i was aware of the original mpc1000 pad problem but i never actually had one until very recently. i bought an original 1000 from guitar center used for like 200 bucks. the whole thing was beat on. i resoldered the entire board with new tacts, had to replace a few busted buttons. and then i realize several of the pads are shot. ahhhh. what a cheap mpc.
so i came here and read through stuff, but didnt really get a solid solution. i refuse to buy a pad upgrade kit for those crappy little pads. not worth it.
after taking the origial pads apart and trying several things, i finally have a fix. the only drawback is this fix leaves you at 100 percent pad velocity. i dont really mind that though, because at least the pads work again. its not really a big deal.
anyways, take the whole thing apart as described somewhere buried in this thread.
unscrew the 4 screws on the pad mount, disconnent the main connection underneath and the nv connection on the lift. (you will need a tiny flathead screwdriver to pry the connectors apart gently. lift the pad mount out where you can work on it.
unscrew each pad from the mount (2 screws each), disconnect each pad, and remove them from the mount.
take apart each pad. very gently pry open the 4 tabs on the pad frame and seperate the frame, rubber, and pad circuit.
throw the pads and metal frames in some dish detergent water and clean them up. (this is a good chance to remove disgusting finger grease, dirt, food, cocaine etc that has accumulated in between the pads.
take the pad circuit board and gently scrub the connection clean with rubbing alcohol. peel off the carbon paper if need be. peel off the 4 dabs of cheap chinese glue that held the carbon paper on. use q tips and get the circuit clean.
prep the rubber pads. with a small piece of medium sandpaper, prep the center of each rubber pad by scuffing it up a little bit. this isnt prob necessary, but it helps.
get a tube of silicone. i used this kind and it seemed to bond very well to the rubber pads.
http://i.walmartimages.com/i/mp/00/07/70/27/05/0007702705060_P321146_500X500.jpgcut a sheet of reynolds wrap aluminum foil into 16 tiny squares that will be placed in the center of each of the rubber pads. you want to use a thinner sheet of aluminum foil, not thick stuff.
cut some cardboard squares out smaller than the rubber pads. squirt some silicone onto a pice of paper and apply a careful dot to the center of rubber pad (i did three at a time so i didnt get messy)
use the cardboard to evenly wipe the silicone across the back of the rubber pad. you dont want to use too much but you do want to create a bed of silicone.
place the aluminum foil square in the center of the pad. press it in and gently shift it around before centering so that is fully contaced with silicone. its ok if some of this silicone gets on it on the sides, but you want to try to keep the center of the foil clean. try not to get silicone on the tops of the pads while you work either.
do this for all 16 pads and let them sit for 24 hours to fully dry.
the ge silicone i used seemed to really bond like a beast to the original mpc rubber pads, and its flexible so it seems like the best solution rather than try to use tape or anything.
reassemble all the pads. place the rubber pad into the metal frame, then place the circuit onto that. close each of the 4 frame tabs by hand, making sure there enough pressure to make a tight clasp on the pad. then GENTLY give the 4 tabs each a squeeze with some pliers to do a final tightening.
place the pads back on the mount and one by remount the pads with their 2 screws. sometimes you have to gently flatten the pads tabs on the side to get everything to fit together. this is really the longest step but your almost done.
reattach the main pad cable and nv cable, reattach the mount with its 4 screws.
turn on the mpc and test all the pads.
put the mpc shell back on, screw everything together. test the pads one last time.
thats it. works really good. f*ck buying a pad replacement kit.