How do I make a lo-fi beat?

Lo-fi beats on the KO II come down to sample choice, pitch, and using the built-in effects to create that warm, degraded sound. Here's a practical workflow to get there.

Set your tempo

Press tempo and aim for 70-90 BPM. Lo-fi hip hop typically sits in this range. Hold tempo and type a number on the pads to enter it directly.

Load your sounds

Press sound, select Group A, and load dusty drum samples. Kicks around 1-99, snares 100-199, hi-hats 200-299. For Group B, load a bass or piano sample from the 400-599 range. Lo-fi works well with mellow, pitched-down sounds.

Pitch down your samples

In sound mode, use knob Y to drop the pitch of your melodic samples slightly. This gives that sluggish, warm lo-fi character.

Add some swing

Press timing and turn knob Y to add swing. A moderate amount loosens the beat and keeps it from feeling too mechanical.

Use reverb and chorus

Press fx, then plus to navigate to reverb. Turn knob X up for a medium room size. A touch of chorus on your melodic group thickens things up nicely.

Distortion for warmth

Navigate to distortion in fx and dial in a low drive amount on your drum group. This adds subtle grit without destroying the sound.

Keep patterns short

One or two bar loops work best for lo-fi. Hold record and press plus to extend if needed.