MPC5000 reviews, bug reports and fellow user support on the most recent standalone, hardware MPC from Akai
By BxJaze Wed Feb 09, 2011 10:46 pm
Before:

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Now:

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My experience:

Having taken this thing apart multiple times, it gets much easier each time (as well it should) even though it still SUCKS overall. Having owned an MPD32 i strongly recommend these for that machine. As far as with my 5000, the idea of having thicker pads just seemed cool so i figured i'd give them a shot. The one major problem I DID have (which of course i didn't see until i put the damn thing back together) was that at least for me, the pad corx that came with them made this thing act out of wack. I would press MODE and the wrong function would come up, I'd tap a pad and it would play either the right sound WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY late, or a whole different sound, or nothing at all. I felt that maybe the corx were cutting the space between the pads and sensors because nothing I tried was working. physically it felt great but ultimately i had to remove them (i figured it'd be harmless since neither the stock pads or the red ones i ordered 1st came with any). I guess they're more for machines like the MPD or the older MPC cause they certainly gave me hell. Still i think i may try them again. Removed 'em and all is good. For now, you've still gotta bang like you normally would (actually maybe 2% harder because the pads are now denser) but this way i feel less cautious about any long term effects of hitting the pads (mind you i mean regular banging, im not one of those people that hits the pads like rock drummers hit snares).

Overall I'm happy with the purchase so I say if you are curious, give 'em a try. Try 'em with the corx, maybe they'll work for you.
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By RodmanSan Sat Sep 01, 2012 12:15 pm
I just ordered Fat Black Pads from MPCstuff.....is it still advisable to use these on the MPC 5000 without the Corx....???
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By PrestoDone85 Fri Sep 14, 2012 1:53 am
Damn should have read this thread before installing the fat pads. I used the corx and 14 of the 16 pads work flawlessly. The sensitivity is insane with the corx...they feel great and will definitly will help the longevity of ur sensors. Pad 1 and pad 3 work, but sometimes it wont play the sample and i have to hit another pad then the pad that wasnt working for it to come back. As i'm using them im kind of "massageing" them and they seem to be getting better. I'm hoping they settle in and act like the rest of the pads. Opening the 5K again to get to the pads and remove the corx is a pain and don't want to do it again. I'll let you guys know if the pads settle in and work out.
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By RodmanSan Fri Sep 14, 2012 6:06 am
I had my Fat pads installed this week...and made care that everything was fitted perfectly due to this topic.

Install. went without a hitch...and all pads function perfectly.

Just make sure that you stick the corx precisely on their spot...and that the 2 rubber pins under the Pad mat fit into the holes where the sensors are situated.

After that carefully place the metal cover back making sure nothing is dented or bent and your good to go.
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By konc3pt Fri Sep 14, 2012 1:42 pm
PrestoDone85 wrote:Pad 1 and pad 3 work, but sometimes it wont play the sample and i have to hit another pad then the pad that wasnt working for it to come back.


sounds like pad sensors going bad, had exact same problem with my 2500...try this
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By PrestoDone85 Sat Sep 15, 2012 8:23 pm
konc3pt wrote:
PrestoDone85 wrote:Pad 1 and pad 3 work, but sometimes it wont play the sample and i have to hit another pad then the pad that wasnt working for it to come back.


sounds like pad sensors going bad, had exact same problem with my 2500...try this



I Just had my sensors replaced about 2 weeks ago by Bruce Forat in Studio City, CA. I'm going to take it in to him on monday since i have a 90 Warranty period. Hopefully its a easy fix. I'll keep you guys poster when i do.
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By PrestoDone85 Mon Sep 17, 2012 9:10 pm
well just had my MPC checked out. The Sensors are good...(Just had new ones put in 2 weeks ago) The culprit were the corx that came with the fat pads. Without the corx the fat pads work but you have to really hit them hard to get dynamics out of your drums. I'm going back to the stock pads...Thick Pads are a POS in my opinion. Now i'm going to see if i can get a refund from mpc-stuff..
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By konc3pt Tue Sep 18, 2012 7:00 pm
you could have salvaged old sensors by the method above... glad you were able to determine the root cause of the problem...i find it interesting that you have to hit the fattys hard...I got them on my 2500 and without any pad calibration from the stock pads Im hittn everything at high velocity gently tapping, it's way too sensitive
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By PrestoDone85 Tue Sep 18, 2012 7:33 pm
yea i really wanted the fat pads to work out. atleast for the mpc 5k they just dont cut it. glad theyr doing their job on you 2.5k
By kwality Thu Oct 23, 2014 12:59 am
Sorry to bump an old thread but I'm curious what the consensus on the fatpads and corx are?

I'm not a new MPC user but I am new to the 5k and even after adjusting sensitivity I think they're a bit more difficult to get proper levels from.

So are they better? Worse? The same? Good for some and not for others?
By Eyalc Thu Oct 23, 2014 11:33 am
"good for some, not for others" is IMO always the answer to questions like this.

Personally I don't like the feel of the fat pads - never installed them on mine, but used them on other MPCs. To me, I like the feel of the thinner pads. But that's what I "grew up" using, so just preference and comfort.

I think it also depends on how "hard" you hit the pads. I don't press the pads hard at all - literally just touch them when I want to trigger a sound. For others, they actually "play" the pads and hit them harder. I'd imagine the thicker pads and cork are good to have for these folks.

This type of a purchase is always tough because if you don't know someone with them, you can't really try it out before going through some effort to buy, install, etc. But for those that I know that have them, they really like them.
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By MPC-Tutor Thu Oct 23, 2014 12:20 pm
kwality wrote:Sorry to bump an old thread but I'm curious what the consensus on the fatpads and corx are?


The key to the fat pads and corx are how you install it all in your MPC. Take your time with the install, center everything and make sure all the rubber nipples are correctly pushed down so the pads lay evenly flat across the entire installation.

Also be aware that there can be variances in 'gap' between the casing and the sensors due to age or manufacturing inconsistencies in the MPC itself which can affect the performance of the pads, especially as you are taking the pad-to-sensor gap down to a minuscule amount - all it takes is for the casing to be out by 1mm in places and that pad could have a drastically different sensitivity to the others.

If you are getting variances in sensitivity on different pads, I'd advise experimenting with adding layers of electrical tape on any pad that appears less sensitive compared to others. This will bring the gap between sensor and pad in line with the rest of the pads.