Chapter 1
Start here
Power it up, plug it in and make your first beat.
What the K.O. II is
The EP–133 K.O. II is teenage engineering’s sampler and composer — the big sibling of the PO-33 K.O! pocket operator. You sample from the built-in mic, the line input or a computer over USB, play the results on twelve pads, sequence them, and finish the beat with send effects, a master compressor and punch-in effects you play with your fingers.
Everything happens on the device. There is no screen menu to dig through: a segment display, a handful of keys, two knobs and a fader do the work, and SHIFT unlocks a second job for most keys.
At a glance
- 128 MB of memory and 999 sample slots, with over 300 factory sounds.
- 12 velocity- and pressure-sensitive pads that double as a number pad, plus 4 group keys A–D.
- 9 projects, each with 4 groups of up to 99 patterns, up to 99 scenes and a song mode with 99 positions.
- Patterns up to 99 bars long, recorded live or step by step, quantised or in free time with swing.
- 16 mono or 12 stereo voices of polyphony (since OS 2.0).
- Sampling from the mic, stereo line in, USB audio (OS 2.5) or the K.O. II’s own output (resampling).
- Six send effects — delay, reverb, distortion, chorus, filter, compressor — plus a master compressor with note-triggered sidechain.
- Punch-in FX 2.0 on the pads, a fader with 12 recordable assignments and an OB–4-style loop mode.
- Sync in/out (8th, 16th or sync24), MIDI in/out on 3.5 mm jacks, USB MIDI and the EP sample tool for transfers and backups.
What people call it
- EP–133
- The model number. TE’s EP series also includes the EP–1320 and EP–40; some K.O. II improvements were ported from them.
- K.O. II, KO2, KOII
- The product name and its shorthand. TE’s own guide uses “K.O.II” and “ko2” interchangeably.
From the community
Teenage engineering KO II EP-133 - Deep dive tutorial guide
XNB
A 100-minute deep dive with chapters for every mode; ideal as a reference to jump into a single topic.
Teenage Engineering K.O. II EP-133 - Before You Buy // Review
The Midlife Synthesist
Balanced five-pros, five-cons review for anyone still deciding whether the K.O. II fits their setup.
Teenage Engineering EP 133 K.O II REVIEW – Does this $299 sampler live up to the HYPE?!
BoBeats
Launch-era review with demos of sampling synths, chopping and playing it from a MIDI keyboard; predates song mode.
- EP–133 K.O. II online user guideteenage engineering — The official manual, kept current with each OS release; the reference every other link here builds on.
- EP–133 K.O. II product pageteenage engineering — Product overview with specs; the current model ships with 128 MB of sample memory.
- Teenage Engineering EP-133 KO II (review)Sound On Sound (Simon Sherbourne) — Detailed launch-era review; good on how groups, sends and sampling fit together and where the limits were before OS 2.0.
- Teenage Engineering EP-133 K.O. II reviewMusicRadar (Si Truss) — Rated 3.9/5 at launch; praises the sampling workflow, criticises shallow editing and unrecordable punch-ins.
- Teenage Engineering EP-133 K.O. II Review: Better than an MPC?Gearnews — Long hands-on review (4/5) that also covers the early fader-packaging issue and how TE addressed it.
- Teenage Engineering EP-133 K.O. II Review! The best affordable sampler by far!SINESQUARES — Enthusiastic long-form hands-on review.
How to read this guide
The K.O. II leans on combinations, so the difference between pressing, holding and pressing in order matters. This guide writes every key the way it is printed on the panel, and spells out the order whenever it is not obvious.
Notation
| Written as | Means |
|---|---|
| SHIFT + MAIN | Hold the first key and press the second. Release in any order. |
| RECORD, then PLAY | Press and release the first key, then press the second. |
| Hold ERASE + SOUND | Keep both held until the display confirms (here, until SND blinks). |
| 7, 0, ., ENTER | A specific pad, named by the number printed on it. |
| PAD, 1–9 | Any pad, or any of the pads in the range. |
| A–D | The four group keys on the left of the pads. |
| − and + | The two step keys on the right. |
| X and Y | The two knobs — X is orange, Y is black. |
| FADER and FADER | The fader itself, and the FADER key above it. |
SND, 1.1.1 | Something the display shows, or a value you type. |
TE’s conventions, in brief
- Single press
- Tap the key and let go.
- Combination
- Keys joined by a plus are pressed together — the first one held.
- Sequence
- Keys joined by an arrow in TE’s guide (“then” here) are pressed one after the other.
- Hold
- Keep a key down — some actions only happen after a second or two, and the display tells you when.
- Blinking pads
- The pads are waiting for you: to pick a pad, type a number, or record into them.
- Fader positions
- Top is maximum, bottom is minimum, the middle is the centre setting.
From the community
- EP–133 K.O. II online user guideteenage engineering — The official manual, kept current with each OS release; the reference every other link here builds on.
- Teenage Engineering EP-133 K.O. IIElektronauts — The main long-running discussion thread, from launch through every OS update.
- EP-133 categoryOP Forums — OP Forums’ dedicated EP-133 section; new tools and OS discussions appear here first.
- r/teenageengineeringReddit — The large general TE subreddit; frequent K.O. II questions and OS update threads.
- r/EP133Reddit — Community subreddit for EP-133 owners.
Batteries, USB power and switching on
The K.O. II runs happily on batteries for jams away from a socket, or on USB-C power at the desk. There is no internal battery to charge — USB powers it directly.
Batteries
- Lift off the top lid to get to the battery compartment.
- Put in four fresh AAA batteries, matching the polarity marked inside.
- Slide the orange power switch at the top right. The display lights up straight away.
For USB power, use a standard USB-C cable and a supply that gives 5 V at 1 A or more. TE recommends a good-quality, USB-IF compliant charger.
Battery do’s and don’ts
- Use new batteries of the same type and replace them all at once.
- Don’t mix old with new, or alkaline with carbon-zinc or rechargeable (NiCd, NiMH) cells.
- Recycle used batteries according to local rules — never put them in a fire.
Jacks and connections
Every connection is on the top edge, labelled from left to right. All the audio, sync and MIDI jacks are 3.5 mm, so a handful of ordinary minijack cables covers most setups.
| Connection | What it does |
|---|---|
| OUTPUT | Stereo line and headphone output. Plug in headphones, a speaker, a mixer or an audio interface. |
| INPUT | Stereo line input for sampling or for running another instrument through the effects. |
| SYNC (in and out) | Clock in and out for Pocket Operators, modular and vintage drum machines. See Sync in and out. |
| MIDI (in and out) | MIDI on 3.5 mm TRS jacks for keyboards, drum pads and other gear. See MIDI in, out and thru. |
| USB | USB-C for power, USB MIDI, USB audio (OS 2.5), sample transfers and OS updates. |
| POWER | The orange on/off switch. |
| Speaker grille | Hides the built-in speaker and the microphone. |
Typical setups
- Sample from a phone: run a 3.5 mm cable from the phone into INPUT.
- Sample a record: a turntable needs a phono (RIAA) preamp first, unless it has one built in.
- Monitor on headphones, or plug a speaker straight into OUTPUT.
- Plug into a computer over USB-C to send audio both ways (OS 2.5) — see USB audio.
From the community
K.O.–SIDEKICK
teenage engineering
TE’s launch film for the K.O.–SIDEKICK, a companion mixer and FX box designed around the K.O. II.
Your first beat, played live
This is the fastest route from a blank project to a layered beat. You will fill the groups with sounds, record each part live over a count-in, sample your own voice and then commit the result as a scene so you can keep building.
Set up
- Hold MAIN and one of 1–9 for about a second, until the display shows
P, to open that project. New units ship with sounds in projects 1–5; projects 6–9 are empty. - Press SOUND, press A, then press a pad. Use − and + to step through the library — the number on the display is the sample slot. Fill the other pads the same way.
- Repeat for the other groups. TE suggests drums on A, bass on B, melodic sounds on C, and keeping D free for your own samples.
Record drums
- Press MAIN. The display now shows where you are in the pattern.
- Press RECORD, then PLAY. You get a four-beat count-in, then recording starts — play the pads.
- Press PLAY to stop, or press RECORD to stop recording but keep the beat running.
- Patterns start one bar long. For more room, hold RECORD and press +.
Add bass and melody
- Press B and pick a bass sound, then press KEYS to spread it across the pads chromatically.
- Press PLAY to rehearse along, PLAY again to stop, then RECORD, then PLAY to record with a count-in.
- Do the same on C for a melody. If a part is longer than the pattern, lengthen it with RECORD + +.
Sample, add effects, commit
- Press D, then SAMPLE. The pads blink: hold one and sing or play into the mic or line input. Letting go stops recording; press the pad again to hear it.
- Press MAIN and record the new sample into the beat like any other sound.
- Press FX, raise the fader to send the current group to the effect, and use − and + to pick a different one.
- With the beat playing, hold FX and press pads to perform punch-in effects.
- Press SHIFT + MAIN to commit. The patterns are saved as a scene and copied into a fresh one, ready for your next variation.
Combos used here
- RECORD, then PLAY
- Starts recording after a four-beat count-in.Sequencer stopped
- SHIFT + MAIN
- Commits: saves the current patterns as a scene and continues in a copy of it.
From the community
Get started with the new EP-133, K.O.II by Teenage Engineering (Tutorial)
True Cuckoo
The most-watched K.O. II tutorial: a calm, chaptered tour from first power-on to jamming, covering nearly every core feature.
Your first beat, step by step
If you would rather place notes than play them, step sequencing gives you exact control. You move through the pattern one step at a time and drop sounds onto the steps you want.
- Open an empty project (hold MAIN + 6–9 until
Pshows), load sounds as in Your first beat, played live, then press MAIN. - Hold SHIFT and press − until the display reads
1.1.1— the first step of the first bar. - Hold RECORD and press a pad to put that sound on the current step. Pads with a note on the step light up.
- Use − and + to move between steps.
- For a four-on-the-floor kick, place it on
1.1.1,1.2.1,1.3.1and1.4.1. Add a snare on1.2.1and1.4.1for a backbeat. - Press TIMING and turn X to change the note interval — how many steps there are per bar. The default is 1/16.
- Turn Y in TIMING to add swing.
- Hold TIMING and press a pad to repeat it at the note interval — quick hi-hats.
Reading the position
1.3.1- Bar 1, beat 3, step 1 of that beat. With a 1/16 interval each beat has four steps.
- Note interval
- The step size. Finer intervals give more detail; coarser ones make programming quicker. See Note interval, quantise and swing.
From the community
EP-133 K.O. II Sampler Composer | First Beat Tutorial | teenage engineering
Sound Technology Ltd
Builds a complete beat in under nine minutes, touching step entry, note repeat, keys, punch-in FX and sampling.
Tips on using the EP-133 as a Straight up DRUM MACHINE
Liam Killen
Approaches the K.O. II purely as a drum machine, including how to think about layering sounds.
Technical specifications
The numbers behind the box: useful when you are matching levels, choosing cables or wondering how much fits in memory.
Sampler and engine
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Memory | 128 MB, up to 999 samples (whichever runs out first) |
| Recording | 16-bit, stereo or mono, at 46.875 kHz; 32 kHz and 26.25 kHz options since OS 2.5 |
| Sample length | Up to 20 seconds stereo, 40 seconds mono (OS 2.5) |
| Polyphony | 16 mono / 12 stereo voices (OS 2.0) |
| Signal chain | 32-bit float, 24-bit converters |
| Sequencer | 96 ppqn internal clock; one step is 24 ticks |
| Projects | 9, each holding up to 80,000 notes |
Inputs and outputs
| Port | Specification |
|---|---|
| Line input | Stereo, 24-bit, SNR 96 dBA, 6.5 kΩ, analogue gain 0–12 dB, max 8 dBu (2.0 Vrms) |
| Headphone/line output | Stereo, 24-bit, SNR 98 dBA, max 5 dBu (1.4 Vrms) |
| MIDI in | MMA type A pinout, opto-coupled |
| MIDI out | MMA type A pinout, 3.3 V |
| Sync out | Tip: 8th, 16th or 24 ppqn clock · ring: start/stop · 3.3 V |
| Sync in | Tip: 8th, 16th or 24 ppqn clock · ring: start/stop · 3.3 V, accepts up to 10 V |
| USB | USB-C: power (5 V, min 1 A), MIDI, audio, file transfer |
| Power | 4 × AAA batteries or USB-C |
From the community
- EP–133 K.O. II product pageteenage engineering — Product overview with specs; the current model ships with 128 MB of sample memory.
- Teenage Engineering’s EP-133 K.O. II: sampler-sequencer, $299CDM (Peter Kirn) — Launch-day write-up from CDM.
- Teenage Engineering releases "knockout" EP-133 K.O. II sampler and composerMusicTech — Launch news covering the original specs and price.
- teenage engineering EP-133 K.O. II: new version with 128 MB memorySynth Anatomy — Reports the switch to a 128 MB model as standard, replacing the original 64 MB unit.
- Teenage Engineering’s knockout portable sampler is my next musical obsessionTechRadar (Leon Poultney) — Early hands-on impressions from a general tech outlet, published the day after launch.