Flip a Sample (Boom-Bap) on the KO II

Chop a soul or funk loop into a head-nod boom-bap beat.

1. Sample the loop. Press SAMPLE, pick line-in or the built-in mic with MINUS / PLUS, then hold an empty pad while a few bars of a soul or funk record play and release to stop. Watch the meter and set the level with KNOB X so it peaks just below the top. (You should hear the full loop play back when you tap that pad. If it sounds crackly or distorted, you recorded too hot, so lower the level with KNOB X and grab it again.)
2. Chop it across the pads. With the sample selected, press CHOP (SHIFT + SAMPLE) to slice the loop evenly across pads 1-9. (You should hear a different part of the loop on each pad as you tap pads 1-9. If a slice starts mid-note or clips a chord, the cut point is off, so nudge the slices to land on the hits.)
3. Build a new hook. Tap the slices on pads 1-9 out of their original order to build a fresh 4-bar loop from the best chords and stabs. (You should hear a new progression that is recognisably from the record but no longer plays the way the original did. If it still sounds like the source, reorder more slices or drop the weak ones.)
4. Hard drums on top. Press GROUP A, then step-sequence a punchy kick on beats 1 and 3 and a cracking snare on the backbeat (beats 2 and 4) so they hit dead on the grid. (You should hear tight, on-the-grid drums sitting under your flip. If the kick and snare feel like they are fighting the sample, move them a step or pull the sample down a touch in VOLUME.)
5. Swing and glue. Press TIMING and dial in a little swing, then open FX and add the compressor to glue the drums and sample together. (You should hear the beat loosen into a head-nodding pocket and feel more cohesive, like one record rather than separate layers. If the groove starts to drag or sound seasick, you added too much swing, so back it off.)