Solved! Activate Play From Start by hitting a Roland Pad

The MPC is a great tool for using in a live band situation. The only problem is that you can only start the sequencer by pressing the 'Start' Button, or by hooking up a foot pedal. If like me, you play a drum kit with your MPC to the side, you don't always have a spare foot, or want to have to press the little 'Start' button on the unit.

Here's the solution:
Faced with this dilemma, I spoke to some genius electronic whizz friends of mine. They have invented a small box (about the size of a packet of cigarettes) that you plug any Drum pad (ie Roland PD6) into and it converts that signal to make the MPC think that it's a footswitch. Now, all I have to do, is hit the pad and the sequencer starts!
Of course, you can use the system to activate any one of the numerous features that you can assign to the footswitch input(s) MODE/OTHER/FOOTSWITCH

If anyone is interested in getting hold of one, I've attached a link to their ebay store.
Contact details are available on that site.

http://members.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI. ... id=missscs

jjos does this using the "midi note/cc to button" mode
as well as many other things. i'd look into it.

Hi Nym,

The only problem with that, is the need for additional hardware i.e drum brain.
Something's got to translate the pad strike into a MIDI note. I don't really want to have to carry around and set up yet another piece of expensive kit just to do that one trivial task.
This solution is small and elegant and fits inside the MPC flight case - but you do have a point....I'll look into JJOS a little further!

for sure, less hardware is better.
something else you can use is a regular dynamic mic plugged into the footswitch.
create a loud plosive or tap the mic and the mpc will interpret it as a footswitch signal (basically just HIGH/LOW). this can be useful.