timing
to change the note interval press TIMING.
set note interval
the (knobX) knob controls the note interval.
set swing
the (knobY) knob controls swing. (only applies to 1/8 and 1/16 note intervals).
quantize/free time
(minus) and (plus) toggle between quantize (minus) and free time (plus). quantised recording will always snap whatever you record to the chosen note interval.
free time will keep things loose and record exactly as you played it.
it should be easy to record a hi-hat! if you hold down the TIMING while pressing a pad, your sample will play back according to the chosen note interval.
note repeat
hold TIMING and press a pad to trigger note repeat for that pad.
pro-tip! this is pressure sensitive when velocity is enabled !
maybe everything was perfect except for one hit, but you don’t want to quantize everything because you love the beat?
use the (TIMING) (CORRECT) function to quantize individual pads or even individual notes. this way, things will fall into place without ruining any magic.
timing correct
open timing correct by pressing (SHIFT) and (TIMING).
quantize pad
when stopped, press a pad to quantize all the steps recorded to that pad.
live quantize
while playing, hold a pad during playback to quantize the notes played while held (the number of corrected notes will show on the display).
turn (knobx) to adjust the note interval you wish to correct your notes to.
when the note interval is set to 8 or 16, turn (KNOBY) to adjust the swing.
loops create a repetitive pattern that can be incredibly catchy, memorable or annoying. think of them as a foundation to layer additional instruments and sounds.
they can also be tweaked and varied over time, and give a defining character to your song. the LOOP function is inspired by our beloved OB–4 magic radio.
enter loop
press (SHIFT) and (TEMPO) to create a loop. pro-tip: hold (SHIFT) and (TEMPO) to set the length of the loop. the loop starts when you hold both buttons and ends when you release them.
slide loop
use the (KNOBX) knob to slide the loop position back and forth. sliding is tempo locked. the display will show the position of the loop.
set loop length
when in loop mode use the (KNOBY) knob to set your loop length.
exit loop
press (TEMPO) to exit the loop directly or press (main) to exit the loop on the next bar.
loop
