MPC 1000 PAD UPGRADE ORDER

Nym wrote:you need to calibrate your sensors.

worked like a charm. i'll eventually want fix the 1mm gap you mentioned. do you have a pics or videos of the application of the silicon glue?

I turned the PAD ON LEVEL all the way up instead of all the way down... Now they work beatifully. I may end up adjusting the gaps, but for right now I'm just so happy to finally have a real MPC. Problem solved.

VST in Pasadena California USA. VST is a official Akai dealer for 20 years plus.Fast,Reliable Service & have new mpc 1000 pad upgrade & have black mpc 1000 pads too in stock!

I am also having some issues with the sensitivity, which is made slightly better with 'pad on level' turned all the way down to 1, but it says on jj's website 'if it is set as low values, it will be set to pad on by weak power', yet i still have to bang the pads pretty hard, harder than my old ones it seems.

Now I know for all you people that are awaiting to recieve you're upgrade this isn't what you want to hear but it seems most of you have had good results from these, I just wish I knew what was wrong with mine..

Nym did you have to sort the 1mm gap before they were sensitive? I seriously need to do something, these are worse than my old pads when they were new/not broken.

Aerodynamic321 wrote:

Nym wrote:you need to calibrate your sensors.

worked like a charm. i'll eventually want fix the 1mm gap you mentioned. do you have a pics or videos of the application of the silicon glue?

Hi, i searched the forum for a while but could not find much about fixing this gap 1mm.
Could someone point where this has been discussed?
If not, i would think that a new thread with tips or details on how to fix the gap would be really useful.
thanks!

this is what i sent to JACOB OF DURBAN when he asked about it:

Quote:
i did make it a public post, a while ago, but there wasn't a lot discussion. most folks weren't interested, which is unfortunate, because my pads are MUCH more playable now than they were when they were shipped to me.

i'd make a video on how to do this, but i already did it to mine and don't feel like pulling it all apart. also, it's impossible to convey the before/after feeling on Youtube.

the glue is a wallmart brand "clear household silicone glue." it should be available in most hardware stores. before you put any on your mpc, drop some on a piece of paper and observe it after it cures. it should feel/look like a whitish clear rubber.

now, look at your pads. do you see those 4 nipples used to secure the pads into the metal frame on which the sensors sit? if it weren't for these 4 nipples, the pads would sit flush against a flat, holeless surface.

what you're gonna want to do is build a curing stand. i used a cooling rack from the kitchen - something with holes in it for the nipples to poke through and allow the pads to lie flat. then, cut a large rectangle of VERY FLAT cardboard and use a knife or a hole puncher to punch out 4 holes for the nipples.

set the cardboard on the cooling rack. now, take some plastic wrap and stretch it taut over the cardboard. use tape to make sure it's both taut and flat. use a pencil to poke 4 holes in the plastic wrap to allow the nipples to go through.

now, turn your pads on their face so you can see their underbellies. place a fingernail-sized dollop of silicone glue on each rounded pad surface. not TOO too much - you don't want to fill the entire indentation. you just want to augment that rounded surface, kind of creating a "peak" if you will. use your own judgement for how much to apply - and try your damndest to keep it somewhat uniform. using too little won't do you much good and might give you unpredictable corner hits. using too much will not allow the pads to lay flat and it'll cure funky/give you mad ghost notes.

once you've applied the glue, drop the entire gooey pad mess directly onto the plastic wrap. line the nipples up to the holes and drop it in. don't move it side to side. if it helps, bend the pad set and put the nipples in 2 at a time.

let it cure in room temperature, overnight. remove it from the plastic wrap by peeling the plastic wrap away. using your finger (w/ glove cuz you're technically not supposed to touch this glue stuff) shore up the edges of your silicone add-on. don't get any extra silicone on TOP of the peak you created, but instead along the sides - only if necessary.

then put your mpc back together, boot up os2 and turn your pad threshold to 16 (lowest it can go i think). play your pads - the most gentle touch should now trigger a hit. you'll notice that you may have to change the way you hit your pads to avoid double-hits, because if you use 2 fingers it'll read both fingers hitting the pad, it's that sensitive.

much like the sensitivity of earlier mpcs as well as the padkontrol and others.


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thanks a lot nym!
when you say "plastic wrap", do you mean cling film ?
+ a silly question: if the result is no good (due to user error) can the silicon glue be removed? or does that stuff sort melt the rubber?
thanks.

Mineral spirits are the solvent for silicon adhesive so if you mess it up, you can start over.

Slap me on the head here, Have I missed a meeting or is it just absolutely crazy to be even talking about a home fix with silicon glue to an official Akai $200 'upgrade/fix' for the MPC1000, which is a product that should never have been released with defective pads in the first place - Jeez give me strength!!! Couldn't Akai have got Nym to design their new f~cking pad upgrade so that it would have been fit-for-purpose the moment we installed it. ARRRRGGHHHH I don't want to play this silly game any more. ::loud shotgun blast::

sears wrote:Mineral spirits are the solvent for silicon adhesive so if you mess it up, you can start over.

haha yea that was pretty much the only thing keeping me from wanting to do the modification. But as long as its removable i'll probably be more inclined to attempt it.

if anyone does this please make a vid of the process and i'll record you a live drum break

thanks for the info guys. can't wait to receive my pad upgrade

These pads are really awesome. The MPC's now from another world!

As stated before placing the adhesive is the tricky-part, but with a bit of concentration and a stable hand it's not too tough.

I have to note that it takes some time to get accustomed to the pads. With jjos1 I found that pad sensitivity (for all) 24 and pad on level 2 are the best settings for me. Also more accurate hit results can be achieved by using 2 fingers instead of just 1.

But seriously, I've been missing out on a lot. They're just that good.

Jeez, just arrived from VST
Took 16 days to the UK.
Got caught in customs, they charged me £32 on top.
All in all, an expensive purchase. Hope it's worth it!

edit: fuxxin 'ell, it's like night & day, now the MPC1000 really is a beast,
best £130 I ever spent!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know if their are any European users who ordered or considered ordering the pad upgrade kit at mpc stuff.com/VST, or if anyone posted something like this before.
But anyway, this might be something useful info for people in Europe.

Since I live in Holland and I couldn't find any retailler in my area who sells the upgrade kits, I decided to order them at mpcstuff.com. It takes some time and effort, but if everything goes fine, I'll be banging on my new pads this weekend.
Getting a paypal account was the hardest part actually. Putting money on your account takes 4-6 workdays before the transaction is complete. (I think this goes way faster with credit card) I made the transaction on a saturday, and after a week I was finally able to spend the $$

So last saturday I ordered the pads.Mpc stuff charges you $20 for shipping abroad. So I also ordered a few slides and knobs who need to be replaced too. So I think my $20 is well spend, especially when u keep in mind that the euro is stronger then the dollar at the moment (At PayPal, 200euros is $248)

Monday around midnight CET I received a mail that they sended my package to the USPS Global service.

And just a few minutes ago I visited the track & confirm site of USPS to track my package, where I read that my package 'left the United statetes from FOREIGN CENTERJERSEY CITY NJ 099 at 11:21 AM on November 12, 2008'.

So that means my package will probably arrive before this weekend. For now I'm really satisfied with buying stuff from the US thru internet.
So all u European guys, if u need the upgrade kit plus some extra parts, it's definately worth ordering them in the US.