the story so far: searching for a DIY pad solution

there was JJ no is VAJ...cool

hah i'm gonna have to pass on that nickname, say it aloud a couple times hahaha

you guys are gonna flip out. i have to modify a little bit. these things are REALLY sensitive now, to the point where the lightest bounce registers a hit at about 20-40 vels. i want to get it lower, and i'm gonna do that by adding a little bit of foam.

we'll see how it goes, i'm already stoked and what i'm running on right now is the quickest of prototypes i threw together to test the material... rediculous.

Can I order the first DIY set?

I mean I have to hit my pads with a f'in hammer to register any sound. Ridiculous.

Cheers and thanks for all the work
Do a patent on the design and **** AKAI, hehe. I mean order in large quantities, do the necessary prefab and I want the first set

Cheers!

this weekend i will be working on establishing a solid system that i would feel good about selling. there are a couple more things i need to work out right now, some fine tuning aspects, as well as a good way to get these things out to people. shipping isn't gonna be an issue, everything should be able to fit safely into an envelope.

this solution is mad simple and cost effective, and so far it works really really well, it's so nice to work outside of FULL LEVEL all the time.

Can I be the first one to order?

Pls e-mail me at [email protected]

Cheers!

edit : silly question

ok. more progress.

i wanted to ask a question - how firmly committed to you guys to the actual rubber pad? i'm working with a beta right now that uses a flexible packing foam underneath the case instead of pads right now, and it's pretty cool.

i would steer clear of using anything other than the rubber pads personally..

yeah i'm inclined to agree that most people are not going to go for that nym. what's the reasoning behind taking the pads out?

@Nym ; how about the idea of making a special little website after all of your experimenting is done ? It would be no problem for me to make so i would gladly participate..

the foams actually quite an interesting idea, but then i've only had my mpc for a couple months now so i'm not too attached to the rubber.

the sensitivity you might get with foam is intrigueing but theres no telling how long the foam pads would last, or how well theyd spring back after long use.

oh and put me down for a kit too, i'ma change my pads before they break especially if the sensitivity seems to be better and more consistent.

yeah i'm inclined to agree that most people are not going to go for that nym. what's the reasoning behind taking the pads out?

well, the reason would be better performance. this velostat stuff is REALLY sensitive. you can really get a good velocity curve out of it. thing is, with the rubber pad, the lightest you can hit it often is like 20 vels. however, when i replaced the pads with a single strip of foam that lay on top of the sensor board (and underneath the metal case of the mpc) i felt something completely different. all you ahd to do was lay your finger on the foam for tehre to be contact. you could register hits of 1-10 very easy just by brushing them. you can't do this with the regular pads.

in either case, the main part of my package will be the actual sensor bit - whatever you do with the pads is your own option/initiative since anything goes at that point. i don't think i'll be going back to rubber pads though, they're only there for looks and so akai can pretend the 1000 has the same pads as the other machines.

bees80 wrote:@Nym ; how about the idea of making a special little website after all of your experimenting is done ? It would be no problem for me to make so i would gladly participate..

i will be doing this over the winter, but thanks for the offer.

Antonym wrote:

yeah i'm inclined to agree that most people are not going to go for that nym. what's the reasoning behind taking the pads out?

well, the reason would be better performance. this velostat stuff is REALLY sensitive. you can really get a good velocity curve out of it. thing is, with the rubber pad, the lightest you can hit it often is like 20 vels. however, when i replaced the pads with a single strip of foam that lay on top of the sensor board (and underneath the metal case of the mpc) i felt something completely different. all you ahd to do was lay your finger on the foam for tehre to be contact. you could register hits of 1-10 very easy just by brushing them. you can't do this with the regular pads.

in either case, the main part of my package will be the actual sensor bit - whatever you do with the pads is your own option/initiative since anything goes at that point. i don't think i'll be going back to rubber pads though, they're only there for looks and so akai can pretend the 1000 has the same pads as the other machines.

interesting discovery. i'll be intrigued to see how they last, perhaps a thin sheet of rubber over the top (to provide minor water resistance) would be worth it?

yeah that's what i thought. i like the feel of it much more than traditional pads.

is it similar to an actual drum?