How I Make Beats on the Roland P-6: Sampling Vinyl, Chopping Drums, and Granular Tricks

One of my favorite ways to get started with a beat is flipping vinyl samples and the Roland P-6 has become a fun, compact tool for doing just that. In this post, I’ll walk you through my beatmaking workflow using the P-6, from crate digging to final jam. While this isn't a full review, if you've been curious about how this compact sampler works in a real-world creative setting, or how it compares to something like the SP-404 MKII, this walkthrough should help.

Watch along or read on below for a detailed breakdown on my Roland P-6 Beatmaking Workflow

Step 1: Crate Digging

It all starts at the record store. For this session, I hit up a couple of local spots and ended up grabbing more vinyl than I planned (as usual). I narrowed things down to two records with eye-catching artwork and promising sounds. The goal: find a few sampleable moments and flip them into a track.

Step 2: Sample Selection

Back in the studio, I found a nice melodic loop with no drums—perfect for chopping. I also grabbed a few saxophone phrases and some bongos from other records. When it comes to sampling, I usually avoid loops that already have drums unless I’m doing heavy layering, filtering or consciously chopping around the kicks and snares. Another option with today's DAWs is to stem split, or isolate individual sounds from your samples. Check out this blogpost for more

Step 3: Chopping Drums on Roland P-6

With the samples sorted, we can get to flipping. First up: chopping the drum loop. On the P-6, I go into Shift + Voice > Chop, and usually try 16 chops to start. You can also experiment with 8 if the sample's shorter or want longer chops.

After finding clean kicks, snares, and hats, I sequence a basic groove. There's no 16-level velocity like on the SP-404, but you can still tweak velocity per step, which is super useful for adding groove, or use record automation to manually adjust the levels throughout the sequence.

One thing I wish the P-6 could do is edit multiple steps at once—that would speed up nudging parts off-grid. But you can still add swing and feel with manual timing tweaks.

Step 4: Chopping and Sequencing the Sample

I chopped the melodic sample into 16 slices and extended the sequence to 64 steps. Shift + Copy > Duplicate is where you'll want to navigate to for this. Given all of these button combos and the P-6's tiny 4 character screen, this is also why I always keep my P-6 Cheat Sheet handy.

P-6 Beatmaking Cheat Sheet & Quick Start Guide

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Once sequenced, I add filters to carve out space. A cool trick I used here:

Use a high-pass filter with boosted resonance to actually emphasize the bass. By lowering the cutoff and boosting the resonance, you can bring out a faux-bassline using just the low end of your original sample. It’s subtle, but really effective.

Step 5: Reverb, Delay, and FX Routing Woes

Here’s where things get tricky: the P-6’s send effects (delay/reverb) are processed after the bus effects. That means if you apply a filter or DJFX effect to the sample, it won't affect the delayed/reverbed signal.

This is one of my biggest gripes with the P-6—and something I really hope gets fixed in an update.

To work around it, I routed the audio through my SP-404 MKII to add global effects during the final jam.

Step 6: Texture Layers and Final Touches

I layered some light bongos and added a saxophone phrase as an accessory layer. Then I set the sax volume with automation—one of the best P-6 features, in my opinion.

Also worth noting: each pad on the P-6 can have its own filter and effect settings (another menu heavy path, but well worth having per track filters for mixing and sound design). I used that to dial in EQ and reverb per sample, adding warmth and glue to the final track.

Step 7: Granular Engine Madness

Last step: the granular engine. I ran a chopped Kalimba phrase through the granular mode and adjusted the grains, shape, and speed until I got a dreamy, ambient texture that could sit in the background of the beat.

The granular section is super deep, and while it takes time to dial in, it adds a sound design element that few, if any samplers in this price range can match.

Final Jam + Thoughts

With all the parts in place, I performed a quick jam using the P-6’s mute function to bring parts in and out. It’s a simple but effective way to create arrangement on the fly.

Sampling vinyl always pushes me out of my comfort zone and helps me discover new musical ideas—even if I don’t release the beat, it sharpens my skills.

Want the samples from this beat? They’re available for channel members at the Solar Sailor tier. Just hit the Join button on YouTube.

Thinking of Getting a P-6?

This isn’t a full review, but if you’re curious about the P-6’s strengths and quirks in a real-world beatmaking workflow, I hope this breakdown helped. Next month I’ll have a one-year review revisiting the hardware and whether it's worth it in 2025.

For more on the P-6, check out:

My P-6 Two Month Review

P-6 Granular Engine Deep Dive & Follow Along