NAMM 2008 Akai XR-20 Beat Machine

[rexxxmanning1989]

Namm F$cking sucks. Wannabeeeeees

[mookbrown62]

DOES IT HAVE A METRONOME OR ANY WAY TO KEEP BEAT OF COUNT

[CapsILA]

I only used software but Im trying to get some hardware going on for better sounds.. what I dont get is how do I get the beat from the hardware onto a cd or to a computer ect..

[ThatCaKlick619]

Yo check my Akai Xr20 beat Out !

[besie0]

Can i connect this to a daw? And add other drum samples?

[DITGent]

just ordered this... cant wait to go araab muzik on that lol

[RealitieBeats]

Nice man i like it you should check my Beats Out on my channel My channel name is RealitieBeats look me up man 4 real this shit tight.if i posted this i liked and suscribed...

[mauriceh01]

Is this JUST for Hip Hop? Or can I play rock n roll with it? I need a good drum machine -- I'm a guitar player -- playing hard rock/classic rock.

[dependantlividity]

@mauriceh01 I do it, but I do tend to get sidetracked by the sound set and wind up sounding a little hip-hoppy at times.

[heartkiller93]

@mauriceh01 youre only gonna have a few good kit sounds but itll definitely work

[frankyrocksmyrocks]

@mauriceh01 your not gonna like this if you're looking for a natural drum sound. if you're recording on a computer i'd look in to a vsti software option like addictive drums. addictive drums is the shit. one nice thing about the xr20 is that it runs on batteries as well and can also be used as a midi controller, i use to play this on airplanes.

[mattBigCat12]

@frankyrocksmyrocks you should look up the alesis version of this its got way better sound and more fun to play

[frankyrocksmyrocks]

@mattBigCat12 thanks man! but, YOU! should spray your entire body in chrome spray paint and run around town chasing motorcycles like the T1000

[drekevans]

can u add your own sounds

[dubbsway4life]

I mean hip hop,typo ! lol

[dubbsway4life]

Bought me one of these bad boys almost 2 years ago.I love it.Gr8 for hip hip beats but it pretty much can do any genre of music.It's all in how creative and musical you are as a producer/beat maker.

[philotaaveti]

korg micro kontrol 49 is all you need

[diamonddust22]

I love the fact that they talk through the whole things and do not demonstrate one fucking thing. I want to hear the machine not fucking talking. Shut up and sell the machine not your big stupid mouth. Your job is to sell a product not your ability to bullshit your way through 2 minutes and 4 seconds of video.

[mici123456789]

can u hook up this thing with fl studio or reason through midi and still use all the features that come with the drum machine ??

[JayLovePlaysGuitar]

whats better, the alesis sr 18 or this?

[CshinFrDaPshin]

where can i find great prices for beat machines? please respond I'm thinking of using Cakewalk.

[LynchTheGrynch]

Fuck Akai, Maschine wheres it at bitches!

[Houdeenee]

Usefull for live as well.

[idroplyrics]

Anybody wants some more hands on details for the XR-20? Come over to my Youtube channel and check out my tutorials....

[bigredjrbird]

just got this thing,,,,its bangin...if your thinkin about gettin it,,,totally do it,,its tha shit

[kostel7777777]

is it better than the beat thang????and how many sounds does it have?????thank you.

[bigredjrbird]

what beat thang. it has twelve drum sounds on each name and there are 100 names with differents sound ...basically there are over 3900 sounds on this machine and enough memory on it to store as many demos or complete songs as u could ever want...super easy to use

[erapozo05]

@kostel7777777 no it's not better than the beat thang in the beat u could load sounds in it and save and use it as a midi controller on this u just called u se it as a midi controller and ur stuck with only the sounds it has. the beat thang has way more sounds and is a complete production work station the beat thang $1000 this $300 can't compare not even in the same leage

[GanEdenAustralia]

Can WAV samples be imported into it?

[mackkee11]

I thinking bout gettin a xr20 but does anyone know if u can sample on it or is it just for drums?

[Hvalborg1]

I a drummachine not a sampler... it has like 700 different sounds or something build into it.

[johngorgis]

i like mpc 5000

[Dizzraqqer]

NO!!!

[lachrisbrown]

i got dat

[tapband]

299.00-350.00

[andre95best]

how much?

[medialabmonkey]

no audio of the drum machine at all? Fail.

[GunsnRosesown]

I want to do electronic/rock and maybe a little hip hop music. Should I get a drum machine or a synthsizer or what? Like what would 'Does it Offend you Yeah?' or Justin Timberlake or 'LCD Soundsystem' or 'Justice' style bands use if they were to get an electronic thing?

[LumiNiscentMusic]

just get a program for your computer and a midi keyboard so you can control sounds on your computer.

[JohnHam]

We have very similar goals.

Anyways, I'm not entirely sure of their hardware but Does it Offend you Yeah uses Apple's Logic software. I would look into software a bit. Reason is what I have right now. There are others too. I think Justice uses Abelton Live.

I know it's not what you were asking for but hope it helps.

[GunsnRosesown]

Yeah, thanks man. I kinda wanna get some real stuff like turntables and mixers because the whole virtual music composition isn't really solid imo. I just don't have much money so I wanna have it so when I do get something its completely what I need.

[AMINOGEN1]

it just like the BOSS DR

[youngice6004]

yeah for real, its dumb... but it cuts costs dramatically.

you can get an Xr 20 for less than half the price of an MPC..

its for the cheap hip hop producer basically.

but you get what you pay for, i can't see anyone making anything great with it.

[Adrenalinex03]

It isn't the machine that limits great creation, it's the lack of skill and knowledge of using the machine.

[toomanykittens]

i feel your pain

[941MAN]

I downloaded all the sounds that came with this for free

[TheSoundOfStrategy]

Where?

[941MAN]

I found it on mpc forums somewere

[codyoty]

what exactly does sampling mean? and can you upload sounds to it?

[Carsonduke1]

You can not load samples in to this. You would need to pick up an MPC 500 or another type of sampler in order to do that. this has tons of Hip Hop and Electronic samples already loaded. I live this little box and I don't even produce hip hop. The sample are way more unique than an Alesis or a Roland in the same price range.

[sponserdsk8ter]

pretty much

[mffu]

i guess u mean sampling with "uploading sounds to it" lol...

[RapturousVerbatim]

can you sample on this machine?

[Kalicosays1]

u cant

[RapturousVerbatim]

thanks.

[ItsLanceFoo]

dumn fuck. this is for sampleing and for making beats.. can a drum set do that? fuck no.

[GrillLoc]

it doesnt sample stupid.

dont call people dumb when you dont know your facts

[alganeese1958]

Pretty good review boyz,sounds bangin,will buy as a second drum box.

[Jona411]

this machine looks great. But it seems like it doesn't have enough pads

[benjamix7]

if it had a USB port it will differ between the others

[fastni99a]

after you make the beats can u send it to a computer to rrecord on it?

[marxhale]

no offence....

but its a kind of a stupid question

Ofcourse ...its digital right? USB/midi

they have 2be compatible with PC,

2stay in the market

[fastni99a]

oo ok but does it sample 2?

[marxhale]

no it doesnt....its a drum machine

with a sequencer and over 700

(pre-installed) samples!!

ofcourse u can also sequence it on PC

...google it 4 the specs,

buy an MPC if you want 2 sample

[fastni99a]

ok so i can connect it to a computer an put sample on it is thaat wat ur sayin?

[marxhale]

nope ..a drumcomputer is not the same as a sampler...

(pre installed = fabric prests, u can not chance that, or record your own sounds)

so yes, u can connect it 2 your PC

2sync it 4example with Reason or Cubase ...but the XR20 doesnt sample...thats why its called a drumcomputer

(in this case a beat machine)

&not a sampler ...get it? :D

[fastni99a]

thatss so much for the information

[EckoRed5]

Can the Akai XR-20 make beats for a song like a 3 minute beat?.. Or is it just for live performance

[jeffbrent]

Here's a good idea. If your trying to sell a product at a show, or making a video for said product, PLAY IT !!!!!

[BTYProductionGroup]

Can the Akai XR-20 make beats for a song like a 4 minute beat? Or is it just for live performance?

[SonSeelye]

make complete beats

[askastaz]

can it be used like mpc, i mean like sampler?

[SonSeelye]

yes

[askastaz]

and it has a sequencer? does it have some samples in it?

[SonSeelye]

yep,has a sequencer and over 700 pre-installed samples!! from top producers,,everything from crisp to grimey,,, 3 different sets of samples drums synth one shot there is bg vocals efx horns strings drums everything u need,, also takes 6 AA batteries or ac adapter you can just plug in headphones and take anywhere..

[askastaz]

i have few more questions.. Its similar to MPC? does it have a memory card reader?

[beyoncesman]

is this a good beat machine

[albizert]

looks like a shitty version of an sp-555

[boomtomb]

i'm thinkin more like a hyped up DR-550 or some shit, but i like the way it sounds though

[alexisnum1]

I hear this product is garbage, a cash grab by akai to compete in a lower cost bracket..

Really, if you buy this you will be kiking yourself later, save up and buy an MPC, akai says this is a good product for on the go beats, but thats a garbage excuse to buy any piece of equipment in my opinion

[SKULLxSNAPS]

haha whats even more fuck up is that the screen is larger than the mpc 500!

[kronweed]

yea man i bought one and the sample set is a little weak for like hardcore gangster shit. i pretty much just use it to midi out to things...

[Mario100nigga]

I HAVE THIS

[0194D]

were'd u get it.

[OGKaine]

you can get one at guitarcenter for 319

[grimelab]

the xr-20 is a good machine, i messed with it yesterday at guitar center. i used some of the drum sounds in my beats. IF YALL WANT TO HEAR DOPE SAMPLED BEATS- CHECK MY CHANNEL. you will not be disappointed. peace

[hollandturbine]

The physical construction is excellent, but the software lacks much needed controls over the sounds and proper MIDI implementation is almost non existent, the synth section is extremely bad. Chronic did a good job with the 720 sounds but for the price of this unit Akai needs to think way beyond the 90's drum machine memory limitations because people will view it as just a sample CD with an expensive box wrapped around it. Despite my criticisms I do like the XR-20, but it could have been better.

[owlwink]

thanks!

[rd5565]

Lousy velocity sensitivity. Bringing it back. Just a cool looking worthless box.

[ssaelen]

I got myself one like this, the drum sounds are epic! But the synth sounds suck bigtime, everytime I try to use them I can hear tetris in the back of my head. But I use it for drums anyways, so! But I strongly recommend it.

[LiamThomasHolmes]

hey man! do you know if i can transfer the beats to my laptop?? help if you can mate i wana get it on cubase!!

Liam

[ssaelen]

Hello! Thats something I tried to. Its possible, but I havent tried. Try find som forum or call the place you bought it from.

[ledmegglin]

Liam, it is totally possible to transfer it to Cubase on your laptop. Connect the XR-20 to whatever interface your using with Cubase and just hit record on Cubase and play on the XR20. You can connect the audio and the MIDI to Cubase and a very good idea is to go into "Record Setup" on the XR20 and record the SysEx (System Exclusive) data into Cubase so that if your settings from a particular pattern ever get erased, you can still have them. hope this helps

[LiamThomasHolmes]

Hey man! thankyou for your reply! i do appreciate that! i had solved my problem lil over a week ago but once again thankyou for your reply mate!!

[jmega919]

Hey I was wondering how much does this cost? and what ELSE would i need to get a home studio. small studio with good sound... im willing to spend, so let me know what i need

[NatsaBes]

yoo can qet one at quitar center fer like $299. but i would rather qet an mpc.

[iSwervin]

I'm going to break it down for the people who are considering buying the xr20. THE GOOD: The sample sounds are amazing. Great for beginners who just likes to mess with beats. The blue lights are pretty! I wish MPC pads lights up too. Very portable. Can use battery. THE BAD: NO EXPANSION ON ANYTHING. They should have added USB capability and a card slot. No sampling. Too pricy for its features. If you are on a budget, get MPC500 instead. Hope that help a little. Thanks.

[seanpeso]

thanks

[fletch1023]

i bought this thing and its awesome. you just have to be really creative to use it to its full potential. i have 6 full beats made. but, there are some flaws, like with the drum sets, like you cant take a sound from one drum set and use it with another, because it will change the whole set. same with the one shots. but the synth you can use with any drum and one shot sets. but anyways if your just starting out, and don't have a lot of money to spend on an MPC 1000, its worth the buy, only $200.

[deeron336]

No this info is totally inncorrect. You CAN actually take a single drum hit and use it in another kit. All you have to do is edit the drum set. I can't believe you own this unit and don't know how to use it properly. READ THE MANUAL....

[noob997]

I don't want buy it. I only ask about price.

[noob997]

200 what ? 200 dolars ? or 200.000 ? ;)

[mikeygeneral]

You dont wanna buy that thing if your'e gonna do real preoduction. That thing is a PATTERN SEQUENCER. its like using fruity loops. there's only so far you can go with it!

get an mpc 500 or something.

[Bayboy1333]

Man if you think fruity loops is just a sequencer then you dont know whats up. Have you herd of 9th wonder? He uses FL and his beats are raw. I have both FL and a MPC2000xl and switch between the two. But I was was wonderin if this thing can sample or not. If not then its useless. You might as well get a mpc500

[mikeygeneral]

fruity loops is not a regular sequencer-Its a pattern (step)sequencer. Just like how the mpc has a regular sequencer and pattern mode. This machine here can be used as a main sequencer but does not sample at all.You would have to get a outboard sampler.Too much garbage for me.I'm tryna cut down on the light bill.That thing is like built for techno music n shit with onboard sound that you can't erase.Akai put too much effort into this machine and skimped on the mpc 500 features.

[kreative15]

What do you mean by sample.What cords and other stuff would you need to transfer beat and all that.

[mikeygeneral]

transfer a beat? it does not sample! it only has built in sounds. cant add any more to it.period!

[kash263]

can i use it as a midi controller in a software seq like reason or something?

[luisdrum]

yes, get a midi/usb converter

[LadyASG]

Does anyone know how to put the created beats through pro tools or how to put them on the computer?

[deko91]

can i put the beats i create to the computer? is there anyway to do that?

[BeatMonarchs]

you need an audio interface and a midi interface

midi out from computer to midi in or the xr-20

auto out from the xr-20 to audio in of the computer

you can then either record audio in ur DAW or can sequence the beats right in ur computer and record the play back

[ajafreestyle]

WOW who said the Akai XR20 had industrial strength sounds???? Dude they lied lol! This thing sounds like crap and is only a modification of the new alesis sr-18 which is also wack!

I'll battle anyone on an XR20 with my streetboxx any day....Who wants to get murked???

[Markbeats]

The Streetboxx has also mad wack sounds in it but im def liking the drums and percussion on the streetboxx.

I also liked the beatbox and gunshots and such but i didnt like the synthsounds on it.

The basses in it where mad dope for hiphop.

Do the drums also sound like crap on the XR-20?

Im planning to use it mostly for drums.

[mrpower328]

Whats the price

[QueenAhliya]

200

[brownstoneradio]

all of the functions of this machine are exactly like the Alesis SR16 with the added bonus of pattern play and amazing sounds. very user friendly

[ganimber3]

but it has a mic input, and he siad you can record your own guitar part, so the question is, does it allow you to edit the pat, cause otehrwise it samples too

[Breezemann]

can you also connect this thing to your computer

[eiz12]

yes, with an USB adapter that is connected to your computer

[FonkyLynx]

Nice machine. Tried it...

[Jona411]

looks nice but can you import your own samples?

[damaks05]

marvin gaye funky space reincartion in the background

[squeakD]

Does anyone know if the pads are velocity sensitive? It's not listed anywhere in the specs.

[DirtyMoney23]

. . .

[squeakD]

Man, this thing is going to be awesome! So the hell what if it doesn't sample. Geez oh man, how much do you expect from a $299 drum machine? People are so caught up into sampling the work of others, chopping it up and then calling it there own. What happened to keeping it original. Is it so hard to tweek an internal drum kit? Plus this thing is geared towards Hip Hop, Rap, R&B, ect, and has the soundset for it. What more could you ask for with a price under $300 :) Tweek a kit if needed!

[PiaNoFieND88]

wutz da diffrence between this and the mpc500 bsidez da price ?

[mrgrinch]

it doesnt sample

[criminalistic]

sometimes I shake my head and wonder...

"What the F*CK is AKAI doing?"

[smirl]

wow what a useless peice of shit

[peeweemusicbart]

can you connect it to your computer ? I found it in a onlineshop but isnt realy clear to me !?! cheers !!

[N0Charizma]

$ 299

same price on the mpd32

[brian2482]

whats the price on one of those??