pad upgrade - gap between pad and sensor

I installed the pad upgrade and it feels like the gap between the pad and the sensor is bigger on some of the pads. Like when i hit some of the pads it slaps down on the sensor and others there feels like theres no gap. Anyone else experience something similar?

yeah.. this has been covered in a lot of different threads... it's a design flaw with the mpc1000 pads... they left too much space between the pads & sensors and it makes the pads practically useless without turning FULL LEVEL on.

there are a few different solutions that have been mentioned in multiple threads... you basically fill the gap on the bottom of the pads with either tape, label stickers, silicone, or mpcstuff even has a product called pad corx for this...

wait, so the fix to the old flawed design has a flaw of its own? i've heard of the gap problem but didn't know "it makes the pads practically useless without turning FULL LEVEL on."

boogaloo wrote:wait, so the fix to the old flawed design has a flaw of its own? i've heard of the gap problem but didn't know "it makes the pads practically useless without turning FULL LEVEL on."

not true..

yeah, ok... so i've just been using my mpc1000 for 3 years and am now making shit up.

ever used another model MPC that isn't the mpc1000 or 500? the pads on the 1000 are sh!t. trust me.

i realize you're a proud owner of your mpc and all... but let's call a spade a spade.

thanks crossings, I've never used any others except my mpc1000 (with new pads) but was very surprised at how unresponsive they are ... glad it's not just me!

Crossings is correct, the gap makes the pads pretty much useless unless you are on FULL. Anyone who has ever used any other piece of velocity sensitive gear can agree....

I have been working on a solution for this for some time now. So far I got good results using adhesive dots to fill the gaps. I noticed that not all of the pads have the same gaps which make it difficult. The gap is roughly 1/16" between the pad and the sensor. The problem is that when the gap is filled completely the pad is overly sensitive and pressing one pad can trigger the neighboring pad.

having said all that... i still think the MPC1000 is a great piece of gear. once you install JJOS, it essentially becomes a portable mpc2500 with crappier pads. it's still possibly the best portable sampler out there [when comparing to the roland SP series for example] and i too am a proud owner of one... but for the thousand dollar retail price tag, i feel like they should have made the pad sheet just a bit thicker. i'm actually surprised that mpcstuff hasn't come up with a set of pads that just has thicker rubber on the bottom that fills those gaps [so that no mod is needed]... that would become their best selling set of pads in no time. i'm also curious if there's any truth to that "version 3" of the pads that someone here mentioned... maybe they finally fixed this issue for good?

i do admit that filling the gap makes them much more sensitive, i dont agree that they are completely useless with out full level on.... with the sensitivity turned up to 25 i can get a lower sound with slight taps and a louder sound with a hard tap.. thats all i meant.. the only other pads ive played around with were the 8 pads on the axiom which were pretty good, the mpd18, and the e-mu MP7.. with the pad corx i could get a sound just by caressing the pad.. it is good to fill the gap but it isnt a necessity by any means.. i also feel like i wasted 22 bucks buying these corx..

all i'm saying is that the day you use an MPC2500 and see how the pads react, you're gonna feel like AKAI ripped you off. you shouldn't have to slam down on a pad to get it to full velocity... i'm really considering the nym silicone/glue fix at this point.

I have been working on different household materials that everyone should have at home to solve this problem once and for all. Once I nail it down I will spread the info.

i'll look forward to that, man. one of the reasons i'm considering the silicone mod is because i've got the clear pad set on... so the pad corx were visible and would change the color of the pad. i'm assuming the silicone, if spread evenly, wouldn't change the color of the pads if light is shining directly on them... i could be wrong though.

Na It wont spread evenly (that sounded bad ) I know because I tried using Elmers to hold a test piece in place and when I removed it, it was sloppy. It would have to be as close to dry as possible before installing. Damn pads man....Ive spent more time in the past week tryn to mod them than making beats

i remember seeing a youtube video of someone using 4 layers of electric tape squares taped down to the pads.. to increase sensitivity.. sounds like a pretty obvious alternative to the pad corx..

josephnicks wrote:i remember seeing a youtube video of someone using 4 layers of electric tape squares taped down to the pads.. to increase sensitivity.. sounds like a pretty obvious alternative to the pad corx..

that's what i did to my mpd 24 and it worked pretty well. i'm disappointed to learn that i won't get proper mpc pads if i buy the upgrade for my 1k though. with shipping and taxes the price gets really steep if you order from outside of the US and i'm starting to think it's not worth it.