Akai XR20 Reference Manual V1.3 00

Akai XR20 Reference Manual xr20_reference_manual___v1.3_00_5684fc7a4c06a2cf1874b869335fb5b9 Akai - XR20 - Reference Manual

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
WELCOME TO THE XR20 DRUM MACHINE!
GROUND RULES

5
5
5

CONNECTION DIAGRAM

TOP PANEL PHYSICAL LAYOUT
GENERAL CONTROLS
NAVIGATION BUTTONS
MODE BUTTONS
SETUP BUTTONS
TRANSPORT CONTROL BUTTONS

9
9
10
10
11
11

REAR PANEL PHYSICAL LAYOUT

DISPLAY LAYOUT

BASICS
HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE XR20
10 STEPS TO INSTANT GRATIFICATION (SETUP
AND CHECKOUT)
THE INSTRUMENT LAYERS
PLAYBACK / RECORD BASICS

14
14
15
16
16

RECORDING PATTERNS
STEPS TO RECORDING A PATTERN
PRACTICE MODE
RECORDING OTHER PARTS (1-SHOT AND
SYNTH)

21
21
21

PATTERN PLAY MODE
PLAYING PATTERN SEQUENCES WITH THE PADS
RECORDING PATTERN SEQUENCES INTO A
SONG
ASSIGNING PATTERNS TO THE PADS

22
22

SELECTING, EDITING AND CREATING DRUM SETS
SELECTING A DRUM SET
CREATING AND EDITING DRUM SETS
EFFECTS
SAVING YOUR DRUM SETS

23
23
23
29
29

RECORD SETUP
PAGE 1: SELECT THE QUANTIZATION VALUE
(QUANTIZE SELECT)
PAGE 2: GATE
PAGE 3: SELECT THE SWING VALUE (SWING
SELECT)
PAGE 4: ENABLE CLICK AND SET RHYTHM
(CLICK SELECT)
PAGE 5: SET CLICK VOLUME (CLICK VOL)
PAGE 6: VELOCITY SENSITIVITY
PAGE 7: BEAT VALUE
PAGE 8: NOTE VALUE
PAGE 9: PATTERN LENGTH
PAGE 10: OFFSET A PATTERN OR DRUM PART
PAGE 11: NAME THE PATTERN (NAME)

EDITING PATTERNS – ERASE FUNCTIONS
ERASING DRUM EVENTS WHILE RECORDING
ERASING AN ENTIRE PATTERN
ERASE ALL EVENTS PLAYED BY A PARTICULAR
DRUM PAD
ERASE ALL INSTRUMENT EVENTS IN SUBPATTERN

EDITING PATTERNS – COPY/SAVE FUNCTIONS
SAVING A PATTERN
COPYING A PATTERN
APPENDING A PATTERN

35
35
35
35

EDITING PATTERNS – TRANSPOSITION

PATTERN STEP EDITING (STEP EDIT MODE)
ADDING A NEW DRUM TO A STEP
ERASE A DRUM SOUND FROM A STEP
CHANGE A DRUM SOUND'S VOLUME IN A GIVEN
STEP
EXIT STEP EDIT MODE

36
37
37

SONG MODE
PLAYING SONGS
RECORDING A SONG IN REAL-TIME
MANUAL SONG CREATION (SONG STEP EDIT
MODE)
SETTING SONG TEMPO
INSERTING A TEMPO CHANGE IN A SONG
CONTROLLING PLAYBACK POSITION
LOOP A PATTERN INDEFINITELY
START FROM THE MIDDLE OF A SONG
ERASING AN ENTIRE SONG
SAVING YOUR SONG
APPEND A SONG
NAME A SONG (NAME)

38
38
39

37
37

40
42
42
43
43
43
44
44
44
44

22
22

30
31
31
31
31
32
32
32
33
33
33
34
34
34

SYSTEM SETUP
45
Page 1 / MIDI CHANNEL
45
Page 2 / RECEIVE MIDI NOTES
45
Page 3 / TRANSMIT MIDI NOTES
46
Page 4 / ASSIGN MIDI NOTE NUMBERS TO DRUM
PADS
46
Page 5 / ACCEPT EXTERNAL CLOCK VALUE
47
Page 6 / SEND CLOCK VALUE TO OTHER
DEVICES
47
Page 7 / MERGE MIDI IN WITH MIDI OUT
48
Page 8 / SELECT DRUM SETS VIA MIDI PROGRAM
CHANGES
48
Page 9 / TEMPO SELECTION
49
Page 10 / MAP DRUM NOTES
49
PAGE 11 / MANUAL DRUMSET OVERRIDE
51
Page 12 / LEDs
51
Page 13 / BACKLIGHT BRIGHTNESS
51
Page 14 / BATTERY LEVEL
51
Page 15 / LOW BATTERY WARNING
52
Page 16 / CHECK AVAILABLE MEMORY
52
Page 17 / SEND SONG AND PATTERN DATA TO
MIDI SYS EX STORAGE DEVICE
52
SENDING MIDI SYSEX SONG AND PATTERN
DATA TO THE XR20
53
APPLICATIONS
MIDI SYNC APPLICATIONS
STRATEGIES FOR ASSEMBLING PATTERNS AND
SONGS
UNDERSTANDING RHYTHMIC NOTATION

54
54

MIDI IMPLEMENTATION CHART

55
56

KEY FEATURES

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

INTRODUCTION
WELCOME TO THE XR20 DRUM MACHINE!
The XR20 includes high-fidelity drum, 1-shot and synth sounds, and is easy to operate. You can
easily switch among the different instrument layers in real-time. As you strike the 12 pads (each
of which can be assigned to any of the available sounds), the XR20's on-board sequencer
records exactly when you triggered the sounds and the dynamics of your playing. You can play
back your sequences and edit them in various ways.
Data can be saved so that it is retained in memory even if the power is turned off. If the memory
fills up with drum Patterns and Songs, this data can be saved permanently to MIDI System
Exclusive storage devices.
The XR20 also includes a library of Preset Patterns prepared by professional drummers and
musicians for those who want to start creating Songs in the fastest and easiest way possible.

GROUND RULES
The XR20 consists of two main elements:

The drum sounds themselves, recorded in high-resolution multi-sample stereo format. For
additional realism, many sounds use advanced "dynamic articulation" techniques so that
these sounds, when hit loudly, have a different timbre than when they're hit softly.

An internal sequencer to control and trigger the sounds.

The Pattern/Song Recording Method
When recording with a drum machine, it's often easier to divide a song into shorter
individual Patterns and work on these rather than record an entire song. A typical
Pattern might be 8,16, or 32 beats long, and correspond to a verse, chorus, bridge,
instrumental, intro, etc. While recording these Patterns, the XR20 will be in Pattern
Mode. The XR20 holds 100 Preset (i.e., can't be edited) Patterns and 100 userprogrammable Patterns, each of which can be from 1 to 128 beats long.
After perfecting these Patterns, Song Mode offers two ways to create a song:

Program a list of Patterns, in the order in which they are to be played.

Select Patterns in real time, and the XR20 will remember your performance.

The XR20 stores up to 100 User-programmable Songs.
Breaking a song into Patterns saves time since elements of a song often repeat.
Example: The second verse might have the same drum pattern as the first verse.
Rather than record the same Pattern twice, simply record one Pattern, then list it twice
when assembling a Song. This also saves memory (thus leaving room for more
Patterns and Songs) since listing a Song step takes up much less memory than
recording a Pattern.
Tip: To hear a demo song, hold
[PATTERN / SONG] and press
[PLAY].

The Two Types of Patterns
The XR20 introduces exciting new Song construction techniques. The XR20 excels at
live performance—something usually not associated with drum machines. The key to
using these advanced features is to understand the different types of available
Patterns.

Preset Patterns provide a variety of hip-hop rhythms programmed by
professional producers.

User Patterns are Patterns you can program, edit, and save. The
PRESET/USER button selects between these two master banks of Presets. It is
important to note that the only way to modify a Preset Pattern is to copy it to a
User Pattern, where it can be edited.

The Four Types of Sub-Patterns
There are 100 of each type of Pattern, numbered 00-99. However, each numbered
Pattern actually contains four different "Sub-Patterns":

A pair of independent Main Patterns (A and B, selected by their respective
buttons).

A pair of associated Fill Patterns (A Fill and B Fill, selected by pressing the FILL
button when either A or B is selected). The Fills primarily provide transitional
Patterns between Main Patterns, which makes for more realistic drum parts. The
associated Fill Patterns share the same length, Drum Set, and name as their
Main Patterns (e.g., if A is 16 beats, A Fill is 16 beats). Otherwise, they are
independent.

The reason for pairing the two different A and B Patterns together is simply so that you
can switch back and forth between them rapidly in live performance or while
improvising. Note that a Pattern’s A, B and FILL Sub-Patterns have equal lengths and
use the same Drum Set (collection of drum, 1-shot and synth sounds, as well as
effects parameters).
Note that even though there are "only" 100 Patterns, the A and B variations double
that to 200 Patterns, and the Fills double that again to 400 Patterns. Added to the
Preset Patterns, 800 total Patterns are available.

How "Looping" Simplifies Recording
To simplify recording, a Pattern will "loop" over and over again.
Example: Suppose you want to record an 8-beat pattern. While recording, the pattern
will record through all 8 beats, then immediately jump back to the beginning and
continue recording through all 8 beats again. The XR20 will remain in record mode,
and continue to loop, until you press STOP or switch over to Pattern Play mode. You
will hear any previously-played parts as you record new parts. You can also erase
drum hits while the pattern is looping to correct for errors.

What's a Voice?
Each of the 12 large pads triggers a voice. A voice is a sound-generating element with
several variable parameters: sound assignment, tuning, volume, output assignment
(the voice's audio output can go to either one of two sets of stereo outputs, and
furthermore, to anywhere within the stereo field of the chosen set of outputs), MIDI
note number, etc.
Each pad is velocity-sensitive: the harder you hit the pad, the louder the sound
assigned to the pad will play. Thanks to the dynamic articulation techniques mentioned
earlier, the timbre will often change as well, just like the way that "real" instruments
produce sound when played with different amounts of force.
There are eight levels of pad volume resolution, from soft to loud. However, when
using the XR20 as a drum sound expander and triggering sounds via MIDI, they
respond to all 127 MIDI volume levels.

CONNECTION DIAGRAM

As you hook up
the XR20, the
volume control on
your power amp
and the XR20
should be all the
way down, and
power to both
units should be
off.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

8.
9.
10.

Plug ¼” TS cables from the MAIN OUTPUTS to an amplifier, mixer, or speaker system. For
mono sound, you can connect only one output.
Alternatively, you can connect a pair of ¼” TRS headphones to the PHONES OUTPUT to
practice quietly.
Connect your microphone to the MICROPHONE input.
Connect a MIDI device, such as a sampler or sound module, to the MIDI OUT of the XR20.
Connect a MIDI device, such as a percussion controller, to the MIDI IN of the XR20.
If you have ¼” TS footswitches, connect them to the START / STOP and COUNT / A / B /
FILL jacks.
Plug the included power adapter (12V DC 500mA) into the adapter jack and the adapter into
a power source. Alternatively, you may choose to power the unit by inserting 6 AA batteries
into the bottom compartment.
Press the POWER switch to turn on the unit.
Tap the pads to hear sounds. You can switch among the three different sound categories
for the pads by pressing the corresponding button (DRUMS, 1-SHOT, SYNTH).
Adjust the volume control on the rear panel to a suitable listening level.
Note that you may also connect the stereo Aux output to a speaker system or amplifier,
using a ¼” TRS cable. The XR-20 can be setup to output sounds through the Main or Aux
connections (Main by default). See “Creating and Editing Drum Sets / Page 12: Output” for
more information.

TOP PANEL PHYSICAL LAYOUT

GENERAL CONTROLS
1.

LCD – The display helps you keep track of system parameters and settings as you use the XR20.

PADS – The 12 pads are used to trigger sounds on the XR20. The pads can address 3 different
types of sounds: drums, 1-shot and synth. To select which sounds are controlled by the pads,
press one of the three Pad Play buttons (DRUM, 1-SHOT, SYNTH). In addition, the pads can be
used to trigger entire Patterns while in Pattern Play Mode.

PAD PLAY BUTTONS – These 3 buttons select which sounds are triggered when you hit the
pads. Press the corresponding button to control the following sounds with the pads:
SYNTH – Selects the Synth sounds associated with the current Drum Set. In addition, you can
hold down this button and use the INC / DEC buttons or the VALUE dial to transpose the synth
sounds up or down an octave.
DRUMS – Selects the Drum sounds associated with the current Drum Set.
1-SHOT – Selects the 1-Shot sounds associated with the current Drum Set.

NOTE REPEAT – While programming Patterns, hold down this button and press a pad to create a
roll. The roll will last for as long as the pad is being held down. This lets you play a series of drum
hits without having to repeatedly press the pads, and is typically used to create steady 16th note
hi-hat parts, quarter note kick drum parts, snare rolls, etc. The timing of the Note Repeat
sequence is specified by the Quantization and Swing settings in the Record Setup menu.

TAP TEMPO – You can use this button to tap in a tempo. The XR20 will average the time
between successive taps and will derive a tempo. You can also change the tempo by holding
down the TAP TEMPO button and using the VALUE dial or the INC / DEC buttons. The LED will
blink at a rate equal to the tempo displayed on the screen’s bottom right corner.

A & B – Each Pattern consists of two Main sub-patterns – A & B. You can select each of the two
sub-patterns by pressing its corresponding button. These sub-patterns allow you to program
variation in your Patterns (i.e. sub-pattern A is the verse, sub-pattern B is the chorus).

FILL – Each Pattern also includes two Fills associated with each of the two sub-patterns. The Fills
are used to transition from one sub-pattern to another (i.e. transition from verse to chorus).

ERASE – This button allows you to erase Patterns or Songs. Hold this button down and the
screen will prompt you to verify that you want to erase the selected element. To erase the part,
press the REC button while the ERASE button is being held down. In addition, ERASE allows you
to erase specific events in real-time as you record your patterns. Simply hold down the ERASE
button as the Pattern plays and press the pad corresponding to the sound you wish to erase. Any
events assigned to the pad will be erased from the moment the pad is pressed until either the pad
or the ERASE button is released.

SAVE / COPY – This button accesses various save / copy / append functions.

10.

MUTE – This button allows you to mute a selected instrument layer. Hold down the button and
press the DRUM, 1-SHOT or SYNTH to mute the corresponding instrument layer. To un-mute the
layer, press the corresponding button again while MUTE is being held down.

NAVIGATION BUTTONS
11.

INC / DEC – These buttons are used to increment and decrement through values and settings on
the XR20.

12.

VALUE DIAL – This dial can also be used to increment and decrement values and settings.

13.

NUMBER BUTTONS – Alternatively, you may use the number buttons to input values directly.

14.

PAGE RIGHT / LEFT – These two buttons are used to go between pages of options when
browsing menus and settings.

MODE BUTTONS
15.

PATTERN / SONG – This button toggles between the two different modes on the XR20. In
Pattern Mode, you can play, record and edit individual patterns. Patterns are short (i.e. 8-beat, 16beat, etc) rhythm sequences which are assembled together to create Songs. A Song is a
sequence of Patterns. In Song Mode, you can perform or program your Patterns to create a Song.
The currently-selected mode will be indicated on the display.

16.

PRESET / USER – This button toggles between Preset and User Patterns. The selected mode
will be indicated in the upper right corner of the display.
Preset Patterns provide a variety of rock, jazz, pop and other rhythms programmed by professional
drummers and cannot be overwritten or edited (the only way a Preset Pattern can be edited is to
copy it to a User Pattern).
User Patterns are Patterns you can program, edit and save as you wish.

17.

STEP EDIT – Pressing this button enters Step Edit Mode for Pattern or Song editing, depending
on which of the two modes is selected. This mode allows you to “step” through your Pattern or
Song sequence to correct any mistakes. The display will indicate STEP EDIT while in Step Edit
Mode, and the current step will be displayed on the top line. To move through the steps of the
sequence, use the PAGE RIGHT / LEFT buttons.

18.

PATTERN PLAY – This button enables Pattern Play Mode. In this mode, you can play preselected Patterns in a sequence, using the pads to trigger the Patterns in real-time. See “Playing
Patterns With the Pads” section.

SETUP BUTTONS
19.

SYSTEM SETUP – Pressing this button calls up various system settings and preferences, such as
MIDI options, note assignments, clocking, as well as display brightness and others. The display
will indicate SYSTEM and SETUP when you are in System Setup. You can move between the
different pages of settings with the PAGE RIGHT / LEFT buttons and change the settings on the
selected page with the VALUE dial or the INC / DEC buttons. To save your settings so they are
recalled the next time you boot up the XR20, press the SAVE button while in this menu and then
press REC to confirm the save. To exit System Setup, press the SYSTEM SETUP button again.

20.

RECORD SETUP – Pressing this button calls up various recording settings, such as Quantization,
Swing, Pattern Length, Time Signature, etc. The display will indicate RECORD and SETUP while
you are in Record Setup Mode. You can move between the different pages of settings with the
PAGE RIGHT / LEFT buttons and change the settings on the selected page with the VALUE dial
or the INC / DEC buttons. To exit Record Setup, press the Record Setup button again.

21.

DRUM SET – This button calls up the Drum Set Mode options, where you can select different
drum/1-shot sounds, synth sounds, change individual pad sounds and modify parameters such as
Volume, Tuning, Panning, etc. The display will indicate DRUM SET while you are in Drum Set
Mode. You can use the PAGE RIGHT / LEFT buttons to move between the different pages of
settings and you can use the VALUE dial or INC / DEC buttons to change the settings on the
selected page. When you modify or customize a Drum Set, you will need to make sure that you
save it (press the SAVE button, then press REC to confirm) in order to be able to access it later.
To exit Drum Set Mode, press the Drum Set button again.

22.

EFFECTS – This button calls up the Effects menu, where you can select the effects which are
stored and recalled with every Drum Set. These effects include Reverb, EQ / Compression and
feature ready-to-use presets. To move between the different pages in the Effects Menu, use the
PAGE RIGHT / LEFT buttons. You can use the VALUE dial or INC / DEC buttons to enable and
disable the selected effect or to change the displayed settings.

TRANSPORT CONTROL BUTTONS
23.

PLAY – If the XR20 is stopped, pressing PLAY will play the sequence from the current position. If
the XR20 is playing, pressing PLAY will pause the sequence. You can continue playing the
sequence from the position where it was paused by pressing PLAY again. In addition, you may
use the PAGE RIGHT and PAGE LEFT buttons while the unit is playing to advance to the next
Pattern (if one is pending), or start playing from the beginning of the current Pattern (and cancel
any pending Pattern), respectively.

24.

STOP – Press this button to stop the current sequence and go back to the start of the Pattern or
Song. Quickly pressing STOP twice sends a MIDI Panic message to the internal voices of the
XR20 and to external devices connected via MIDI. A Panic message effectively stops all sounds
which may be playing. This is useful in situations where a certain sound may be stuck and will not
turn off.

25.

REC – Press and hold this button before pressing PLAY to initiate recording. The REC button also
functions as a DO IT command, when prompted for action by the display (for example, when
erasing songs). The REC button LED It will blink when you are required to confirm or cancel an
action.

REAR PANEL PHYSICAL LAYOUT

3
12

DC IN – The supplied power adapter should be connected to a live outlet to power the unit.
Alternatively, the unit may be powered with 6 AA batteries inserted in the bottom
compartment. (Please refer to illustration in compartment for proper battery insertion).

ON/OFF SWITCH – This switch turns the unit on and off.

VOLUME – This knob controls the overall volume of the XR20.

¼” TS RIGHT / LEFT OUTPUTS – These ¼” connections will output the audio from the
XR20. Connect these outputs to an amplifier or a speaker system. For mono sound, you
can connect only one output.

PHONES – Connect headphones to this output for quiet practicing.

AUX L / R – The XR20 can also output instrument layers through this auxiliary connection.
For example, this allows you to output your drum and synth tracks on separate channels,
which can be useful in a recording / tracking situation.

MICROPHONE – Connect your microphone to this ¼” input. The input signal will be mixed
with the audio from the unit.

MIDI OUT / THRU – Use a five-pin MIDI cable to connect the MIDI OUT of the XR20 to the
MIDI IN of an external MIDI device.

MIDI IN – Use a five-pin MIDI cable to connect the MIDI OUT of an external device to the
MIDI IN of the XR20.

10.

START / STOP FOOTSWITCH – Connect a ¼” TS footswitch to this input to remotely start
and stop playback on the XR20.

11.

COUNT / A / B / FILL – Connect a ¼” TS footswitch to this input to remotely control pattern
playback on the XR20.

12.

KENSINGTON LOCK – The XR20 may be secured to a table or surface, using this
Kensington Lock slot.

DISPLAY LAYOUT
1

3
10
9
4

The LCD is divided into several "windows." Each window contains information that helps you
monitor the XR20's status, and/or indicates what type of data should be entered.
1. Name, "dialog" box, real time Song/Pattern readout, beat counter. - This is the most
commonly-used area of the display. It shows Pattern and Song names, the beat counter if a
Pattern or Song is playing, and the Pattern (including A/B/Fill/Preset or User designators) that is
currently playing in Song mode. When acting as a "dialog box," it lists parameters and the value
to be edited (e.g., MIDI channel and the channel number).
2. Pattern/Song readout (also Drum Set edit and drum pad readout) - This shows the
selected Song or Pattern number; with Patterns, the A/B/Fill/Preset or User designators are also
shown. In operations that require selecting a drum pad, this window displays the drum pad
number.
3. Drumset Edited indicator - If you have edited a Drum Set to which a particular Pattern was
assigned, the display also shows DRUMSET EDITED. This is a reminder that you need to save
your changes if you would like to be able to recall them at a later time.
4. Page number and tempo display - When stopped or running, this shows the current tempo.
For functions that have multiple "pages" of parameters (Record Setup, System Setup, etc), this
portion of the display shows the currently selected page number.
5. Pattern Play indicator - This segment is lit when in Pattern Play Mode.
6. Synth and Octave Transposition indicators – SYNTH indicates that the pads are controlling
synth sounds, while the OCTAVE indicators (+1/-1) let you know whether the sounds are
transposed up or down an octave (no indicator will be present when there is no transposition).
7. Swing - Shows the current swing rhythm, expressed as a
percentage (or OFF if swing is off).
8. Drums / 1-Shot indicator – These indicators let you know
which Pad Play Mode is currently selected (i.e. which sounds the
pads are controlling, or which instrument layer you are currently
editing).
9. Quantize - Shows the current quantization setting in standard
music notation (or OFF if quantization is off).
10. Selected function - Shows which function is currently
selected: Drum Set, System Setup, Record Setup, etc.

Throughout the text, button
names are
shown
in
UPPER CASE and words
that appear on the display
are shown in BOLD. When
referring to a numbered
step in a set of steps, the
step number will be in
parenthesis—for example,
step
(4)—to
prevent
confusion with Song steps
or step edit mode.

BASICS
HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE XR20

The Cursor
When the XR-20 wants you to enter a number in the "Dialog" box, the display will show the
previously-entered number (or the default number), and the first digit will have a small underline
called the cursor. If the cursor is not present, the number is there for reference only. You are
expected to enter something only if the cursor is present.

The INC / DEC Buttons
The two small buttons with the up arrow and down arrow symbols (next to the number keys) are
called the INC / DEC buttons respectively.
Pressing the INC button once increases the value of the entire number indicated by the cursor (not
just a single digit) by one. Pressing the DEC button once decreases the value of the entire number
indicated by the cursor (not just a single digit) by one.
Example: If the display shows 00 and you want to enter 01, tap the INC button once.
These buttons, as well as the PAGE buttons, also have a "scroll" feature. If you press and hold a
button, after a short pause the display will either increment or decrement at a rapid rate.

The VALUE dial
In addition to the INC / DEC buttons, you may also use the large VALUE dial to quickly increment
and decrement through values and settings. Turn the dial clockwise to increment through the
available values, or turn the dial counter-clockwise to decrement.

The NUMBER buttons
The number buttons (0-9) can also be used to directly input values into the XR20. Please note
that when using the number buttons it is important to enter leading zeros, if necessary. If a value
to be edited is a two-digit number, you must enter a two-digit number. If the number is a three-digit
number, you must enter a three-digit number. If necessary, enter a leading 0 (i.e., a zero at the
beginning of the number) to fill out the required number of digits.
Example: The beat length is a three-digit number. To enter a beat length of 16, enter 016.

Automatic Revert
This feature may confuse you at first, but save you from potential problems as you become more
familiar with the machine. If all the required digits of a number aren't entered within two seconds,
the display will revert back to the previous number, with the cursor under the first digit of the
previous number. This is handy because if you start to enter a new number, but then change your
mind halfway through, you don't have to key in (or remember) the original number again—just wait
two seconds, and the display will revert to the original setting.

Buttons that Toggle
Some buttons (SYSTEM SETUP, RECORD SETUP, PATTERN/SONG, PRESET/USER,
EFFECTS) "toggle" between two states. Each button press sets the switch to its alternate state.
Example: Press the PATTERN/SONG button once to change from Pattern to Song; press
again to change from Song to Pattern.
Example: Press RECORD SETUP to call up the Record Setup menu; press RECORD
SETUP again to exit the Record Setup menu.

10 STEPS TO INSTANT GRATIFICATION (SETUP AND CHECKOUT)
1.

Connect the Main outputs (either left or right for a mono monitoring system, or both for
stereo) to a musical instrument amplifier, PA, or plug headphones into the headphone
output on the back of the XR20. The amp and XR20 volume control (on back) should be all
the way down (counter-clockwise).

Leave the MIDI OUT jack (rear panel) disconnected for now.

Plug the XR20's AC adapter into the wall. The smaller plug inserts in the 12V DC Power
jack on the back.

Turn on the rear panel ON/OFF switch, and then turn on the amplifier.

The LCD will illuminate. The upper right of the
display should say PATTERN and not SONG;
if
it
shows
SONG,
press
the
PATTERN/SONG button so the display
shows PATTERN.

Start hitting the pads. Adjust the volume
control for a comfortable listening level, and
check out the sounds.

Try pressing one of the Pad Play Mode buttons (DRUMS, 1-SHOT, SYNTH) to access the
different instrument layers and play the pads.

To hear the built-in demo, hold down the PATTERN/SONG button and press PLAY. To stop
the demo, press STOP. If you want to play along with the demo, feel free to bash away on
the pads.

To hear a Preset Pattern, stop the XR20 and
press the PRESET / USER button to select
Preset Patterns (the display should show
PRESET). Then, press PLAY to hear the
Preset Pattern.

10.

Try the following:

While in Preset Patterns, enter a twodigit number between 00-99 using the
number keys, then press PLAY.
Press the INC button to select the next higher-numbered Preset Pattern. It will play at
the end of the current Pattern.
Press the DEC button to select the next lower-numbered Preset Pattern.
Press the B button to select the B variation of the selected Pattern.
Press the A button to select the A variation of the selected Pattern.
Press FILL briefly while a Main (A or B) Pattern is playing. Note how the Main Pattern
switches from either A to B or B to A after the Fill has played.
Press FILL and hold it down until after the Fill has played. If the FILL button is held
down past the next downbeat, the Fill's associated Main Pattern (A or B) continues to
play rather than switch from A to B or B to A.
Hold down TAP TEMPO and use the VALUE dial (or INC / DEC buttons) to change the
tempo.

THE INSTRUMENT LAYERS
The XR20 allows you to play three different kinds of sounds with the pads. These sounds are
available in three different Play Modes or Banks. These are DRUM, 1-SHOT and SYNTH and are
accessible by pressing the corresponding button on the top panel.
DRUM – This Pad Play mode allows you to play up to twelve Drum sounds with
the pads
1-SHOT – This Pad Play mode allows you to play up to twelve 1-Shot sounds with
the pads.
SYNTH – This Pad Play mode allows you to play up to 3 Octaves of a keymapped synth sample(s) on the pads. To transpose the synth sounds, press and
hold the SYNTH button and then use the INC / DEC buttons or VALUE dial to
transpose up or down an octave.

PLAYBACK / RECORD BASICS

Using the Transport Controls
To stop playback and go back to the beginning of the current Pattern or Song, press
the STOP button.
Press PLAY to play the Pattern or Song from the current location. Press PLAY again
while a Pattern or Song is playing to pause it. Press PLAY to continue playing the
Pattern or Song from the location where it was paused.

Preset and User Patterns
There are two types of Patterns in the XR20.

Preset Patterns provide a variety of styles, and other rhythms that feature drums,
1-shot samples and an accompanying synth parts. Note that the only way to
modify a Preset Pattern is to copy it to a User Pattern, where it can be edited.

User Patterns are Patterns you can program, edit, and save.

The PRESET / USER button selects between these two banks of Patterns.

Playing Patterns
1.

To play Patterns, the XR20 needs to be in Pattern Mode. To do this press the
PATTERN / SONG button, which toggles between the two modes. The display
will show PATTERN in the upper right corner when the XR20 is in Pattern Mode.

Select a Pattern you wish to play with the INC / DEC buttons or the VALUE dial.

To play the selected Pattern, press the PLAY button.

Selecting the Next Pattern to be Played
While a Pattern is playing, you can select to go to another pattern in several ways:

Use the INC / DEC buttons or VALUE dial to select the next Pattern. The newlyselected Pattern will play back as soon as the current Pattern plays through its
entire length. The display shows the Pattern to be played next.

Enter the two-digit Pattern number with the number buttons. If an A Pattern is
currently playing, the new Pattern number will play the A variation. If a B Pattern
is currently playing, the new Pattern number will play the B variation. You can
also enter a two-digit Pattern number followed by A or B or PRESET / USER to
call up an A or B or Preset or User Pattern, regardless of the Pattern that is
currently playing.

Selecting Individual Patterns
1.

Make sure the XR20 is in Pattern Mode.

Enter a two-digit Pattern number (remember to enter a leading 0 if necessary).

Press the A button to select the A Main Pattern, or B to select the B Main
Pattern. To select a Fill Pattern, first select the desired Main Pattern (A or B) then
press the Fill Button.

Press PRESET/USER to select either a Preset or User Pattern.

When a Main Pattern reaches its end, it will loop back to the beginning and
continue playing from that point unless you select a new Pattern, selected a Fill
Pattern initially, or stop the Pattern.

If you select a User Pattern that contains no data, the display says EMPTY PATTERN.
If you select a User Pattern that contains data but has not yet been named, the display
says NO NAME.
Notes

If you change your mind or select the wrong Pattern, you can select a new
Pattern number at any time before the next Pattern begins.

If you press STOP before the next Pattern begins playing, the XR20 will stop and
remain on the currently selected Pattern.

To immediately jump to the next Pattern in the sequence, press the PAGE
RIGHT button.

To immediately return and begin playing from the start of the current Pattern,
press PAGE LEFT.

Changing Pattern Tempo
The tempo range extends from 30 to 300 beats per minute. Tempo can be changed
while the XR20 is stopped or running. There are two ways to set tempo.
1.

Before playing a Pattern, tap the TAP TEMPO button several times at the desired
tempo. The XR20 will average the time between taps and derive a tempo; the
display will update the tempo with each tap. If a footswitch is plugged into the
Count/A/B/Fill jack, tapping the footswitch at the desired rate is equivalent to
tapping the TAP TEMPO button.

Hold down the TAP TEMPO button and turn the VALUE dial to select a new
tempo. Alternatively, you can use the INC / DEC buttons while holding down
TAP TEMPO to increase or decrease by 1 BPM, or hold down to scroll through
the tempo values.

Note that you can customize how the XR20 deals with tempo. In the System Setup
pages (page 9), you can specify whether the XR20 will follow the tempo associated
with each Pattern or whether the unit will follow a global tempo setting, ignoring any
tempo data associated with the Patterns.

Selecting Fill Patterns
Fill Patterns are the key to creating expressive drum parts. However, Fill is a
sophisticated feature that requires some explanation.

Fills are always the same length, and use the same Drum Set, as the associated
Main Pattern. This lets you "drop in" a Fill at any time. As soon as you press the
FILL button, the Fill takes over from the Main Pattern and starts playing until the
end of the Fill.

Fills are transitional Patterns.
Example: Suppose an 8-beat A Main Pattern is playing and you press the
FILL button on beat 4. The A Fill Pattern will play the last 4 beats and then
automatically transition into the B Main Pattern.

Conversely, if B Main is playing and you press Fill, after B Fill has played, the
XR20 will transition to the A Main Pattern. You can select the Fill at any time
while the Main Pattern is playing. However, Fills do not have to be transitional
Patterns. If you press the FILL button (or footswitch) before the Fill has finished
playing and hold it down until after the Fill has played (i.e., past the downbeat of
the next Pattern), the XR20 will return to the original Main Pattern.
Example: Suppose an 8-beat A Main Pattern is playing and you press the
FILL button on beat 4 but hold it down past beat 8. The A Fill Pattern will
play the last 4 beats, then the XR20 will return to the A Main Pattern.

Fills cannot start on the downbeat since a Fill, by definition, starts at some point
into the Main Pattern. However, anything you record on the Fill downbeat will
play on the first downbeat following the Fill (i.e., the downbeat of the next
Pattern). To show why this is a useful feature, consider that when coming out of
a fill, you'll often want to hit something like a cymbal crash on the downbeat of
the next Pattern yet not have that crash repeat every time the Pattern plays. This
way of handling Fills lets the downbeat cymbal crash be part of the Fill instead of
the Main Pattern.

A footswitch plugged into the Count/A/B/Fill jack duplicates the FILL button
function when playing Patterns in Perform mode.
Background This way of handling Patterns explains the logic behind
having A, B, and Fill Patterns. In typical pop tunes, A would be the verse
and B the chorus. A Fill provides the Fill that transitions from verse to
chorus, and B Fill provides the Fill that transitions from chorus to verse.
Thus, one of the numbered Patterns may be all you need to put together a
tune. This structure makes it possible to put together songs in minutes
using the Preset Patterns. It also makes it easy to play drum parts live. For
example, if there's a solo happening over the A Main Pattern, you can keep
the Pattern repeating until the solo is about to end, at which point you select
the Fill that leads out of the A Main Pattern.

Using the Start/Stop Footswitch
When the XR20 is stopped, pressing a footswitch plugged into the Start/Stop
footswitch jack is equivalent to pressing PLAY. When the XR20 is running, pressing
the footswitch is equivalent to pressing STOP.
Background The rear panel Start/Stop footswitch jack accepts a
momentary, normally open or normally closed footswitch (available at most
music stores) for remote or foot control of the stop and start functions. The
XR20 checks the footswitch on power-up to determine whether it is
normally open or normally closed, so make sure the footswitch is plugged in
(and you're not pressing it down) when you turn on power.

The NOTE REPEAT Button
While playing and recording Patterns, the NOTE REPEAT button is used to create a
series of notes at the desired quantization rate, as described in the section 'RECORD
SETUP'. Note Repeat sequences can be played live and can be recorded into a
Pattern during real time playing.

Using Note Repeat
The Note Repeat function triggers a drum sound at the current swing value and
quantization rate (e.g., eighth notes, 16th notes, etc.; if quantization is off, though, this
function is inactive). This lets you play a series of drum hits without having to
repeatedly press the pads, and is typically used to create steady 16th note hi-hat
parts, quarter note kick drum parts, snare rolls, etc.
Press a pad on the first beat of what will be a series of hits and hold it down.
Immediately after pressing the pad, press and hold the NOTE REPEAT button. The
drum will be retriggered at the current quantization rate for as long as the pad and
NOTE REPEAT button are held down. All hits will be at the same volume as the first
pad hit.

The MUTE Button
The MUTE button can be used to mute the different instrument layers while the XR20
is playing.
To Mute Parts:

Play a Pattern.

Press and hold the MUTE button

Press one of the Instrument buttons (DRUM, 1-SHOT or SYNTH). That particular
instrument sound will be muted.

To un-mute the instrument layer, press the corresponding button (DRUM, 1SHOT, SYNTH) while holding down MUTE.

Playing Songs
1.

To play a Song, press the PATTERN / SONG button until SONG is displayed in
the upper corner of the screen.

Select the Song you want to play with the INC / DEC buttons or the VALUE dial.

After you select the Song press the PLAY button.

To stop playback, press the STOP button.

RECORDING PATTERNS
Note: An empty Pattern defaults to an 8 beat length (2 Bars), with 16th note quantization and
swing off (50%). If you need to change the length, it is best (though not essential) to do so before
recording. Other parameters can be changed while you're recording.
STEPS TO RECORDING A PATTERN
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

First, begin by selecting User Patterns (the display should indicate PATTERN and USER).
Next, select an empty User Pattern with the INC / DEC buttons or the VALUE dial (the
display should show EMPTY PATT).
Press the RECORD and PLAY buttons simultaneously. The XR20 will begin recording.
Play the sounds on the pads. As you record, the display will show the current beat number.
The Pattern will "loop" during the record process so that you can overdub different drums on
different passes.
To stop recording, press STOP.
Press PLAY to audition the Pattern from the beginning.

When recording your pattern it’s a good idea to locate the drum set that you want to use for the
pattern ahead of time. You can change this later. For instructions on selecting a Drum Set, see
the section 'SELECTING, EDITING AND CREATING DRUM SETS'. Note that a Drum Set is a
collection of sounds such as the Drums, 1-Shot and Synth sound. Therefore, if you would like to
change the Synth sound in a Pattern, for example, you will need to modify the Drum Set to
contain a different synth instrument.
Note: Instead of playing on the pads, you can also record remotely by sending MIDI notes to the
XR20. Make sure that MIDI device you are playing has settings that correspond to XR20’s
sounds (MIDI Channel and note numbers.)
Note: When sending MIDI data into the drums when the XR20 is not recording (i.e., the XR20
serves as a drum sound expander module), the drum sounds respond to 127 different levels of
dynamics. However, if MIDI is used as a trigger during the recording process, the Pattern will
"quantize" the incoming level to the nearest of eight levels—the same eight levels produced by
tapping the pads at various levels.
PRACTICE MODE
If you want to practice your beat with a metronome (the XR20 only plays the metronome when
recording) you can use Practice Mode. While in Pattern Mode (User Patterns should be selected),
press the REC button and you will hear the metronome sound, but the XR20 will not record what
you play on the pads.
RECORDING OTHER PARTS (1-SHOT AND SYNTH)
After recording your Drum part (or if you want to start with a different part) you may want to add
more instruments to your Pattern’s arrangements.
To record a 1-Shot or Synth part to your Pattern:
1.

2.
3.

Press the 1-SHOT or SYNTH button and play the sounds on the pads in the same manner
as the DRUM mode. The SYNTH mode will have a pitched sample that will play across the
pads (the notes corresponding to each pad are indicated in the upper right corner of the
pad).
Press the REC and PLAY buttons. The Pattern will start recording. Play your synth or 1-shot
part.
Press STOP when completed.

PATTERN PLAY MODE
Pattern Play mode allows you to play sequences of Patterns by triggering
Patterns with the pads. To enter Pattern Play Mode, press the PATTERN PLAY
button.
PLAYING PATTERN SEQUENCES WITH THE PADS
1.

Press the PATTERN PLAY button.

Press a pad and the Pattern associated with the
pad will begin playing. As the Pattern reaches its
end, it will continue to loop from the beginning.

Now press a different pad. The Pattern associated
with the pad will begin playing as soon as the
previously selected Pattern reaches its end.

RECORDING PATTERN SEQUENCES INTO A SONG
1.

Press the PATTERN / SONG button to get into Song Mode (the display should indicate
SONG in the upper right corner).

Press the PATTERN PLAY button.

Press REC and PLAY simultaneously to begin recording.

Press the pads to trigger the sequence of Patterns you wish to record. You can also trigger
the A, B or FILL parts of the selected pattern.

Press STOP when you are finished.
Note that you can only record a Pattern Play sequence into an empty Song. Make
sure that you select an empty Song or erase an existing song prior to recording.
To listen to the sequence you just recorded in Pattern Play Mode:
1.

Press the PATTERN / SONG button to get into Song Mode (the display should
indicate SONG in the upper right corner).

Press PLAY to play the recorded sequence.

ASSIGNING PATTERNS TO THE PADS
1.

Press the PATTERN PLAY button to get into
Pattern Play Mode.

Press the PAGE RIGHT button. The display will
show the last pad which was pressed and the
pattern number to which it is assigned.

Press the pad you wish to modify. The pad
number will be displayed on the top line.

Use the INC / DEC buttons, the VALUE dial or the
number buttons to choose the Pattern assignment
for the selected pad. The assigned Pattern will be
displayed on the bottom line.

You can also press A or B to choose whether the selected pattern’s A or B part will be
played when the pattern is triggered.

Press another pad to select it and then adjust the Pattern assignment in a similar fashion.

After you have assigned the pads press the PATTERN PLAY button to exit the assignment
mode.

SELECTING, EDITING AND CREATING DRUM SETS
What is a Drum Set?
The XR20 features different “sets” of sounds which you can use in your Patterns and Songs. A
Drum Set is a collection of settings that affect the Drum, 1-Shot and Synth sounds within the set
as well as the mix parameters and effects setup. The XR20 includes 100 Preset and 100 User
Drum Sets. Note that edited Preset Drum Sets may only be saved in a User Drum Set location.
Each Drum Set includes the following:

DRUM / 1-SHOT SOUNDS – These are the drum and 1-shot sounds which are loaded
when the Drum Set is recalled.

SYNTH SOUNDS – This is the Synth sound which is loaded when the Drum Set is recalled.

PAD PARAMETERS – These are the pad and parameter settings associated with the Drum
Set. These settings include volume, panning, tuning, filter, etc.

EFFECTS SETTINGS – These are the effects settings which will be recalled the next time
that the Drum Set is selected and include Reverb, EQ, and Compression.

SELECTING A DRUM SET
1.

Press the DRUM SET button.

The currently selected Drum Set’s name is
displayed on the top line and the set number is
shown on the bottom line. To select the drum and
1-shot sounds to be used with this set, press the
DRUMS or 1-SHOT button. To select the synth
sounds to be used with this set, press the SYNTH
button.

Enter the desired Drum Set number (from 00 to 99) with the number buttons, INC/DEC
buttons or the VALUE dial. (With the number buttons, enter a leading zero if necessary).
Note: User Patterns will remember the selected Drum Set assignments. Preset Patterns have fixed Drum
Set assignments; if you exit from the Preset Pattern, the XR20 will forget any assignment you made.

CREATING AND EDITING DRUM SETS
The XR20's 12 pads can be assigned to various drum sounds, with different levels, tuning,
panning, triggering mode, output jack assignment, etc. Each set of pad parameters is given a
number and collectively called a Drum Set. Drum Set assignments have their own dedicated
memory and can be thought of as equivalent to the "programs" or "patches" found in
synthesizers. Note that A and B User Pattern share Drum Set assignment.
General instructions for Drum Set creation are:

Note that if you edit a
Drum Set, any Pattern
using that Drum Set
will be affected.

Press the DRUM SET button.

Use the PAGE (RIGHT and LEFT) buttons to select different
"pages" of functions; the display's lower right window shows
the page number. The Drum Set pages are described below.

Select the instrument layer which you would like to edit (drums, 1-shot, synth) by pressing
the corresponding button.

Adjust values on pages, if necessary, as described for each page.

After making all needed changes, save the Drum Set if desired (see ‘Saving Your Drum
Sets’ section), then press DRUM SET again to exit.
Note: To select sounds for the 1-Shot or Synth section of the kit, press the corresponding button for these
sections and then edit the parameters the same way you would for the Drums.

PAGE 2: INSTRUMENT LAYER VOLUME
This page allows you to adjust the volume of each
instrument layer (drums, 1-shot, synth). Adjusting
this level will affect all the sounds in the selected
layer.
To adjust the volume of an instrument layer:

Select the instrument layer which you would
like to edit by pressing DRUM, 1-SHOT or
SYNTH.

Adjust the overall volume with the INC / DEC buttons, the VALUE dial or the number
buttons (99 = MAXIMUM VOLUME, 0 = OFF)

PAGE 3: ASSIGNING SOUNDS TO PADS
You can assign any of the XR20's sounds to any of
the pads, or to more than one pad. Each individual
Drum Set can have its own drum sound
assignment. However, please note that Synth
sounds can only be selected as a group (i.e. you
cannot assign different Synth sounds to different
pads).
To assign a sound to a pad:

Select the instrument layer which you would like to edit by pressing DRUM, 1-SHOT or
SYNTH. (Note that Synth sounds can only be modified as a group).

Press the pad (the display will show the pad number in the upper right corner and the
name of the sound assigned to the pad on the top line).

Enter the desired sound number with the number buttons, the INC / DEC buttons or
the VALUE dial. When using the number buttons, enter a leading zero if necessary.

PAGE 4: PAD VOLUME
Each pad’s volume can be adjusted on this page.
To change a pad’s volume:
1.

Select the sound set which you would like to
edit by pressing DRUM or 1-SHOT. Note that
this parameter is not available for Synth
sounds. The volume of the Synth sounds can
only be adjusted as a group (see “Instrument
Layer Volume” above).

Press the pad (the display will show the
selected pad number in the upper right corner
and the volume setting for the pad on the top
line).

Enter the desired volume, from 00 (off) to 99 (maximum volume), with the number
keypad, INC / DEC buttons or VALUE dial.

PAGE 5: PANNING
Each pad can also be assigned to one of seven positions within the stereo spectrum.
To change a pad’s panning position:
1.

Select the sound set which you would like to
edit by pressing DRUM, 1-SHOT or SYNTH.
Please note that the Panning setting will
affect all Synth sounds similarly. In other
words, changing one Synth pad’s Panning
setting will affect all the other Synth sounds in
the Drum Set.

Press the pad (the display will show the pad
number and the pad’s panning position on the
top line).

Enter the desired pan position, from full left to full right, using the number keypad,
INC/DEC buttons or VALUE dial. The seven available pan positions correspond to the
number buttons shown in parenthesis: hard left (1), soft left (2), left of center (3),
center (4), right of center (5), soft right (6), and hard right (7). The display will show <>
when panning position is center.
Background The XR20 has two pairs of stereo outputs. Drum sounds can be
assigned to either pair of outputs (see page 11 of the Drum Set menus), and be placed
anywhere within the stereo field of the assigned outputs via the pan function.

PAGE 6: TUNING
Each pad’s tuning can be adjusted in increments of +/- 1 semitone (+/- 12 semitones
maximum).
To change a pad’s tuning:
1.

Select the sound set which you would like to
edit by pressing DRUM, 1-SHOT or SYNTH.
Please note that Synth sounds cannot be
transposed individually, only as a group. In
other words, transposing one Synth note will
transpose all other Synth sounds by the same
value.

Press the pad (the display will show the
selected pad number in the upper right
corner).

Enter the desired tuning with the INC/DEC buttons or the VALUE dial. The range is
from +12 (most sharp) to 0 (normal pitch) to -12 (most flat).

PAGE 7: ATTACK ENVELOPE (SYNTH ONLY)
The attack envelope (Synth only) affects how the Synth sound will play after you hit the pad.
Attack determines the amount of time it takes for the Synth sound to “fade in” after it has
been triggered. With longer attack times, it takes longer for the sound to reach full volume
after it has been triggered.
Note that the Attack setting cannot be set
individually per pad. In other words, changing the
Attack setting will affect the Attack setting for all
pads in the Synth group.
To change the Synth attack envelope:

Select the Synth group by pressing SYNTH.

Enter the desired Attack setting for the sound,
using the number buttons, INC/DEC buttons,
or VALUE dial.

PAGE 8: DECAY ENVELOPE
The Decay envelope is available for all Pad Play Modes (Drums, 1-Shot, Synth) and affects
the amount of time before the sound stops ringing out. This allows you to get the effect of a
deep drum sound that will decay over a specific period, or with a short decay time, a short
staccato hit.
To change a pad’s decay envelope:
1.

Select the sound set which you would like to
edit by pressing DRUM, 1-SHOT or SYNTH.

Press the pad (the display will show the pad
number).

Enter the desired Decay amount for the
sound, using the number keypad, INC/DEC
buttons, or VALUE dial.
Note: Setting the decay envelope to 0 allows you to sustain the selected sample for as
long as the corresponding pad is held down.

PAGE 9: RELEASE ENVELOPE (SYNTH ONLY)
The Release envelope parameter (Synth only) describes the amount of time that it takes for
the Synth sound to “fade out” after you release the pad.
Note that the Release setting cannot be set individually per pad. In other words, changing
the Release setting will affect all pads.
To change a Synth pad’s Release envelope:
1.

Press the pad (the display will show the pad
number).

Enter the desired Release amount for the
sound, using the number keypad, INC/DEC
buttons, or VALUE dial.

PAGE 10: FILTER
Pad Filter allows you to make changes to the tonal characteristics of a sound by removing
the higher frequencies from the sound. This allows you to make a particular drum sound
darker, with more pronounced bass. The higher the value the more high frequencies will be
allowed to pass through. The lower values will cut off the higher frequencies of the sound in
a more pronounced fashion, resulting in a more muted sound.
To change the filter setting associated with a given pad:

Select the sound set which you would like to
edit by pressing DRUM, 1-SHOT or SYNTH.

Press the pad (the display will show the pad
number).

Enter the desired filter amount, using the
number keypad, INC/DEC buttons or the
VALUE dial. (Remember that lower values
will result in a duller, more muted sound.)

PAGE 11: TRIGGERING MODE (ASN MODE)
Background Each mode affects triggering in a different way:
Multi: When hitting a pad repeatedly, each hit will cause the sound to go through its entire
decay. This is useful with cymbals, since early strikes will continue to decay as you play
later strikes.
Single: When hitting a pad repeatedly, a new hit will automatically terminate any sound that
is still decaying. This is useful with many 1-shot sounds (such as sirens, explosions, etc).
Group 1 through 8: Pads assigned to a particular group (1 through 8) will cut each other off
if a group pad is struck while another pad assigned to the same group continues to sound.
The classic use of this is with hi-hats; a closed hi-hat will cut off an open hi-hat, and hitting
an open hi-hat sound will cut off a closed hi-hat.
The XR20 can play up to 32 voices at a time, so it's possible to run out of voices if you play
a flurry of notes and have lots of pads in the Multi assign mode. If 16 sounds are playing
and you ask the XR20 to play another one, the sound that's closest to finishing its decay
cycle will be "stolen" so that the most recent sound can be played. In practice, it's difficult
(and usually not artistically desirable!) to create drum parts so complex that voice-stealing
becomes a problem. However, if this is a problem, try assigning all the toms to a group so
that they only require one voice at a time.
The display shows ASN MODE (short for Assignment Mode), the currently selected pad
number, and the mode assigned to that pad.
To change the mode associated with a given pad:
1.

Select the sound set which you would like to
edit by pressing DRUM, 1-SHOT or SYNTH.

Press the pad (the display will show the pad
number in the upper right corner).

Enter the desired mode with the INC/DEC
buttons, the number keypad (buttons 1-4) or
the VALUE dial.

PAGE 12: OUTPUT
Background The XR20 includes two independent stereo output pairs (Main and Aux). You can
direct any pad to either output pair, and pan the sound within the selected output's stereo field (see
page 4 of the Drum Set menus). This allows several output assignment options:
Mono: Plug into one of the output pair jacks; the XR20 is smart enough to know that plugging in
one plug means you must want mono. Any pan settings are ignored. Do not plug into both outputs,
or stereo will be activated.
Stereo with Fixed Placement: Plug the left Main output into the left channel of your amp (or mixer),
and the right Main output into the right channel. The default voice mix for the preset Drum Sets
pans the drums between the Main output jacks in a way that works well for most applications.
Stereo with Variable Placement: Plug the left Main output into the left channel of your amp (or
mixer), and the right Main output into the right channel. With the User Drum Sets, you can pan the
drums between the Main output jacks as desired.
Separate Synth/Drum Outputs: Standard drum kit sounds can be spread in stereo and assigned to
the Main outputs, with synth sounds assigned to the Aux outputs. Run the outputs to a mixing
console or computer audio interface, and you can treat the drum kit and synth sounds as two submixes. This technique might also be useful if you're recording the part on your DAW or disk
recorder; feed the drums to two tracks, and the synth parts to two other tracks.

By default, pad sounds are output through the Main connections on the rear of the unit.
However, you also have the option of outputting individual pads through the Aux connection.
Please note that the Synth sounds can only be output as a group; in other words, all Synth
sounds will either be output through the Main or Aux connections.
To change a pad’s output assignment:

Select the sound set which you would like to
edit by pressing DRUM, 1-SHOT or SYNTH.

Press the pad (the display will show the pad
number).

Use the INC/DEC buttons, Value Dial or
number buttons (1 chooses the Main output
pair, 2 selects the Aux output pair).

PAGE 13: DRUM SET NAME
On this page you can assign a name to your Drum Set. Please note that only User Drum
Sets can be named, renamed and saved. If you wish to edit and rename one of the Preset
Drum Sets, copy it to a User location first.
To name the selected Drum Set:
1.

You will see the cursor underneath the letter
which is currently selected. Use the INC /
DEC buttons or the VALUE dial to change the
letter above the cursor.

Use the PAGE RIGHT / PAGE LEFT buttons
to move the cursor. PAGE RIGHT moves the
cursor forward, while PAGE LEFT moves the
cursor backwards (or goes back to the
previous menu page if the first letter is
selected).

EFFECTS
The Effects settings are stored per kit. Each Kit can have separate Reverb, Compression / EQ settings
that are specific to that kit. To change Effects settings, press the EFFECTS button while you are in
Pattern Mode. Effect settings can only be changed on User Patterns. In order for the Effects settings to
be remembered you must save the Drum Set after you make your settings.
Note: All the Effects are sent (bused) out the Main outputs. If you have a sound that is selected to go out
the Aux output, no effects will be applied to that sound.
The Effects selection and settings are similar to the Record Setup and Drum Set modes. After you press
the EFFECTS button, you will be taken to the first page. To move between the different pages and
parameters, use the PAGE RIGHT / LEFT buttons. The current parameter value can be changed with
INC / DEC buttons, the number keypad, or the VALUE dial. Note that you can turn Effects on and off on
a per pad basis.

Page 1 / Reverb Type
There are several Reverb types you can choose on this page.
You can select the Reverb type for the selected Drum Set by
pressing the INC/DEC buttons or using the VALUE dial.
Page 2 / Reverb Send Amount
You can determine the send amount by pressing the INC/DEC
buttons or use the Value Dial. This affects how much “wet”
signal is mixed with the original “dry” signal. The more “wet”
the signal is, the more reverb effect you will hear. Press a pad
to select it, then choose how much Reverb you would like to
apply to the corresponding sound.
Page 3 / EQ and Compression Type
There are several types of EQ and Compression curves. These
settings will affect the sound of your drumset to accentuate
certain frequencies as well as loudness settings. You can
select EQ and Compression curves with the INC / DEC buttons
or the VALUE dial.
Note: For EQ and Compression there is no send parameter.

Page 4 / EQ and Compression ON / OFF
This page allows you to enable and disable the EQ from the
signal chain. Press a pad to select it and use the INC / DEC
buttons or the VALUE dial to select whether you would like to
enable EQ and Compression.

REVERB
TYPES
Off
AmbBrite
BdSpring
BigGate
CloseMic
FxGate
HugeSpac
LgSpacy
Md80sRm
MdHardRm
MdSoftRm
MetalCav
RmSmlDrk
RoomGate
SeaWolf
Slapper
SmBathRm
SmPlate
SmlBrite
Studio
Warehous
WoodRM
WrmStudo

COMPRESSION
AND EQ TYPES
Off
Master 1
Radio 1
Radio 2
SoftHype
Bright
Country
Crunch
Dance
Hip Hop
Jazz
Lo Boost
Roc1
Roc2
Roc3

SAVING YOUR DRUM SETS
After changing parameter settings it is important to save the
Drumset otherwise your settings will not be retained.
1.

To save your set, press and hold the SAVE / COPY
button. The display shows SAVE SET?, the currently
selected Drum Set number (location), and a two-digit
number that's the same as the currently selected Drum
Set. You will notice the REC LED begin to blink.

To save the Drum Set to the current location, press
REC.

To save the Drum Set to a different location, enter the new Drum Set number with the INC/DEC
buttons, number buttons (allowable range is 00-99), or the DATA dial.

Finally, press REC to save to the selected location.

If you were editing a Preset Drum Set and want to save it, you will be given the option to save it to a
User Drum Set since you cannot overwrite a Preset Drum Set. This technique can also copy one Drum
Set to a different Drum Set. Also, remember that if you change Patterns before saving your Drum Set, all
of your edits will be lost.

RECORD SETUP
Several parameters, such as quantization, swing, metronome options, Pattern length, are often
adjusted prior to recording a Pattern, General instructions are:
1.

Press the RECORD SETUP button.

Use the PAGE buttons to select different "pages" of functions; the display's lower right
window shows the page number. These pages are described below.

Adjust values on pages, if necessary, as described for each page.

After making all needed changes, press RECORD SETUP again to exit, or choose another
page.

PAGE 1: SELECT THE QUANTIZATION VALUE (QUANTIZE SELECT)
Background As you record a Pattern, quantization shifts all drum events to the nearest selected
rhythmic value to eliminate small timing errors. For example, with a quantization value of 1/16, all
drum events you play will be shifted to the nearest 16th note.
Quantization shifts your playing to the specified beat
while you play, so choose the desired value before
playing out your rhythms. Remember that you can also
change quantization while recording if, for example, you
want to record snare with eighth note quantization but
high-hats with 16th note quantization.
The note icon displays the quantization value in
standard rhythmic notation. See the chart below.
Enter the desired quantization value with the INC/DEC buttons, VALUE dial, or number buttons (1
= quarter note, 2 = quarter note triplet, 3 = 8th note, 4 = 8th note triplet, 5 = 16th note, 6 = 16th
note triplet, 7 = 32nd note, 8 = 32nd note triplet, 9 and 0 = Off, equivalent to 1/384th note
resolution).
Tip: Quantization is most effective
when used sparingly. If you're
recording a drum part, quantize the
kick and snare, but try recording the
hi-hat in real time (or quantize the hihat, and record the snare in real
time). Another trick is to combine
both quantized and non-quantized
parts. Example: hand claps often
sound
too
mechanical
when
quantized—when
humans
clap
hands, you end up with a bunch of
different sounds happening within a
few milliseconds of each other. A
good way to simulate this effect (yet
still have a rock-solid rhythm) is to
record a quantized hand claps part,
then turn off quantization and try to
double the part. Sometimes what
you overdub will be right on the beat,
but sometimes it will be off by just
enough to add that human touch.
Note: The quantize value also sets
the step length in Step Edit mode.

KEYPAD NOTE VALUE DISPLAY NOTE NAME
1

1/4

1/6

1/8

1/12

1/16

1/24

1/32

1/48

9, 0

1/384

off

= QUARTER NOTE
3

= QUARTER NOTE TRIPLET
= EIGHTH NOTE

= EIGHTH NOTE TRIPLET
= 16th NOTE

= 16th NOTE TRIPLET
= 32nd NOTE
= 32nd NOTE TRIPLET
= 384th NOTE

PAGE 2: GATE
When entering Synth parts in Step Edit Mode, the Gate
parameter specifies the duration of notes, as a
percentage of the quantization value.
For example, if you have selected a gate time of 99
(which is equivalent to 100% of the quantization value)
and a quantization value of ¼ note, the synth notes will
be ¼ note in duration.
PAGE 3: SELECT THE SWING VALUE (SWING SELECT)
Background: Swing affects the timing of pairs of equal-value notes. Each note normally defaults
to taking up 50% of the total duration of both notes; adding swing lengthens the first note of the
pair, and to keep the total duration of both notes the same, shortens the second note of the pair.
This imparts the kind of feel found in most shuffles and jazz tunes, as well as a laid-back, rhythm
and groove often found in hip-hop, R’n’B and pop music. For example, with Swing set to 62%, the
first note of the pair takes up 62% of the total duration of the pair of notes, while the second note
takes up 38% of the total duration.
Swing shifts notes as specified while you record, so
choose the desired value before playing out your
rhythms.
Enter the desired swing percentage with the INC/DEC
buttons, VALUE dial or number buttons (1 = 54%, 2 =
58%, 3 = 62%, 4-0 = Swing Off).

PAGE 4: ENABLE CLICK AND SET RHYTHM (CLICK SELECT)
The metronome is designed to help you keep track of
time while recording. On this page, you can enable or
disable the metronome, as well as select the rhythm of
the click.
Enter the click value with the INC/DEC or number
buttons (1 = quarter note, 2 = quarter note triplet, 3 = 8th
note, 4 = 8th note triplet, 5 = 16th note, 6 = 16th note
triplet, 7-0 = Click Off).
Note that the click is audible only when recording.

PAGE 5: SET CLICK VOLUME (CLICK VOL)
This page allows you to adjust the volume of the
metronome.
The display shows CLICK VOL and a two-digit number
representing click volume (00 = inaudible, 99 =
maximum volume). Enter the desired click level with the
INC/DEC, number buttons, or by turning the VALUE dial.

PAGE 6: VELOCITY SENSITIVITY
Velocity Sensitivity describes how the pads will output sound
depending on the applied velocity (i.e. how hard the pads
are struck). This feature allows players with a heavier or
lighter touch to customize the pad response to
accommodate their particular playing style.
To select the desired dynamic response, use the INC/DEC
buttons, the VALUE dial or the number buttons (1 = Fixed 1,
2 = Fixed 2, 3 = Fixed 3, 4 = Fixed 4, 5 = Fixed 5, 6 = Fixed
6, 7 = Fixed 7, 8 = Fixed 8, 9 = Soft, and 0 = Loud). Note
that the Medium setting can be selected only with the
INC/DEC buttons or VALUE dial.
Refer to the chart on the right for information on response curves. As you can see, soft response
weights the response toward softer sounds; with medium response, the level is directly proportional to
how hard you tap the pad; loud response weights the response toward louder sounds.
Fixed volume plays back the associated drum sound at
one of eight possible volume levels. With Fixed
Volume 1, all drums assume the level of the softest
possible tap, regardless of how hard you tap the pads.
With Fixed Volume 8, all drums assume the level of the
loudest possible tap, regardless of how hard you tap
the pads. Fixed Volumes 2-7 provide the levels
between the softest and loudest extremes, with lower
numbers giving softer levels.

louder
VOLUME

PAGE 7: BEAT VALUE
When recording sequences in Pattern Mode, this is the
upper value or the amount of beats in the meter setting of
the selected Pattern; for instance the 2 of a 2/4 time
signature.
Enter the value with the INC/DEC, number buttons or the
VALUE dial.
Press REC to accept the change. Go to another page or
press RECORD SETUP again to cancel.

PAGE 8: NOTE VALUE
When recording sequences in Pattern Mode, this is the
lower note value of the meter setting of the selected Pattern;
for instance the 4 of a 2/4 time signature.
Enter the value with the INC/DEC, number buttons or the
VALUE dial.

Press REC to accept the change. Go to another page
or press RECORD SETUP again to cancel.

quieter
softer

TAP FORCE

harder

PAGE 9: PATTERN LENGTH
This page allows you to specify the length of the selected
Pattern in steps. For example, 2 steps of a 4/4 time
signature equal 2 bars of 4/4.
Use the INC / DEC buttons, the number buttons, or the
VALUE dial to select the desired step length for the Pattern.
Press REC (DO IT) to accept this change, or press the
PAGE or RECORD SETUP buttons to cancel.

PAGE 10: OFFSET A PATTERN OR DRUM PART
Offset shifts the selected Pattern or individual drum parts
ahead of or behind the beat in 1/384th note increments to
allow for altering the "feel" of a sequence. Note that this only
affects already-recorded parts.
Hint: 96 sub-beats equal ¼ note
The XR20 should be in Pattern mode and stopped. The
display says OFFSET, which will be 00 (no offset).
1.

Press the pad to be offset (as confirmed by the display). If you don't select a pad, offset affects the
entire Pattern.

Enter the two-digit offset value with the INC/DEC buttons, VALUE dial, or number buttons. Positive
numbers shift events ahead of the beat (lead), negative numbers shift events behind the beat (lag).
The default is positive numbers; to enter a negative number with the number buttons, press DEC
first. Example: To offset a part 1/16th note later, enter -24 as the offset value since 24 sub-beats
equals a 1/16th note.

Press REC to enter this number into the XR20. The display will show OFFSET DONE and will
reset the offset counter back to 00.
Note: The display counter resets after you exit the function. Therefore, it does not keep track of
the total amount of offset, but only changes in offset.
Note: Drums offset to before the first beat "wrap around" to the end of the Pattern; drums offset
past the end of the last beat "wrap around" to the beginning of the Pattern.

PAGE 11: NAME THE PATTERN (NAME)
This page allows you to name the currently selected Pattern.
The display shows NAME and the current name (or NO
NAME if the Pattern has not yet been named). To name, use
the PAGE RIGHT/LEFT buttons to select the character to be
changed; select the desired character with the INC/DEC
buttons or VALUE dial. Lower case and upper case letters,
numbers, punctuation, and various special-purpose
characters are available. You can also enter numbers with
the number buttons.

EDITING PATTERNS – ERASE FUNCTIONS
ERASING DRUM EVENTS WHILE RECORDING
While the XR20 is recording, you can erase any individual drum event or series of events in real time to
fix up errors. Erasure occurs only on those beats that coincide with the current quantization and swing
values; turn quantization off to erase a drum wherever it occurs.
1.
2.
3.

The XR20 should be in Record Mode.
Press and hold ERASE.
While holding down ERASE, press the pad corresponding to the sound to be erased just before the first
event to be erased, and release just after the last event to be erased. To erase a single event, tap the pad
on that single event.

ERASING AN ENTIRE PATTERN
If you erase both Main and Fill Patterns associated with a numbered Pattern, or you erase a Main or Fill
Pattern and the other is empty, the Drum Set assignment (but not its Drum Set parameters), name, and
length will revert to the default settings (i.e., the Drum Set with the same number as the Pattern, EMPTY
PATTERN as the name, and a length of 8 beats). However, as long as either a Main or Fill Pattern
contains previously-programmed data, the numbered Pattern will remember the Drum Set assignment,
name, and length.
1.
2.
3.
4.

5.
6.

The XR20 must be in Pattern mode and stopped to allow erasing
a Pattern.
Enter the two-digit Pattern number to be erased with the number
or INC/DEC buttons.
Press and hold the ERASE button. The display says PATTERN
ERASE?.
While continuing to hold the ERASE button, press REC (ENTER).
The display says PATTERN ERASED, followed by FILL
ERASE?.
While continuing to hold the ERASE button, press REC (ENTER)
again. The display will read FILL ERASED.
Release both buttons.
Tip: To retain the Drum Set assignment, length, and name when you erase a
Pattern, hold ERASE and tap each drum pad. This erases the drum events
assigned to that pad, but retains all other Pattern parameters.

ERASE ALL EVENTS PLAYED BY A PARTICULAR DRUM PAD
This erases all events in a Pattern played by a specific pad. The
Drum Set's parameters will not be affected.
1.
2.
3.

The XR20 should be in Pattern mode and stopped.
Press and hold ERASE.
While holding down ERASE, tap a pad to erase all events played
by that pad. The display shows the drum pad number whose
events were erased. You can continue to erase more drum
sounds while ERASE is held down.

ERASE ALL INSTRUMENT EVENTS IN SUB-PATTERN
This operation allows you to erase all instrument events (for example, all Drum events) in the selected
sub-pattern. The Drum Set's parameters will not be affected.
1.
2.
3.

The XR20 should be in Pattern mode and stopped.
Press and hold ERASE.
While holding down ERASE, press and hold the button
corresponding to the layer which you would like to erase
(DRUMS, BASS, PERC).
While holding down the 2 buttons, press REC (ENTER) to erase
all instrument events in the selected sub-pattern.

EDITING PATTERNS – COPY/SAVE FUNCTIONS
SAVING A PATTERN
The following operation will save the selected Pattern, including all sub-patterns (A, B and FILL) to a
specific location, overwriting any data which may already exist. Please note that you need to save your
Patterns if you wish to access them after you power-cycle the unit.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

The XR20 should be in Pattern mode and stopped.
Select the Pattern you wish to save.
Press and hold the SAVE / COPY button, and keep holding
it down until step (6). The display says SAVE TO PATT.
Enter the destination Pattern number with the INC / DEC
buttons, number buttons or the VALUE dial.
Press REC (DO IT). The display says SAVE DONE.
Release the SAVE / COPY and REC (DO IT) buttons.

COPYING A PATTERN
The following operation will copy only the selected sub-pattern (A, B, or FILL) to another destination. If
the current Pattern is shorter than the destination, the part will be copied to the beginning, leaving the
remainder blank. Copying a sub-pattern longer than the destination Pattern will automatically lengthen
the destination Pattern (128 Beat maximum).
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

7.
8.
9.

The XR20 should be in Pattern mode and stopped.
First, select a Pattern.
Then select A, B or FILL sub-pattern to be copied by
pressing the corresponding button.
Press and hold the SAVE / COPY button, and keep holding
it down until step (6).
While holding the SAVE / COPY button, press PAGE
RIGHT. The display says COPY TO PATT.
Enter the destination Pattern number into which the current
sub-pattern will be copied with the INC / DEC buttons,
number buttons or the VALUE dial.
Now select which sub-pattern you would like to copy the
data into by pressing A, B or FILL.
Press REC (DO IT). The display says COPY DONE.
Release the SAVE / COPY and REC (DO IT) buttons.

APPENDING A PATTERN
This operation adds the current Pattern, including all sub-patterns (A, B and FILL) to the end of a
selected Pattern. Note that Patterns can only be appended to Patterns of the same time signature (i.e. a
3 / 4 Pattern can only be appended to another 3 / 4 Pattern).
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

6.
7.

The XR20 should be in Pattern mode and stopped.
Select the Pattern you would like to append.
Press and hold the SAVE / COPY button, and keep holding
it down until step (6).
While holding the SAVE / COPY button, press PAGE
RIGHT twice. The display should say APPND TO PATT.
Enter the destination Pattern number where you would like
to append the original Pattern with the INC/DEC buttons,
number buttons or the VALUE dial.
Press REC (DO IT). The display says APPEND DONE.
Release the COPY and REC (DO IT) buttons.

EDITING PATTERNS – TRANSPOSITION
Each Pattern on the XR20 has a Pattern Transposition setting (0 by default). This setting allows
you to quickly transpose the selected Pattern’s Synth content. The Pattern Transposition setting
will be stored along with all other Pattern parameters once the Pattern is saved into memory (See
“Editing Patterns – Save/Copy Functions” section for information on saving Pattern data).
To change Pattern Transposition:
1.

The XR20 should be in Pattern mode.

Press and hold SYNTH.

While holding down SYNTH, press the PAGE
RIGHT button.

The screen will display PATTRANS on the top line,
along with the current transposition setting on the
bottom line.

Use the DATA dial or INC / DEC buttons to select
the transposition in semitones (-12 to +12
semitone range).
Please note: Pattern Transposition affects all sub-patterns contained in the selected Pattern.
Please note: Pattern data needs to be saved to memory for the Pattern Transposition setting to be
recalled the next time you load the Pattern.

PATTERN STEP EDITING (STEP EDIT MODE)
Step editing is an approach of entering notes and other values for a Pattern in a non-realtime
method.
Step mode provides detailed Pattern editing. (Note that "step" does not refer to Song steps, but to
the steps in a Pattern that hold drum events.) You can move through a Pattern one step at a time,
stop at each event as desired, and delete the event, add an event, or change an event's volume.
While occasionally somewhat tedious, Step Edit mode allows editing drum parts to your exact
specifications.
Each step (also called a sub-beat) is 1/96th of a beat in duration, so at maximum resolution it
takes 96 steps to "move through" a quarter note. To save time, you can step through the Pattern
at various note values, as set by the quantization value (which is why it's preferable to select the
quantization rate at which the Pattern was recorded). Example: A 16th note consists of 24 sub
beats, so setting the quantization value to 1/16 lets you step through the Pattern 24 sub-beats at
a time. The following chart relates the number of sub-beats to note/quantization values.
NOTE VALUE

NOTE NAME

SUB-BEATS

1/4

QUARTER NOTE

1/6

QUARTER NOTE TRIPLET

1/8

EIGHTH NOTE

1/12

EIGHTH NOTE TRIPLET

1/16

16th NOTE

1/24

16th NOTE TRIPLET

1/32

32nd NOTE

1/48

32nd NOTE TRIPLET

First, you will need to make sure that you are in Pattern Mode (PATTERN should be displayed in
the upper right corner of the screen). To enter Pattern Step Edit Mode, press the STEP EDIT
button.
BEAT

SUB-BEAT

PAD NUMBER

The display now shows the beat and sub-beat. If
a drum event exists on this beat/sub-beat, the
display will also show the drum pad that played
the event and the event volume. If more than
one drum event occurs on the same sub-beat,
the PAGE RIGHT/LEFT buttons step forward or
backward respectively through each drum one
at a time.
If no drum event exists on this beat/sub-beat,
the display will show no pad number, and
EMPTY in place of volume data.
EVENT VOLUME

To navigate through the steps at the current quantization rate, use the PAGE RIGHT button to
move forward or PAGE LEFT to move backward. If a drum exists between those beats that fall on
the current quantization value, the drum will sound as you go past it, but the display will not stop
on that drum. If swing is on, step mode will step in "swinged" increments.

ADDING A NEW DRUM TO A STEP
While in Pattern Step Edit Mode, use the PAGE buttons to select the step where the drum is to be
added. Press the pad that corresponds to the sound you want to add. That drum, along with its
volume (how hard the pad was hit), will be recorded into the displayed step.
If you play a pad and there is already a drum event played by that pad on the displayed step, you
will edit the volume rather than add another event. This is true even if there are several events on
the displayed beat, and an event other than the one to be edited is showing.

ERASE A DRUM SOUND FROM A STEP
While in Pattern Step Edit Mode, use the PAGE buttons to locate the step containing the drum to
be erased. While holding down the ERASE button, press REC (DO IT). The drum that was being
displayed will be erased.

CHANGE A DRUM SOUND'S VOLUME IN A GIVEN STEP
Use the PAGE buttons to select the step containing the drum whose volume needs to be
changed. Either press a number button from 1-8 (1=softest, 8=loudest), use the INC / DEC
buttons or VALUE dial, or tap the displayed drum pad at the desired level. If you play a pad to
change the level and there are several events on the same step, the display need not show the
specific drum whose volume you want to edit.

EXIT STEP EDIT MODE
To exit step mode, press STOP, RECORD SETUP, or PLAY (the latter will begin playing the
Pattern from the beginning).

SONG MODE
After creating the Patterns that make up a Song, it's time to string those Patterns together to create a
complete Song. You can use Preset Patterns, User Patterns, or a combination of both to create your
Song.
There are three ways to create Songs:

In real time. As the XR20 plays in Song Mode (when the REC button is pushed), you can select
the sequences of Patterns and Fills in real time; the XR20 will remember the sequence of Patterns
and Fills you select.

Manually. Select Song mode and program a list of Patterns and Fills in the order in which the
Patterns are to be played. You can specify the beat and sub-beat on which the Fill takes over from
the associated main Pattern.

A combination of real time and manual recording. Create a Song in real time, then edit it manually
to insert extra Song steps, delete Song steps, change tempo, etc.

The XR20 holds up to 100 Songs (numbered 00-99), and each Song can contain up to 254 steps. Each
step holds either a Pattern number or Fill. Each Song remembers the tempo at which it was last played.

PLAYING SONGS
1.

To play a Song, press the PATTERN / SONG button. When in Song Mode, the display will
indicate SONG in the upper right corner of the screen.

Select the Song you wish to play with the number keypad, INC / DEC buttons or the VALUE dial.

After you select the Song, press the PLAY button. Note that the XR20 will not attempt to play
blank songs (i.e. if the display shows EMPTY SONG). The screen will change as shown to the
right:

The step number will be displayed on the top line
of the display, on the left.

The current beat will be displayed on the right.

The pattern assigned to the current step will be
displayed on the bottom line.

A, B or FILL and PRESET / USER will be
displayed as well, depending on which subpattern is selected for the step.

RECORDING A SONG IN REAL-TIME
To record a sequence of Patterns in real-time, follow the steps below:
1.

Switch to Pattern Mode (the display should say PATTERN) and select the first Pattern
which you would like to use in your Song. Remember to specify A, B or FILL subpattern as well.

Press the PATTERN / SONG button again to
switch back to Song Mode (the display should
show SONG).

Press the REC button to enable Record
Mode (the REC LED will illuminate). Now
press the PLAY button to begin recording the
Song. The Pattern which you selected above
will begin to play and you will see the screen
shown on the right.

To select the Pattern which should be played
next, use the INC / DEC buttons.
Alternatively, you can use the VALUE dial or
you can enter the Pattern number with the
number keys. You can also specify which
sub-pattern should be played by pressing the
A, B or FILL button. The screen will change
to display NEXT and the cued Pattern
number on the bottom line. The Pattern will
begin playing as soon as the current Pattern
plays through its end, and will be entered as
the next Song step.

Continue to select the rest of the Patterns for
your Song.

When finished, press STOP.
NOTES:
If you enter a new Pattern number (Preset or User, A or B) while the first Pattern is playing,
the new Pattern will begin playing after the first Pattern has finished and be stored as
another Song step in the Song. If you let the original Pattern keep playing, it will add a new
Song step with its Pattern number every time it repeats. In addition to selecting different
Patterns, you can press FILL at any time. The XR20 will remember where you pressed FILL.
As in Pattern mode, pressing FILL will automatically transition to the B Pattern if the A
Pattern is currently playing (and vice versa), or will continue playing the same Pattern if the
FILL button is held past the end of the Fill.
A Fill can transition into any Pattern number, A or B, by specifying the Pattern before the end
of the Fill and releasing FILL before the Fill has finished playing. If you hold FILL past the
end of the Fill, the associated Main Pattern will continue playing and any Pattern you may
have previously specified for the next Step will be forgotten. When recording a Song, the
Count/A/B/Fill footswitch duplicates the FILL button function.
IMPORTANT:
If you have already recorded material in a Song, pressing REC and PLAY will not allow
recording until after the last Song step. However, you can overdub Fills at any time, and
these will be recorded in the Song where played. Under these conditions, holding FILL past
the downbeat doesn't make any difference; the Patterns used in Song steps are not altered.

MANUAL SONG CREATION (SONG STEP EDIT MODE)
Another way to sequence your Song is to use Step Edit Mode. In this mode, you can manually
enter Pattern numbers for each step of the Song.
1.

Select Song mode (the display should indicate SONG in the upper right corner) and select a
desired Song number with the number keypad, INC / DEC buttons or the VALUE dial. For
the purposes of this example, let’s assume that you are starting a fresh Song (the display
should say EMPTY SONG).

Press the STEP EDIT button to enter Step Edit
Mode. The REC led will illuminate and you will see
the screen shown on the right.

Now use the number keypad, INC / DEC buttons,
or the VALUE dial to select the first Pattern for the
Song.
If desired, choose between the A/B
variations and Preset/User options.
You will see the screen on the right, where the
second line indicates the Pattern which you have
selected for the first step (step 00).

Press the PAGE RIGHT button to go to the next
Song step.

Enter the Pattern for the next step.

Continue in a similar fashion until you have entered
all the Patterns for the Song.
You can always change the Pattern associated
with a particular step by navigating to the step with
the PAGE RIGHT / LEFT buttons and entering a
new Pattern.

Adding a Fill to Your Song
1.

With the XR20 in Step Edit Mode, use the PAGE RIGHT / LEFT buttons to select the
step where the Fill is to be added.

Press and hold the FILL button.

Enter the number of beats and sub-beats after the start of the current step in which the
Fill is to start playing with the number buttons and INC/DEC buttons respectively.
It is not necessary to press PLAY; the step will remember where the Fill is to occur. As
the Song plays the step where the Fill occurs, the display will show FILL when the Fill
begins playing.

Removing a Fill from Your Song
While in Record mode, there are two ways to remove a Fill from a Song:

When the Fill step appears, press the A button for an A Pattern or press the B button
for a B Pattern and the Fill will be removed.

When the Fill step appears, press and hold the FILL button and press ERASE.

Inserting a New Step Between Two Existing Song Steps
1.

The XR20 should be in Step Edit Mode.

Use the PAGE RIGHT / LEFT buttons to
select the step number that the inserted
step should occupy. For example, to
insert a step after step 04, select step
05.

Press and hold SAVE / COPY, and
keep holding it down until step (6). You
should see the screen shown on the
right.

Enter the two-digit Pattern number to be
inserted.

Press REC (DO IT). The new step is inserted, and all subsequent steps are
automatically renumbered to reflect the addition of the inserted step (e.g., what used to
be step 05 is now step 06, what used to be step 06 is now step 07, etc.).

Release the SAVE / COPY and REC (DO IT) buttons.

Deleting a Step
1.

The XR20 should be in Step Edit Mode.

Use the PAGE RIGHT / LEFT buttons to select the step number to be deleted.

Press and hold ERASE. You will see
the screen shown on the right.

While continuing to hold ERASE, press
REC (DO IT). The step is deleted, and
all subsequent steps are automatically
re-numbered to reflect the deletion of
the inserted step (e.g., what used to be
step 06 is now step 05, what used to be
step 07 is now step 06, etc.).

Release the ERASE and REC (DO IT)
buttons.

Replacing a Step
1.

The XR20 should be in Step Edit Mode.

Use the PAGE RIGHT / LEFT buttons to select the step number to be replaced.

Enter the new Pattern number (with appropriate A or B, Fill, or User/Preset options).

SETTING SONG TEMPO
There are two ways to set tempo:
Method 1
1.

Press STOP if the Song is playing.

Press the TAP TEMPO button several times at the desired tempo. The LD32 will
average the time between taps and derive a tempo.
Note: If a footswitch is plugged into the Count/A/B/Fill jack, tapping the footswitch at
the desired rate is equivalent to pressing the TAP TEMPO button.

Method 2
1.

Alternatively, you can press and hold the TAP TEMPO button and use the INC / DEC
buttons or VALUE dial to select a new tempo.

INSERTING A TEMPO CHANGE IN A SONG
This option allows you to insert a tempo change at a selected Song step.
1.

Press STOP if the song is playing.

Press the STEP EDIT button to enter Song
Step Edit mode.

Press and hold TAP TEMPO and press
PAGE RIGHT to enter the Tempo Event Edit
Mode:

A tempo change can be inserted at any beat
of the Song Step.
While holding TAP
TEMPO, use the PAGE buttons to select the
beat within the step.

While holding TAP TEMPO use the INC /
DEC buttons, number keypad or the VALUE
dial to set the tempo.

Release the TAP TEMPO button to return to
the previous page.
Note: If you would like to erase an existing Tempo Change event, navigate to the beat
where the event occurs while holding TAP TEMPO and press ERASE.

CONTROLLING PLAYBACK POSITION

If you press STOP while a song is playing, the next time you press PLAY the Song will start
from the beginning.

If you press PLAY while a song is playing, the song will pause. Press PLAY again to
resume playback.

Press PAGE RIGHT while a song is playing to advance playback to the next Song step.

Press PAGE LEFT while a song is playing to restart playback from the current Song step.

LOOP A PATTERN INDEFINITELY
In Song Perform mode, pressing and holding FILL until the end of a song step will cause that step
to repeat. A footswitch plugged into the Count/A/B/Fill jack will perform the same function.
For example, you can use this feature if a soloist decides to take another few bars.
Another use is if two Songs share the same tempo. Follow the first Song with a blank Pattern,
then append the second Song. Between Songs, hold down the footswitch on the blank Pattern
song step, then release to start the second Song.
START FROM THE MIDDLE OF A SONG
You need not start a Song from the beginning each time; in Record mode, a Song can start at
any Song step.
1.

Make sure the XR20 is in Record mode (Press the REC button), even if you don't plan to
record anything.

Use the INC/DEC buttons to select the Song step at which you want the XR20 to start
playing.

Press PLAY. The XR20 will start playing at the downbeat of the selected Song step.

If you don't want to extend the Song length, use the normal Playback mode before reaching
the end of the Song (press REC again so the REC LED is no longer illuminated). If you do
want to extend the Song length, remain in Record mode.

ERASING AN ENTIRE SONG
1.

The XR20 should be in Song Mode.

Use the number buttons, INC / DEC buttons or the
VALUE dial to select the Song to be erased.

Press and hold the ERASE button. You will see the
screen shown on the right.

While holding down the ERASE button, press REC
(DO IT). The display says SONG ERASED and
erasure is complete.

Release the ERASE and REC (DO IT) buttons.

SAVING YOUR SONG
When you are finished putting together your Song, you will need to save it to permanent memory.
Please note that all Song data will be lost if you turn off the XR20 before saving your Song.
1.

The XR20 should be in Song Mode.

Use the INC / DEC buttons, the number keypad or the
VALUE dial to select the Song which you would like to
save.

Press and hold the SAVE / COPY button.

Press REC (DO IT) to save the song. The display will
show SAVE DONE.

Release the SAVE / COPY button.

APPEND A SONG
You can use this feature to append all content from the selected Song to the end of another
Song. Appending a Song to an empty destination will create an identical copy of the Song. Note
that you can double the Song sequence by appending a Song to itself.
1.

The XR20 should be in Song Mode.

Select the Song to be copied to itself with the number buttons, INC / DEC buttons or the VALUE
dial.

Press and hold the SAVE / COPY button.

While holding the SAVE / COPY button, press the
PAGE RIGHT button. You will see the screen shown
on the right.

While continuing to hold the SAVE / COPY button,
enter the same Song number as the one selected in
step (2).

Press REC (DO IT) to copy the song to itself.

Release the SAVE / COPY and REC (DO IT) buttons.

NAME A SONG (NAME)
1.

Press RECORD SETUP. If the Song has been named, the name will show on the top line. If the
Song has not been named, the display says NO NAME.

Enter the name using the PAGE RIGHT/LEFT buttons to select the character to be changed
(selected character is indicated by a cursor underneath it), and the INC/DEC buttons or Value Dial
to select the desired character. Lower case and upper case letters, numbers, punctuation, and
various special-purpose characters are available. You can also enter numbers with the number
buttons.

SYSTEM SETUP
This Mode accesses important System functions. General instructions are:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Press the SYSTEM SETUP button.
Use the Page (up and down) buttons to select different "pages" of functions; the display's
lower right window shows the page number. The pages are described below.
Adjust values on pages, if necessary, as described for each page.
After making all needed changes, press SYSTEM SETUP again to exit, or choose another
page.

Note: All the parameters on the following pages remain as set, even if you turn off power, until the
parameters are changed again.
Page 1 / MIDI CHANNEL (MIDI CH)
When controlling the XR20 with external MIDI devices, such as MIDI drum pads and keyboards,
you can specify MIDI Channel settings for each instrument layer on this page.
The XR20 can receive MIDI data on any 1 of 16 MIDI Channels or an all 16 Channels
simultaneously (Omni Mode).
1.

To change which channel an instrument layer is
receiving MIDI data on, first select the instrument
layer by pressing DRUMS, 1-SHOT or SYNTH.

Select the desired MIDI channel for the instrument
layer, using the number buttons, INC / DEC
buttons or the VALUE dial. (With the number
buttons, enter a leading zero if necessary; 00
selects Omni mode.)
Tip: When several instruments are being driven by MIDI, it is a good idea to assign
different MIDI Channels (not Omni) for each instrument in the mix. This ensures that the
instrument will receive only the data intended for it.

Page 2 / RECEIVE MIDI NOTES (DRUM IN, 1-SHOT IN, SYNTH IN)
The display shows DRUM IN, 1-SHOT IN or SYNTH
(depending on which mode is currently selected). This
page features two different MIDI input velocity curves
(ON V1 and ON V2). To have the XR20 receive note
messages at its MIDI input, use the INC/DEC buttons to
select ON V1 or ON V2. Select OFF to have the XR20
ignore note messages. ON V1 is a normal linear velocity
curve, and will not affect MIDI velocity data being sent
by the controller. For keyboards that do not provide a full
range of velocity, ON V2 will allow the drums to be
played at full volume without having to send full
velocity from the MIDI controller.
Background Select ON V1 or ON V2 if you're using the XR20 as an expander module, or
want to play real time drum controllers into the XR20 as it plays a Pattern or Song. Select
OFF if you're using the XR20 as a drum machine slaved to a sequencer; when OFF, the
XR20 follows the sequencer timing data but not note data (you don't want it to play other
parts). Note that in this scenario Clock In (page 5 of the System Setup menus) must be set
to ON.

Page 3 / TRANSMIT MIDI NOTES (DRUM OUT, 1-SHOT OUT, SYNTH OUT)
The XR20 can output MIDI data from pad hits and Pattern or Song sequences through the MIDI
OUT connection on the rear panel. This allows you to send data into a sequencer for recording,
or to drive other sound modules from the XR20.
1.

To change an instrument layer’s MIDI OUT
properties, first select DRUMS, 1-SHOT or
SYNTH.

To have the XR20 output MIDI note data from pad
hits or when playing a Pattern/Song, use the
INC/DEC buttons or the VALUE dial to select ON.
Select OFF if you don't want the XR20 to transmit
note data.
Tip: If the XR20 is acting as a drum machine and provides the master clock to a MIDI
system, select OFF so that other devices don't respond to the MIDI note data.

Page 4 / ASSIGN MIDI NOTE NUMBERS TO DRUM PADS (NOTE)
This page allows you to specify which MIDI Note Number is associated with a given pad. This
number describes both the MIDI Note which will trigger the pad when controlling the XR20
externally, as well as the MIDI Note which will be sent out to other MIDI devices when the
associated pad is struck.
The display shows the note number/name in the upper
left, and the drum pad number in the upper right window.
1.

First, select which instrument layer you wish to edit
by pressing DRUMS, 1-SHOT or SYNTH.

Press the drum pad to be assigned to a MIDI Note,
as confirmed by the Drum Pad Number display.

Enter the note number/name with the number
buttons, INC/DEC buttons or the VALUE dial.
Note: MIDI Note assignments are "global" and affect every Pattern. MIDI note
assignments are not individually selectable for each Pattern.

The default note assignments for each instrument layer are shown below.
Note: The Synth part cannot have MIDI Note numbers assigned. These are preset to
start at MIDI Note number C2 (048)
DRUMS

1-SHOT

SYNTH

PAD

MIDI NOTE #

KEY NAME

PAD

MIDI NOTE #

KEY NAME

PAD

MIDI NOTE #

KEY NAME

PAD 1
PAD 2
PAD 3
PAD 4
PAD 5
PAD 6
PAD 7
PAD 8
PAD 9
PAD 10
PAD 11
PAD 12

036
038
037
042
044
046
048
047
041
049
051
053

C1
D1
C#1
F#1
G#1
A#1
C2
B1
F1
C#2
D#2
F2

PAD 1
PAD 2
PAD 3
PAD 4
PAD 5
PAD 6
PAD 7
PAD 8
PAD 9
PAD 10
PAD 11
PAD 12

060
061
063
064
062
075
067
068
065
066
069
080

C3
C#3
D#3
E3
D3
D#4
G3
G#3
F3
F#3
A3
G#4

PAD 1
PAD 2
PAD 3
PAD 4
PAD 5
PAD 6
PAD 7
PAD 8
PAD 9
PAD 10
PAD 11
PAD 12

048
049
050
051
052
053
054
055
056
057
058
059

C2
C#2
D2
D#2
E2
F2
F#2
G2
G#2
A2
A#2
B2

Page 5 / ACCEPT EXTERNAL CLOCK VALUE (CLOCK IN)
Playback and tempo on the XR20 can be controlled by external devices through MIDI Clock if:

The external device (sequencer, drum machine, etc.) generates MIDI timing signals.
These signals go from the external device's MIDI OUT to the XR20's MIDI IN.
CLOCK IN is ON.

To have the XR20 recognize clock (timing) messages
present at its MIDI input, use the INC/DEC buttons or
VALUE dial to select ON (if no clock messages are
present, the XR20 will follow its internal clock tempo).
Select OFF to have the XR20 ignore clock messages
and follow its internal clock tempo regardless of what
timing data appears at the MIDI IN.

Tip: When using the XR20 as an expander module, set CLOCK IN to OFF so that
timing signals don't start playing a Pattern.

Page 6 / SEND CLOCK VALUE TO OTHER DEVICES (CLOCKOUT)
The XR20 can generate MIDI Clock timing signals to which other devices can synchronize if:

The external device (sequencer, drum machine, etc.) can respond to MIDI timing signals.
These signals go from the XR20's MIDI OUT to the external device's MIDI IN.
CLOCKOUT is ON.

To have the XR20 generate timing data at its MIDI out,
use the INC/DEC buttons or the VALUE dial to select
ON.
Select OFF to inhibit MIDI timing signals from appearing
at the MIDI out jack.
Tip: When slaving the XR20 to other devices,
CLOCKOUT should be OFF and CLOCK IN
should be ON.

Page 7 / MERGE MIDI IN WITH MIDI OUT (MIDITHRU)
To have the XR20 merge data appearing at the MIDI IN
with the timing and/or note data transmitted through the
MIDI OUT, you can enable MIDITHRU.
Use the INC/DEC buttons or VALUE dial to select ON.
Select OFF to have the XR20 MIDI OUT transmit XR20
timing and note data only.
Example: Turning MIDI OUT to MIDI THRU can be handy for some system applications.
Assume a MIDI keyboard connects to the MIDI IN on the XR20 and the unit serves as the
master clock for a sequencer (the MIDI OUT from the XR20 is connected to the sequencer’s
MIDI IN). With MIDITHRU set to ON, the keyboard note data will be passed through the
XR20 and appear at the sequencers MIDI IN.
Other XR20 settings should be DRUM IN set to OFF (so the XR20 doesn't respond to your
keyboard playing) and CLOCKOUT set to ON so that the XR20 clock drives the sequencer.
DRUMOUT should also be OFF so that the sequencer doesn't record the XR20 drum notes.
Plugging the sequencer MIDI OUT to the keyboard MIDI IN plays back the sequenced notes
through the keyboard.
Technically speaking, MIDI timing data (as provided by a master unit such as a sequencer)
received at the XR20's MIDI IN is not sent to the MIDI OUT. However, this will appear to be
the case since the XR20 will generate its own timing data in response to the timing data
received at its MIDI IN, if CLOCK IN and CLOCK OUT are both ON.

Page 8 / SELECT DRUM SETS VIA MIDI PROGRAM CHANGES (PRG CHNG)
A Program Change is a message sent to devices which
causes them to switch to a new program, or bank of
sounds. Drum Set selection on the XR20 can be
controlled externally at any time (even during playback)
through the use of Program Change messages.
To have the XR20 receive Program Change messages,
use the INC/DEC buttons or VALUE dial to select ON.
Select OFF to have the XR20 ignore Program Change
messages.
Program Change (PC) 00 selects User Drum Set 00; PC 01 selects User Drum Set 01; PC 02
selects User Drum Set 02; etc. However, be aware that some devices number Program Changes
as 1-128, others as 0-127, and some as banks of programs.
Tip: If the device generating Program Changes follows a non-standard protocol, it's a good idea to
make up a conversion chart which shows which Program Changes call up which Drum Sets.

Please note that in order to access User kits, you will need to send a Bank Select message along
with the Program Change. Refer to the table below for information on how to access different
kits.
BANK MSB
0
0
0
0
0
0

BANK LSB
0
1
0
1
0
1

PROG CHANGE
00-99
00-99
00-99
00-99
00-99
00-99

SELECTION
PRESET DRUM KITS
USER DRUM KITS
PRESET 1-SHOT KITS
USER 1-SHOT KITS
PRESET SYNTH KITS
USER SYNTH KITS

Page 9 / TEMPO SELECTION (TEMPO)
This function describes how the XR20 will use tempo data when playing back Patterns.
If you choose GLOBAL, the XR20 will use a global
tempo setting and will ignore any tempo data associated
with a Pattern.
If you choose PERPAT, the XR20 will use the tempo
data stored with each Pattern. For example, if Pattern
01’s tempo is set to 90 and Pattern 02’s tempo is set to
120, the XR20 will increase the tempo when switching
from Pattern 01 to Pattern 02.

Page 10 / MAP DRUM NOTES (NOTE MAP)
Within each Pattern, MIDI notes can either be mapped
to 12 different sounds in NORMAL mode, or they can be
mapped to any of five drumset groups (User Drumsets
00-09, 10-19, 20-29, 30-39, etc ) in MULTI-DRUMSET
mode.
Any of these drumset groups can cover MIDI notes 000
through 119. This makes the XR20 ideal for use as a
drum sound module, triggered by either an electronic
drum kit or set of electronic drum pads, or by notes from
a sequencer.
Note that while in this mode, you cannot record notes into a Pattern via MIDI. It is assumed that
you will be using the XR20 strictly as a drum sound expander module.
The chart on the following page shows which drum pads of which drum sets are triggered by
which MIDI notes. The logic to this assignment is that there are 12 drum pads per octave of
notes, so pad 1 always starts on a C note (MIDI notes 000, 012, 024, 036, 048, 060, 072, 084,
096, and 108). Remember that these drum assignments must be saved as Drum Sets in order to
retain the note map assignments.

Drum note map in MULTI-DRUMSET mode.
NOTE: In this chart, Pad and MIDI note number values for drumset 00 also apply to drumsets 10,
20, 30, and 40; values for drumset 01 also apply to drumsets 11, 21, 31 and 41, etc.

DRUM
SET
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
01
01
01
01
01
01
01
01
01
01
01
01
02
02
02
02
02
02
02
02
02
02
02
02
03
03
03
03

PAD
#
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
1
2
3
4

MIDI
NOTE
000
001
002
003
004
005
006
007
008
009
010
011
012
013
014
015
016
017
018
019
020
021
022
023
024
025
026
027
028
029
030
031
032
033
034
035
036
037
038
039

DRUM
SET
03
03
03
03
03
03
03
03
04
04
04
04
04
04
04
04
04
04
04
04
05
05
05
05
05
05
05
05
05
05
05
05
06
06
06
06
06
06
06
06

PAD
#
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

MIDI
NOTE
040
041
042
043
044
045
046
047
048
049
050
051
052
053
054
055
056
057
058
059
060
061
062
063
064
065
066
067
068
069
070
071
072
073
074
075
076
077
078
079

DRUM
SET
06
06
06
06
07
07
07
07
07
07
07
07
07
07
07
07
08
08
08
08
08
08
08
08
08
08
08
08
09
09
09
09
09
09
09
09
09
09
09
09

PAD
#
9
10
11
12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

MIDI
NOTE
080
081
082
083
084
085
086
087
088
089
090
091
092
093
094
095
096
097
098
099
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119

PAGE 11 / MANUAL DRUMSET OVERRIDE (SET MODE)
Each Pattern has an associated, assigned Drum Set. However, you can tell the XR20 to ignore
these stored assignments, and retain the currently selected Drum Set regardless of whether or
not you change Patterns. This is useful if you want to hear how a Pattern would sound with a
different Drum Set (just set one up manually) as opposed to the one stored with the Pattern.
Use the INC/DEC buttons or the VALUE dial to select
PATT (each Pattern uses its assigned Drum Set) or
MANUAL (the XR20 will retain the currently selected
drum assignments regardless of which Pattern is
chosen).
Note: If changing Patterns doesn't call up
different Drum Sets, this parameter is
probably set to MANUAL instead of PATT.
Page 12 / LEDs (LEDS OFF)
On this page you can specify whether the LEDs on the
XR20 will be lit, or turned off to preserve battery life.
Use the INC / DEC buttons or the VALUE dial and select
OFF to turn off the LEDs.
Select ON to turn on the LEDs.

Page 13 / BACKLIGHT BRIGHTNESS (BACKLITE)
On this page, you can adjust the brightness of the
display. Note that lower brightness settings will help
preserve battery life.
Use the INC / DEC buttons or the VALUE dial to adjust
the brightness setting (OFF, 1-9 or FULL for maximum
brightness).

Page 14 / BATTERY LEVEL (BATT LVL)
This page indicates the remaining battery charge.

Page 15 / LOW BATTERY WARNING (LO BATT)
On this page you can specify the threshold the battery
should reach before warning of low battery. This
warning will let you know when it is time to replace the
batteries or plug in the power adapter.
Use the number buttons, INC / DEC buttons or the
VALUE dial to select a percentage of the full battery
charge.

Page 16 / CHECK AVAILABLE MEMORY (MEM FREE)
This page shows the approximate amount of free
memory available (expressed as a percentage of the
total amount).
It is important to check memory from time to time
because the XR20 always requires some free memory
for proper operation. If the available memory falls below
15% or so, immediately save the XR20's data as
described below.
Some operations may not be possible even if a small amount of memory is left. This is because
the XR20 duplicates a Pattern before it is modified (length change, offset change, etc.). If you try
to alter a Pattern that takes up more memory than is available, the display will tell you that there
is no more memory left.
Immediately save the XR20's data, and determine whether you can erase any unwanted Patterns
or Songs to free up some memory.
Page 17 / SEND SONG AND PATTERN DATA TO MIDI SYS EX STORAGE DEVICE (SEND
OUT MIDI?)
This page allows you to convert the XR20's Pattern and Song information into MIDI system
exclusive data and send this data through the MIDI out. This data can be transferred to software
and hardware devices which support MIDI SysEx
storage.
There are two main reasons to save your work:

Although the XR20 can typically store many
events, eventually it will run out of memory. You
can save the memory contents, fill up the memory
with new Patterns and Songs, and re-load the old
data when needed.

It is vitally important to back up what's in the XR20's memory! A mechanical problem (surge
on the power line, a quick zap of static electricity) or operator error could alter the data in
memory. Save your data whenever you've done enough work on something that you
wouldn't want to lose that work. If possible, make two backups, and store the second
backup in a different physical location from the primary backup.

While on this page, press REC (DO IT) to send XR20 Pattern and Song data as SysEx data. The
display will say SENDING MIDI… to confirm that data is being sent.
Note: Typically, the MIDI OUT would connect to another XR20's MIDI IN or a system
exclusive data storage device such as MIDI sequencer.

SENDING MIDI SYSEX SONG AND PATTERN DATA TO THE XR20
If you wish to load Pattern and Song data back into the XR20, please follow the instructions
below. Please note that this operation will erase any Song and Pattern data which exists on the
XR20!
1.

Connect a 5-pin MIDI cable from your MIDI SysEx device to the XR20’s MIDI IN.

Turn off the XR20.

Hold down the SAVE / COPY button.

Turn on the XR20 while holding down the
SAVE / COPY button.

After a few seconds, you should see the
screen displayed on the right. The XR20 is
ready to receive data.

Now transfer the MIDI system exclusive data
into the XR20. Refer to your MIDI SysEx
device’s documentation for information on
transferring MIDI SysEx.

Once the transfer is complete, turn off the
XR20 and then turn it back on.

APPLICATIONS
MIDI SYNC APPLICATIONS
XR20 As MIDI Timing Master
The XR20 can control several other slave MIDI drum machines or sequencers by turning on MIDI
Clock Out, which sends XR20 timing information down the MIDI line.
1.

Turn on MIDI Clock Out (page 6 of the Record Setup menus).

Program the slave units to not follow their internal clocks, but to accept external MIDI Clock
and Start/Stop data. Refer to each device's manual to find out how to do this. Enable the
slave's Song Position Pointer if it is available.

Press PLAY on the XR20. The slave units should start at the same time, and progress at the
same tempo. If the slaves respond to Song Position Pointer, you can start an XR20 Song at
any point, and after a few seconds the slaves will catch up and synchronize from that point
on.

The diagram on the right shows a
XR20 serving as the MIDI system
master clock, with a sampler device
set as a slave. To slave the sampler
(or any external device accepting
MIDI in) use a 5-pin MIDI cable to
connect the MIDI OUT of the XR20 to
the MIDI IN of the device.

XR20 As MIDI Timing Slave
The XR20 can be controlled by external devices through MIDI Clock. This allows you to sync
playback and tempo on the XR20 to your external MIDI device.
1.

Turn on MIDI Clock In on the XR20 (page 5 of the Record Setup menus).

Program the master unit to send MIDI Clock. Refer to each device's manual to find out how
to do this.

Press PLAY on the master clock device. The XR20 should start at the same time, and
progress at the same tempo.

The diagram on the right shows a
XR20 serving as a MIDI system
slave, with a synth workstation
device set as the master clock
source. To slave the XR20, use a 5pin MIDI cable to connect the MIDI
OUT of the master clock device to the
MIDI IN of the XR20.

STRATEGIES FOR ASSEMBLING PATTERNS AND SONGS
Ideally, you should be able to translate your inspirations into tangible form with a minimum
amount of effort. The following tips and techniques help speed up the process of creating
Patterns and Songs.

Create Fills Quickly with the Copy Function
Many times a Fill will simply be a variation on another Pattern, but with a few minor
differences to add variety or serve different musical purposes. To save time, use the
Copy function to copy the main Pattern to the Fill, and then add variations to the Fill in
real time or with Step Edit mode.

Assemble Short Patterns into Longer Patterns with the Copy Function
It's less time-consuming to work with short Patterns, since you don't have to wait for
the entire Pattern to cycle through before overdubbing or "spot erasing" events. After
assembling several short Patterns, use the copy function to append Patterns into a
longer Pattern. Example: Create four eight-beat Patterns, then use the copy function to
combine these into a single 32-beat Pattern.

Save Memory Through Song Steps
Whenever possible, repeat Patterns using Song steps rather than program long
Patterns. Example: Suppose you have a 16-measure figure where the first three
groups of four measures are identical, and the final group of four measures provides
some sort of variation. Recording this as one 16-measure Pattern will take up more
memory than recording two Patterns (one of the first group of four measures and one
of the last group of four measures), and while in Song mode repeating the first group
three times followed by the last group once.

Odd Time Signatures
For time signatures based on quarter notes, changing the number of beats in a Pattern
can also change the time signature. Example: Programming a Pattern seven beats
long will yield a measure of 7/4. Programming a Pattern 14 beats long will yield two
measures of 7/4. Time signatures such as 2/4, 3/4, 5/4, 9/4, and so on are easy to
implement.
For time signatures based on eighth notes, it's easiest to double the tempo so that
each beat lasts an eighth note instead of a quarter note. However, you will have to
take this into account when quantizing and setting the metronome—if the display says
a quarter note, it will be read as an eighth note.
Plan carefully when mixing different time signatures within the same piece. If some
Patterns use a time signature based on quarter notes and others on eighth notes, you
will need to double the tempo for the quarter note-based Patterns to match up with the
eighth-note based Patterns.

UNDERSTANDING RHYTHMIC NOTATION
Measures A piece of music is divided into smaller units called measures (also
called bars), and each measure is divided into beats. In the XR20, each beat is
further sub-divided into 96 sub-beats.
Rhythmic Values for Notes With a measure written in a 4/4 time signature,
there are 4 beats per measure, and each beat represents a quarter (1/4) note.
Thus, there are 4 quarter notes per measure of 4/4 music. With a 3/4 time
signature the "numerator" indicates that there are 3 beats per measure, while the
"denominator" indicates that each of these beats is a quarter note (1/4).
There are two eighth notes per quarter note. Thus, there are eight eighth notes
per measure of 4/4 music.
There are four 16th notes per quarter note. Thus, there are sixteen 16th notes
per measure of 4/4 music.
There are eight 32nd notes per quarter note. Thus, there are thirty-two 32nd
notes per measure of 4/4 music.
There are also notes that span a greater number of beats than quarter notes. A
half note equals two quarter notes. Therefore, there are two half notes per
measure of 4/4 music. A whole note equals four quarter notes, so there is one
whole note per measure of 4/4 music. (We keep referring these notes in 4/4 time
because that is the most commonly used time signature in contemporary
Western music.)
Triplets The above notes divide measures by factors of two. However, there are
some cases where you want to divide a beat into thirds, giving three notes per
beat. Dividing a quarter note by three results in eighth-note triplets. The reason
why we use the term eighth-note triplets is because the eighth note is closest to
the actual rhythmic value. Dividing an eighth note by three results in 16th-note
triplets. Dividing a 16th note by three results in 32nd note triplets.
Rests You can also specify where notes should not be played; this is indicated
by a rest, which can be the same length as any of the rhythmic values used for
notes.
Time Signatures 4/4 (and to a lesser extent 3/4) are the most common time
signatures in our culture, but they are by no means the only ones. In jazz, both
5/4 (where each measure consists of five quarter notes) and 7/4 (where each
measure consists of seven quarter notes) are often used. In practice, complex
time signatures are played like a combination of simpler time signatures; for
example, some 7/4 compositions would have you count each measure not as 1,
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 but as 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3. It's often easier to think of 7/4 as one bar
of 4/4 followed by one bar of 3/4 (or the other way around, depending on the
phrasing), since, as we mentioned, 4/4 and 3/4 are extremely common time
signatures.

MIDI IMPLEMENTATION CHART
Function

Transmitted

Recognized

Basic

Default

1-16

Channel

Changed

1-16

Remarks

0-127

True Voice

0-127

Note On

1-127

Note Off

0-127

RESTORE MIDI Mode only
MIDI out only

Note Number:

Velocity

After Touch

Ch’s

Pitch Bend

Program
Change

True #

System Exclusive
Song Pos

Song Sel

Tune

System

Clock

Realtime

Commands

System
Common

Local On/Off

Aux

Active Sense

Messages

Reset

GM On

Notes:
* Available for Synth sounds only

O:YES
X:NO

KEY FEATURES

Professional drum machine so you can record and play back your own beats
12 natural feeling, velocity-sensitive drum pads
Large 32MB sound set, featuring drum, 1-shot and synth sounds
Dynamic Articulation stereo samples with reverb and ambience for realistic playing
100 Preset / 100 User drum kits with a large collection of sounds assignable to any pad
32 voice polyphony
Built-in Effects – Reverb, EQ and Compression
Built-in rhythm patterns to complement your playing
Large LCD display with easy-to-navigate interface
Microphone input
MIDI output to play external MIDI devices
MIDI input for using the XR20 as a drum expander module
2 Footswitch inputs for controlling Start/Stop and Count/A/B/Fill
High-quality 24-bit stereo, aux L/R and headphone outputs
AC or battery powered (batteries not included)
Lightweight, durable enclosure

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Audio Outputs:

Pads:
Sample/DAC Bit Resolution
Sounds:
Sounds Accessible via Pads
Sounds Accessible via MIDI
Polyphony
Panning
Velocity Response
Timing Resolution
Time Signature Range
Tempo Range
Notes/Patterns/Songs
Kits
MIDI Prog Change Response
Sync
Footswitch Jacks/Functions
Microphone Input
Other Features
Power

1 TRS ¼” (aux)
2 TS ¼” (main)
1 TRS ¼” (phones)
12 velocity sensitive (w/Dynamic Articulation™)
16 / 24
700+
12
120
32 voice
7-position user programmable
8 loudness levels via pads, 127 via MIDI
96 ppq
1-128 beats per pattern
30-300 BPM
150,000 / 200 (100 user, 100 preset) / 100
100 user, 100 preset
Kit
MIDI Clock with Song Position Pointer
Start / Stop
Count / A / B / Fill
TS 1/4”
Step Editing, Stereo Samples, Reverb and Compressor / EQ effects.
12 VAC External Transformer, UL and CSA Approved
6 AA batteries (not included)

MANUAL VERSION 1.3

www.akaipro.com

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