What to check in MPC2000XL I received on Ebay? Stiff pads?

One question: How do the stock pads feel?

Are they supposed to be squishy/pressing/ in the corners, but hard, flat, and pretty damn stiff all in the middle? I know I can replace pads, but I want to know if.... this is how it should be? It kinda hurts to be pressing on them hard.

Of course, I'm learning the machine and testing as I go. Dude had it with a ZIP drive and had a ZIP disk of sounds that don't seem to even load on the MPC, lol. Waiting to get a CF card reader and install that.

I know I'm hogging the forums with questions but one day I'll be a fine answerer.

The Mpc 2000 pads are dope
Things to look out for is unresponsive pads, unresponsive tact switches ( espielly ones you'll use regurally like 'Shift' , 'prog' , sample' , 'mixer'
I don't have a Mpc2000xl I have a mpc2000 so Im not sure of the layout but on mine it's 12 grey/blue buttons.
Also check the F-1 to F- 6 buttons.
And OF course make sure the floppy drive loads up the operating system.

The pads feel like soft grey velvet
They shoul'nt feel hard.
Peace God.

hok-2 wrote:The Mpc 2000 pads are dope
Things to look out for is unresponsive pads, unresponsive tact switches ( espielly ones you'll use regurally like 'Shift' , 'prog' , sample' , 'mixer'
I don't have a Mpc2000xl I have a mpc2000 so Im not sure of the layout but on mine it's 12 grey/blue buttons.
Also check the F-1 to F- 6 buttons.
And OF course make sure the floppy drive loads up the operating system.

The pads feel like soft grey velvet
They shoul'nt feel hard.
Peace God.

I'll check out those buttons, alright, for sure.

Hmmm, they don't feel hard? Maybe I should post a video of what it looks like. Mine feel rather hard in the middle, and only squishy at the four corners of each pad square. They're not super hard, but not squishy like a pad would be? Is this normal?

New pads are not super-squishy, they are relatively firm but have some 'give'. It sounds like your pads are just old, over the years they will begin to harden, probably more in the areas of most use (i.e. the middle). Remember your MPC2000XL might be up to 18 years old and like any vintage sampler there will be parts that need replacing over time.

just to chuck this in....

my 2kXL pads were always really firm......they worked fine, but there was no give in them at all.....

then I sent my MPC off to Jazzcat for a little repair and they came back really soft and spongy......fuck nows what he actually did with them, but they feel much nicer now....