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((1)) new project
to get started making a beat, first load up a new project. hold (main) and one of the pads (1-9) to select an empty project.
when fresh out of the box, your K.O.II will come with projects 1-5 populated with sounds and projects 6-9 completely empty.
((2)) load some sounds
press a few pads in an empty project and you will notice that the pads do not have any sounds. lets fill them up with some! press (sound) to go to sound mode, then select group (GROUPA) and one of the pads. use (minus) and (plus) to scroll through the available sounds. you will notice that the screen shows a number. this is the number of the sample for the corresponding pad.
fill out the remaining pads using whichever sounds you like the most! you can find out more about how samples are stored on K.O.II in the sounds section of the guide.
((3)) groups
as K.O.II has 4 groups, we recommend keeping each group as a selection of instruments or parts. group (GROUPA) for drums. group (GROUPB) for bass. group (GROUPC) for melodies. group (GROUPD) for loops and samples (keep this one empty for later).
this layout is of course optional and you can put whatever sounds you want into each group. try loading each group up with different samples!
((4)) main
now that we have some sounds, lets turn them into a beat! press (MAIN) to go to the main mode. you will notice that the screen changes to show the current “step”.
a step is a division of time and allows you to see where you are in your beat.
((5)) record a beat
tap (record) then (play) to start recording! you will hear a four beat count-in then the K.O.II will start recording. hit the pads and punch out a beat!
once you are done press (play) to stop the beat, alternatively you can press (record) to keep the beat going but stop recording. once you have finished recording drums press (shift) and (main) to commit it! this will allow you to quickly build up the structure of a song!
((6)) pattern length
by default new patterns on K.O.II will be set to 1 bar (ln.1). if you want a longer pattern just hold (record) then press (plus).
((7)) add a bassline
next, lets add a bassline! if you followed along with the recommendation in step 3, you should have some bass sounds in group (GROUPB) . press group (GROUPB) to play some bass sounds.
select one that you like then press (keys) to play that sound across the pads like a keyboard! if you’d like to change the scale of the pads, this can be done in system settings.
((8)) record a bassline
press (play) to hear your beat and practice over it with your bassline. once you have something you like, pause it by pressing (play) again. now tap (record) and (play) to get another four beat count in and record it in!
if your bassline is longer than the pattern and you find yourself playing over it, make sure to increase your pattern length by holding (record) and pressing (PLUS). once you have finished recording a bassline press (shift) and (main) to commit it! this will allow you to quickly build up the structure of a song!
((9)) add a melody
next, lets add a melody! if you followed along with the recommendation in step 3, you should have some melodic sounds in group (GROUPC) . press group (GROUPC) to play some melodic sounds.
((10)) record your melody
press (play) to hear your beat and practice over it with your melody. once you have something you like, pause it by pressing (play) again then you can tap (record) and (play) to get another four beat count in and record it in!
if your melody is longer than the pattern and you find yourself playing over it make sure to increase your pattern length by holding (record) and pressing (PLUS). once you have finished recording a melody press (shift) and (main) to commit it! this will allow you to quickly build up the structure of a song!
((11)) let's sample!
sampling is a great way to record your own sounds into K.O.II! if you followed along with the recommendation in step 3, group (GROUPD) should be empty.
press group (GROUPD) then hit (SAMPLE) to enter sample mode!
((12)) record sample
the pads will flash to let you know that they can be sampled to. press one and sing, shout or rock out into the mic or line in! as soon as you let go it will stop sampling and you can press the pad again to hear your sample.
((13)) add it to beat
press (main) to go back to main mode and add the sample into your beat. now you can use the same techniques we used in the previous sections to play your sample(s) into your beat!
((14)) add some fx
now that you have a sick beat you can add some FX to it! press (fx) to open the fx menu. here you can send each group to one master fx.
turn the fader up and use (minus) and (plus) to switch between the available fx.
((15)) punch-in fx
now press (play) , hold down (FX) and press the pads.
this will add punch-in fx which allow you to quickly and easily perform with your beat!
((16)) commit your beat
press (shift) and (main) to commit your beat. this will save the current patterns as a scene and create a new scene! committing your beat is a great way to quickly build the layers in a song. or even starting something fresh!
when you commit it will duplicate your current scene allowing you to quickly add variations on your beat without overwriting the previous section. commit as many times as you like while you are making a beat to quickly build out the structure of your song!
THAT'S IT!
to get started making a beat, first load up a new project, and press play. hold (main) and one of the pads (1-9) to select an empty project.
press a few pads in an empty project and you will notice that the pads do not have any sounds. lets fill them up with some! press (sound) to go to sound mode, then select group (GROUPA) and one of the pads. use (minus)/(plus) to scroll through the available sounds. you will notice that the screen shows a number, this is the number of the sample on a pad.
((5)) go to step ((1))
hold (shift) and (minus) until the display shows 1. 1 .1
this brings you to the first step in the pattern.
((6)) record to a step
hold (record) and press on one of the pads to record that pad to a step.
((7)) navigating the sequencer
press (minus) and (plus) to navigate forwards and backwards in your pattern.
((8)) add some drums!
try placing a kick on 1.1.1 / 1.2.1 / 1.3.1 and 1.4.1 - this is called a ‘four on the floor’.
then a snare on 1.2.1 and 1.4.1 - this is called a ‘back beat’.
((9)) change the note interval
to change the note interval (number of steps per bar). press (timing) and turn ( knobx) . by default K.O.II will be set to a note interval of 1/16, but note intervals of 1/8, 1/8T (triplet), 1/16, 1/16T (triplet) and 1/32 are available.
having a higher note interval allows you to sequence in more detail whereas having a low note interval is great for fast sequencing.
((10)) change the swing
to change the swing. press (timing) and turn (knoby). use swing to add grooviness to your beat!
note interval and swing apply before recording and not after, for more info see the timing section.
((11)) note repeat
hold (timing) and press a pad to repeat that pad with the chosen note interval. use it on a hi-hat to quickly record hats into your beat!
to record with a four beat count-in, tap (record) then (play) .
((12)) pattern length
by default new patterns on K.O.II will be set to 1 bar (len:1). if you want a longer pattern just hold (record) then press (plus).
((13)) add a bassline
next, lets add a bassline! if you followed along with the recommendation in step 3, you should have some bass sounds in group (GROUPB). press group (GROUPB) to play some bass sounds.
select one that you like then press (keys) to (play) that sound across the pads like a keyboard! if you’d like to change the scale of the pads, this can be done in system settings.
((14)) record a bassline
press (play) to hear your beat and practice over it with your bassline. once you have something you like, pause it by pressing (play) again. then, hold (record) and press on one of the pads to record that pad to a step.
alternatively, you can tap (record) and (play) to get a four beat count in and record it in! if your bassline is longer than the pattern and you find yourself playing over it make sure to increase your pattern length by holding (record) and pressing (PLUS).
((15)) add a melody
next, lets add a melody! if you followed along with the recommendation in step 3, you should have some melodic sounds in group (GROUPC). press group (GROUPC) to play some melodic sounds.
((16)) record your melody
press (play) to hear your beat and practice over it with your melody. once you have something you like, pause it by pressing (play) again. then, hold (record) and press on one of the pads to record that pad to a step.
alternatively, you can tap (record) and (play) to get a four beat count in and record it in! if your melody is longer than the pattern and you find yourself playing over it make sure to increase your pattern length by holding (record) and pressing (PLUS).
((17)) let's sample!
sampling is a great way to record your own sounds into K.O.II! if you followed along with the recommendation in step 3, group (GROUPD) should be empty. press group (GROUPD) then hit (SAMPLE) to enter sample mode!
((18)) add it to your beat
((19)) add some fx
now that you have a sick beat you can add some FX to it! press (fx) to open the fx menu, here you can send each group to one master fx.
turn the fader up and use (minus)/(plus) to switch between the available fx.
commit your beat!
extra! don’t forget to add punch-in-fx
