Best Akai Product for Drum Controller?

for the record, the MPD16's sensitivity is simply a bad factory setting
they use the same sensors in there as the 32/24/96/whatever akai's making now

cheap used mpd16s on ebay are a great source for replacement pad sensors - cheaper than buying the array from a store

I played the MPC5000 and the pads were all nice and gooey feeling, then I tried the MPD16/MPD32 and the MPK, those pads all felt hard and rubbery.. maybe I just need to break them in, but I wish they were all soft like the MPC5000 I tried!

Here is the rundown on the pads..

MPD 16 = Pads like no other mpc.. I have the 4k and the 16 and they are different the 16's are stiffer..

MPD 24 and 32 Have the same pads that are thinner and stiffer than pads on an MPC..

The MPD's are a 5th of the price of an MPC so you can figure they are going to cut a few corners..

You can replace the MPD's pads with pads from MPC stuff or VST ..

I think the MPD pads are fine personally and both the 16,24 , and 32 are great it is all a matter of how many knobs and sliders you need...

Newbie here ...

Listen, I bought an MPD32 recently and I can tell you now that the pads are NOT that great at all !! I vaguely remember messing with a real MPC and the pads on the MPD are nothing like the originals on an MPC. Infact

I am actually thinking about selling my MPD as I am that dissapointed with it ... I use it with CUbase SX3 and I have all manner of syncing probs ( the note repeat function and the tap tempo are total headaches to use in any real meaningful way - the main reasons I went for the MPD to begin with ... imagine my disappointment when discovering that you can hardly use the darn things ! ). Akai suport were't much help either when it came to sorting the probs out. Infact, i was largely left with a 'Well, sorry, we can't offer any further advice' .... not what you want to hear when they market the unit fotr use with the likes of Cubase SX3 to begin with.

I am seriosuly thinmking about buying aproper MPC (100/2500 ) making my beats on that and then sycning the unit up to my daw friom there.

Good luck either way ... but you should understand that the MPD pads on the 32 unit are not MPC style or feel at all.

Thats totally how I felt when I demo'd both at Guitar Center... Very dissapointing.

I wish there was a simple drum controller with the pad feel of the MPC5000

Can you put MPC 2500 pads inside the MPD32 ?

yeah, i'm not feeling the flat/thin pads on the MPD24/32 which is a shame. I recently got the MPD16 at guitar center on clearance for $45 and i'm pretty happy with it so far. however, i'm only using it with my OG mpc1k since those pads are kinda annoying. i'd say the MPD24 with the pads from the MPD16 would be perfect.

wELL... mY 2 cents worth... I have an MPK49 and MPC2000XL and the pads on the MPK are no where near as nice as the MPC but of course the MPK is noty a specialist drum controller and I will add is the coolest midi keyboard ever - like all things AKAI, it's bulit beautifully!!

AJCT wrote:wELL... mY 2 cents worth... I have an MPK49 and MPC2000XL and the pads on the MPK are no where near as nice as the MPC but of course the MPK is noty a specialist drum controller and I will add is the coolest midi keyboard ever - like all things AKAI, it's bulit beautifully!!

actually the 12 pad bit is gay.. so the bigger akai keyboard with the 16 pads is better. also, the mpk's cost quite a bit.


I like the 2000xl pads, the 5000 apparently has the identical pads to the 2500 (apparently the same part numbers also)