SON WU Unleashes KO II Update: USB Audio and Sample Slicing Madness

The KO II just got a major upgrade: USB audio is finally here. SON WU wastes no time showing how the KO II can now send and receive audio over USB, with the OP-1 as a trusty sidekick. It’s a straight shot for DAWless heads who want to keep their cables tidy and their workflow tight. You can flip between recording and monitoring modes with a couple of menu punches—meaning you actually control when the KO II listens or plays back audio from USB, depending on which menu you’re in.

It’s not just a tick-box feature. The update lets you choose whether you want to hear USB input in the main menu or keep it isolated to sampling. That kind of routing flexibility is exactly what the KO II needed to step up from toy to tool. No, it won’t turn your bedroom into Abbey Road, but for portable rigs or quick jams, USB audio is a game-changer.

The fun keeps rolling with variable sample rates—high for clarity, low for that crusty, lo-fi punch. SON WU drops in a side-by-side demo and, predictably, the low-rate samples get grittier and free up memory for more chaos. Picky about your drum loops’ sparkle? Stick to hi-fi. Chasing that 90s cassette feel? Lo-fi’s your new best mate. The KO II doesn’t just drop the sample rate; it does it in a way that’s musical and actually useful.

And then there’s sample cropping. Overshot your recording? Chop off the dead air or botched takes without leaving the KO II. Trimming and overwriting feels slick—no more exporting to a computer just to lose the tail. SON WU walks through the workflow, making it clear: this is a proper upgrade for people who actually use their samplers, not just stare at them.

If you live for long atmospheric pads or want to drop entire acapellas, rejoice: mono mode now offers a hefty 40 seconds of sample time, double the old limit. It’s a small change with a massive impact on what you can actually record live. No more cramming your creativity into short, awkward snippets—now you’ve got space to let your sounds breathe.

Reversing samples is now a one-knob operation—no menu-diving, just instant flip for instant weirdness. SON WU shows how it’s done, and it’s perfect for those moments when your loop needs a dose of backwards energy. Then there’s nudge: shift your pad’s timing left or right, making your drums late, early, or just plain off-kilter. It’s the kind of micro-editing that separates button-pushers from groove architects.

Even more, you can copy a pattern from a single pad and paste it wherever you need, not just by group. No more rebuilding hi-hat patterns from scratch—just copy, paste and keep moving. SON WU’s walkthrough is brisk and practical; you can hear the workflow speed up in real time. Add in the new scale and root note options for keys mode, and the KO II is suddenly way more than a pocket toy.