Chopping a Sample

Chopping takes a single loaded sample and slices it into separate hits, writing one slice per pad. It’s the fastest way to turn a loop, a vocal phrase, or a drum break into a playable kit you can trigger across the grid.

Sample Chop is a GranSample Pro feature. See GranSample Pro for what else Pro unlocks.

Opening CHOP

Open the Sample Editor on a pad that has a sample loaded, then tap the CHOP button (the scissors icon) in the editor’s action row, next to the pad name.

If you’re not on Pro, tapping CHOP opens the paywall instead of the chop screen.

The chop screen shows the source waveform, the slice controls, a destination picker, and a live 4×4 pad grid for auditioning before you commit.

Choosing a chop mode

A segmented control at the top selects how the sample is sliced. The waveform preview updates immediately so you can see where the slices land.

EQUAL

Splits the active range into evenly sized slices. Pick a slice COUNT from the three presets:

Control	What it does	Options / default
COUNT	Number of equal slices	4, 8, or 16 (default 8)

This is the right choice for tempo-locked loops and anything with a steady grid.

TRANSIENT

Detects onsets in the sample and places a slice at each one — ideal for drum breaks and rhythmic material where hits don’t fall on an even grid. The SENSITIVITY slider controls how many transients are caught.

Control	What it does	Range
SENSITIVITY	Onset detection threshold	0 to 1

The control row shows a live count of how many slices were found, so you can dial SENSITIVITY until the slice count matches the hits you hear.

MANUAL

Place slice points yourself by tapping the waveform.

• Tap the waveform to add a marker.
• Drag a marker to move it.
• Drag a marker off the strip to delete it.

A running marker count is shown, and a Reset button clears all markers at once. Markers are placed relative to the source sample, so switching the source pad clears them.

Source and destination

Two pickers control where slices come from and where they go.

• Source Pad — chooses which loaded sample is being chopped. You can switch sources here without leaving the screen; it lists every pad that currently has a sample.
• DESTINATION (“Start at Pad”) — sets the first pad slices are written to. Slices fill consecutive pads from there.

The screen shows a summary of exactly which pads will be written, for example the range of destination pads. The source pad is never overwritten — if it falls inside the destination range, it is skipped and that slice is dropped, which the summary calls out.

Auditioning and committing

The 4×4 pad grid at the bottom is live. Tap any pad to hear it as it sounds right now. A SRC badge marks the source pad, and dashed outlines with slice numbers preview exactly where the chop will land. Pads that already hold a sample are flagged in a warning color so you can see what would be replaced.

When the result looks right, tap CHOP TO PADS to commit. If any destination pads already contain samples, a confirmation dialog appears asking you to Overwrite that many pads (or Cancel). If nothing would be overwritten, the chop is applied straight away.

See also

• How to chop a sample into pads on iPhone — a step-by-step walkthrough.
• Recording from the Mic and Importing Audio — getting a sample in to chop.
• The Pad Grid — playing the result.