Double triggering pads

So in the last couple of weeks I've owned two MPC Live II. One used and one brand new. Both had problems with double triggers on the pads. I tried every possible combination of threshold, sensitivity and curve-settings but I couldn't get rid of them. I also tried to alter my technique but it didn't help much. I've done a ton of searching about this and many people says it's all about your technique, and that you should not rest your fingers on the pads when playing. But how are you supposed to play sustained notes on plugin instruments then? However I get double triggers even when I just tap the pads. I also got the Maschine MK II and I never get any double triggers there now matter what technique i'm using.

So i've kind of given upp the idea of the Live II, but still I cant get the MPC workflow out of my head so I was thinking of maybe getting the MPC One instead because the pads are different?

MPC one owners, how are your pads working for you?

My MPC one had double triggers for the first few weeks, but seem to have 'bedded in' now.

I suspect that somewhere under the pads is a sheet of plastic that is very rigid when new, but becomes more flexible with use .... but that's just a guess

I believe this is some sort of midi problem, do you have some external device hooked up running on a clock?

I have a microkorg and i recently realized when i have it plugged in my internal pads misfire, mainly pad 1. I unhooked it recently because i wanted to just mess with making music using only the mpc and see what i could come up with. when i removed the synth i've stopped having the misfiring pad problem... strange... it took me a couple hours to realise i'd not been having that problem. also i've noticed TC has some effect on it, you if you turn TC off it doesnt freak out as much but it's kinda a handy feature to have.

Timespare wrote:So in the last couple of weeks I've owned two MPC Live II. One used and one brand new. Both had problems with double triggers on the pads. I tried every possible combination of threshold, sensitivity and curve-settings but I couldn't get rid of them. I also tried to alter my technique but it didn't help much. I've done a ton of searching about this and many people says it's all about your technique, and that you should not rest your fingers on the pads when playing. But how are you supposed to play sustained notes on plugin instruments then? However I get double triggers even when I just tap the pads. I also got the Maschine MK II and I never get any double triggers there now matter what technique i'm using.

So i've kind of given upp the idea of the Live II, but still I cant get the MPC workflow out of my head so I was thinking of maybe getting the MPC One instead because the pads are different?

MPC one owners, how are your pads working for you?

Hey, I was writing a long and detailed post with my similar experience. Apparently so long that the forum logged me out and it was all lost. Some day I might write it again in detail, but not today.

To sum it up quickly: I went through two MPC Ones. Brand new (they had the 2.7 firmware though - old units in storage or is this standard for all?). Both had defective pads with double triggering and other issues. The second one was even worse.

I tested everything exhaustively, including my technique. Tested factory and 2.10 firmware. I did reset my preferences. If you can think of something to ask me, I probably did it but ask me anyway.

Resting your finger on the pad plays no part at all. You can literally keep your finger on the pad and vary the pressure to trigger the pad and still play like that without double triggering - until it double triggers.

Yes, you are supposed to play long notes on the synth plugins. Also aftertouch. Polyphonic, no less.

I got my money back. The big retail store was rather uncooperative, to be polite. I still want an MPC. Next time, whenever that is, I will probably buy used from someone who will allow me to test it to my satisfaction (because stores here don't).

Defective products happen in life, but getting two in a row was a first and a shock for me. Especially for what seemed - and still seems - to be the cure to my GAS. Bad batch? Storage conditions? Who knows. From time to time I take a look online to see that I am not alone, and not that unlucky. So thanks for your post, and good luck.

BostonGreen wrote: but becomes more flexible with use ....

It's true.
My MPC live 2 has same issue.

Many people said hav to try change the sensitive setting. But that's not the way to get rid of pad issue.

I have using mpc live 2 for 4month.

Pad issue is not annoying me than first time. It's gonna better senstivity respond and less double trigger issue.

But why?

I don't know.

I have a MPC live for more than two years. I have changed the pads to the fat pads and I also keep have some double trigger issues.Double triggering is not a big problem on my unit, but it is there. If you play with Melodics is more disgusting. I know it is not about how I play due to I have some experience on it and I cannot reproduce them whenever I want to. Never had this on my Korg pad kontrol. I also have watch hundreds of videos where players do not play "correctly" and they do not have any trouble.
I also have notice that temperature on the room affects to it. Also unit are not completely flat or the table you play on is not completely stable, so it affects to double triggering. Work on the settings sometimes helps.
I think it is a general issues on a lot of units and Akai might fix it by improving the settings.

Korzo wrote:If you play with Melodics is more disgusting.

Or if you want to mute tracks or pads, or use the pads for any other kind of input, or do anything live in general.

My theory is that the problem is quite prominent in this generation of MPCs but many users don't notice it or care because of the way they use their machine. MPCs can do so much stuff, most people's usage and workflow is different.

I know it is not about how I play due to I have some experience on it and I cannot reproduce them whenever I want to. Never had this on my Korg pad kontrol. I also have watch hundreds of videos where players do not play "correctly" and they do not have any trouble.
I also have notice that temperature on the room affects to it. Also unit are not completely flat or the table you play on is not completely stable, so it affects to double triggering. Work on the settings sometimes helps.
I think it is a general issues on a lot of units and Akai might fix it by improving the settings.

Technique is maybe 10% of the issue, and I am still not convinced if it even matters that much, or at all. For testing's sake, I tried playing the pads with the MPC on my lap and it didn't make any difference. Maybe Live owners have a comment on that? Consistently replicating the double triggering was also not possible. It would definitely happen, but I couldn't cause it on demand no matter what I tried. Playing soft, hard, fast, slow, use two fingers, hit the corners, roll the finger, tap continuously for a minute, etc.

Pad settings only made it happen a little more or a little less.

I also tried abusing the pads on my old M-Audio controller in the same ways but they just refused to double trigger.

MPC pads do seem to have very inconsistent qualities. The benchmark for me is my MPC Live Mk 1 which has good sensitivity across all pads and no double triggering. I've had to return an MPC Live 2 due to pad sensitivity and double triggering issues (insensitive in the centre of each pad), and the pads on my MPC One is clearly less sensitive than my MPC Live Mk 1 or MPC Touch, although they are perfectly playable (just not 'as good'). But even the pads on my MPK249 (same size as the One) are superior to the MPC One pads.

It might not be the model itself that is affected, it could be individual production runs. But as you say, for some people it simply isn't an issue for their particular workflow or expectations.

Still the best pads for me as Maschine pads, not sure why Akai can't achieve that same level of sensitivity and responsiveness. For a pad controller it's such an important thing to get right IMO!

TBH, even the legacy MPC models would be problematic, double triggering was common and they were never particularly sensitive. 'Bashing' the pads rather than 'caressing' I don't think I was particularly aware of this until I bought a Maschine Mk 2, and I was like 'wow, these pads are really nice. Why aren't the MPC pads like these!??'

But I prefer the MPC workflow, so you adapt your playing accordingly, and it just makes your drumming technique even better in the long run (a bit like learning on a guitar with a high action - when you come to playing a low action model, you play like greased lightning).

Update, thanks for all responses! I guess I'm not alone. I actually went to the store and tried the MCP one. I really hoped that this could be my way into the MPC universe. But unfortunately the double triggers existed there as well An hour later I scrolled through the used market and there was this AKAI Force listed for a good price so I thought maybe it’s worth a try. I know it’s kinda different to the MPC workflow but it has a lot of features in common so I bought it. I’ve had it for about 2 weeks now and I really like it. So what about the double triggers then? I mean these pads are completely different so I thought I should be safe.. Naah not really. They exist even here. So AKAI manage to integrate this bug into all of their gear? It’s definitely not as bad as the MCP live II but it happens from time to time. As of right now I can live with it but I really hope that this could be fixed in some way.

MPC-Tutor wrote:MPC pads do seem to have very inconsistent qualities. The benchmark for me is my MPC Live Mk 1 which has good sensitivity across all pads and no double triggering. I've had to return an MPC Live 2 due to pad sensitivity and double triggering issues (insensitive in the centre of each pad), and the pads on my MPC One is clearly less sensitive than my MPC Live Mk 1 or MPC Touch, although they are perfectly playable (just not 'as good'). But even the pads on my MPK249 (same size as the One) are superior to the MPC One pads.

It might not be the model itself that is affected, it could be individual production runs. But as you say, for some people it simply isn't an issue for their particular workflow or expectations.

Still the best pads for me as Maschine pads, not sure why Akai can't achieve that same level of sensitivity and responsiveness. For a pad controller it's such an important thing to get right IMO!

TBH, even the legacy MPC models would be problematic, double triggering was common and they were never particularly sensitive. 'Bashing' the pads rather than 'caressing' I don't think I was particularly aware of this until I bought a Maschine Mk 2, and I was like 'wow, these pads are really nice. Why aren't the MPC pads like these!??'

But I prefer the MPC workflow, so you adapt your playing accordingly, and it just makes your drumming technique even better in the long run (a bit like learning on a guitar with a high action - when you come to playing a low action model, you play like greased lightning).

Hearing this from the man himself helps feel better about my personal experience. For what it's worth, hitting the pads really hard didn't seem to make a difference.

Personally, I was having a great time with the MPC workflow and how it made me do different things and in different ways than I would in a DAW. The combination of workflow and interface really did feel like an instrument with its own identity. Although I am back to trying to make DAWs work for me and with my hardware the way I want to, the MPC is always in the back of my head. That said, I haven't fired up MPC Beats since - after having had a proper MPC, Beats just feels wrong and hobbled without an MPC controller.

Guitarists coming from high action guitars - or even worse, moving from acoustic to electric - tend to squeeze the strings super hard and out of tune at first!

Tip: try hitting the pad with two fingers.
Seems to help for me.

Same issue here.(( Never had this problem with my NI Maschine mk3. What we must to do with it, akai? You have an answer??

May not completely solve your problem, but on my MPC one +, i found the optimal settings to be pad threshold at 4 and sensitivity at default 8. Also I think they do have to get broken in a bit, but my pads don’t feel wonky anymore like they did within that first couple of weeks of owning it.

Db909 wrote: Also I think they do have to get broken in a bit,

They do not need breaking in, they should work perfectly out of the box. If they don't, then unfortunately you have one of the % of units with less than optimal pads. I've experienced it with a Live 2 (inconsistent response across different parts of the pad), and my MPC One pads remain insensitive two years later, no matter what the pad settings.

My Live 1, MPC Touch, MPC Studio 1 & 2, MPK 249 all had good pad performance out of the box and continue to do so. This is why I would never buy an MPC second hand, I would always want the option of a 'no quibble' return should I find the pads are sub-par.

I would also point out that MPC pads cannot hold a candle to Maschine pads, which IMO have far superior sensitivity, based on my experiences at least (Maschine+ and Micro Mk2).

Well whatever the case may be I’m happy with the way my pads are. Could be all in my head too, new device, not used to playing it, ya know