How do I make a hip-hop beat?

Hip-hop production on the KO II centers on layered drums, a sampled bassline or melody, and classic chopped-sample techniques. Here's a practical workflow to get started.

Set your tempo

Press tempo and dial in 85-95 BPM for classic boom-bap, or 140-160 BPM (half-time feel) for trap. Turn knob X to adjust, or hold tempo and type the number on the pads.

Build your drums in Group A

Load a kick (samples 1-99), snare (100-199), and hi-hats (200-299) using sound and minus/plus. Press record then play for a four-beat count-in and tap in your pattern. A classic hip-hop pattern puts kick on beats 1 and 3, snare on 2 and 4.

Add a bassline in Group B

Load a bass sample (400-499) onto a pad, press keys, and record a bassline. Hold record and press pads to step-sequence it if you prefer a tighter, quantized feel.

Chop a sample in Group C or D

Sample a chord or loop using sample, then press shift and sample to enter chop mode. Use auto-chop to slice it across the pads, then rearrange the slices to find a new groove.

Add swing and effects

Press timing and turn knob Y to add swing, which is essential for a loose, human hip-hop feel. Press fx and use reverb on snares or delay on melodic elements. Use shift and fx to engage the master compressor for glue.

Commit your scene

Press shift and main to commit the scene and start building variations.