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NAMM Winter Show: Akai Professional introduced a new tool for creating beats on-the-go – the XR20 Beat Production Station.

The XR20 is a portable beat production station loaded with a sound set that is geared towards making Hip-Hop and R&B beats wherever and whenever inspiration strikes.

More than 700 pre-loaded sounds cover a range of drums, percussion, effects and instrument samples, while an integrated effects engine includes Reverb, EQ and Compression, enabling musicians to make complete backing tracks. A microphone input is included for mixing vocals over patterns. Bright, backlit pads provide visual cues for added beat precision.

The XR20 features sounds of standard and electronic drums, single (one-shot) hits, bass and synth sounds to easily create the maximum mix in minimal time. Key features of the XR20 include:

• More than 700 sounds produced by Chronic Music
• Ninety-nine Preset Patterns and 99 User Patterns
• Backlit LCD
• Bright, glowing, backlit pads that follow the beat
• Microphone input and Headphone output
• Pattern Play Mode – different patterns can be triggered from individual pads
• Drum Roll/Note Repeat feature
• Battery Power capability and AC Adapter

The Akai XR20 is coming Q2 – 2008 to musical instrument retailers with an MSRP of $499.