Akai MPD and MPK pad mods - tips for better pad sensitivity

[loydb]

I modded my MPD-32 pads as per the YouTube vids, they are *much* better now.

[ninja girl]

hi ya, i'm arriving late to this...

does anyone have any tips/instructions for disassembling the mpd24? it looks pretty easy ie. starting with taking out all the screws on the bottom but just wondering if there are any snags to look out for?

also, i'm wondering as this thread seems to be largely recommending using tape as the sensor mod, has anyone had any issues with the adhesive running do to heat within the unit? seems like the unit doesn't get that hot itself but i'm in a humid state and a little worried about this creeping in during a show. thanks!

I remember getting stuck at one point. When you take off the bottom which has like ~10 screws, you'll see the green board in it. It has a couple screws in it that can be easily taken out. Then (this is the snag) when you're done with that, turn the MPD24 over and remove all the knobs and sliders, since there's about 4 bolts on 4 of them. Once you remove them, you can easily slip out the pads and just stick the tape on it.

dunno about the overheating though; I don't think it's a problem, really. I did notice that after about 5 months, one of the pads on mine is starting to trigger no matter what pad I press, but I think it's just sloppy adhesion on my part. Anyone else experiencing this?

thanks but there is a couple of things: 1)after the freaking millions of screws there are 2 clear-ish plastic "flower" looking things holding the green pcb down ie. they are little expanding retains of some sort. do i/can i replace them after? how do i get the board off of these? sqeeze them together somehow?

also 2), the knobs an faders seem to be attached VERY tight. i'm kind a little spooked at wailing on them to get them off. help!

btw: really appreciate all the generousity from this group but mpd 24 owners should be very aware that this mod is way more of a pain than the other models. wish there was a vid specific to the 24. and lastly if akai hasn't addressed this issue with the mpd 26 i'm gonna start a hate mail campaign against akai, having to freaking slam on the unit to get it to trigger is horrible engineering. argh.

[georgeblunt]

1)after the freaking millions of screws there are 2 clear-ish plastic "flower" looking things holding the green pcb down ie. they are little expanding retains of some sort. do i/can i replace them after? how do i get the board off of these? sqeeze them together somehow?

It's not those plastic thingies holding the pcb in place (it's what I thought at first, too). It's female screws underneath the knobs. Just pull off the knobs and you'll see them.

[ninja girl]

1)after the freaking millions of screws there are 2 clear-ish plastic "flower" looking things holding the green pcb down ie. they are little expanding retains of some sort. do i/can i replace them after? how do i get the board off of these? sqeeze them together somehow?

It's not those plastic thingies holding the pcb in place (it's what I thought at first, too). It's female screws underneath the knobs. Just pull off the knobs and you'll see them.

@georgeblunt: thanks!

for all my fellow mpd 24 owners out there i'd like to outline a few tips/insights from this process: first, i have taken this thing apart 3 times now so you shouldn't be afraid of hurting the unit much(i was).

i initially thought of using small 1" foam mounting dots as it seemed to be an easier/faster version of another poster's idea using stationary dots. although they didn't seem that thick, when i got the unit together only the center 4 pads were working(and damn were they ever sensitive!!!). i thought i had killed the sensor board as no midi messages were being sent from the remaining pads. so feeling pretty stupid and bummed, took it apart again an decided to try the electrical tape way.

most posters say 4 layers work well but i found 5-6 were good for me. they are pretty easy to trigger now. i might even try another 1-2 layers and see it i can get them super fast like with the foam dots. there's obviously a fine line between enough and too much. and personal taste as well. at this point it is truly night and day better but in my initial frustration i went and checked out a korg padkontrol and that thing STILL kills the mpd for feel, sensitivity and speed. you could get one for $140 on amazon.

anyway, concerning the mpd 24 1)there are 2 types of screws on the back and inside the unit. they look almost exactly the same but one set is for the back only(much smaller thread, used for the metal threaded parts not the plastic body). when you get inside it's very handy to have a philips with a magnetic tip because of the recessed area where the ground cable is attached and the bracket on the other side. it's near impossible to line up the bracket, screw and ground without one. next, make sure you line up, the middle bracket and try to see the holes though the bottom plate or else 3 screws are useless. i got it to as near as i could then stuck a pen tip through the bottom plate holes to line them up perfectly. lastly, the body itself has to be squeezed pretty hard to get it to line up with the last few screws.

all this might seem like a lot but unless you want to sell it and get the much superior padkontrol, this is necessary. you don't have to be an engineer just patient. hope this helps.

happy triggering!

[H20nly]

Thanks a lot guys!
Pads feel much better after the mod. I suspected it can be done but you made it so much easier with videos and tips.
I mod'ed MPK-49.

I'm curious about the new MPD-26. Does it have the same problem? Anybody got it already?

Same question I had about the LPD8.. Still no word on that..

I think the pads are a little better on LPD8 than the MPD24, but I'm not that anal about it. If I need to hit 'em harder, I... hit 'em harder.

[PrynceAl]

Wutup boss, look here, I was gone try this mod on my potnaz MPD 18 before I did anything to my 24 and MPK49 ...but everybody on this forum is talking about electrical tape...bra, I have tried all kinds of tape and it doesn't stick to those damn rubber pads, what kind of tape are you guys using can some body talk to me!!!

[damien6]

I just bought my MPD18 this last weekend. Everything I had seen so far was really positive on it, so I didn't think twice about buying it. I'm new to pads and stuff, so I really didn't know much about the sensitivity, but I did feel like I was hitting the keys a bit harder than I should be.

While doing some additional reading and stuff, I came across this forum post and the accompanying video. With some reluctance, I popped open the MPD18 and spent some time applying the tape (only two layers right now, maybe more later), and the difference in the responsiveness is night and day. This is an excellent trick, especially on the MPD18 because it's really, really easy to open and put back together.

Strongly recommended if anyone's wondering if they should do it or not.

[condra]

LPD FTW!
Awesome little devices.

The pads on the LPD8 are most definitely better than the pads on the 24/32/49.

However, the velocity output isn’t completely accurate.

[Tohtruck]

Has anyone tried these?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 683wt_1135

I use to have an MPD32 but then got rid of the thing because the pads were crap. Plus it was gigantic and took too much space on my desk.

I really like the pads on the Korg PadKontrol, but i wish it had some sliders and more rotary knobs and buttons. I also wish it had a midi sync'able note repeat/roll button. Although the X-Y pad is cool, I just don't see the roll and flam buttons being all that practical if you can't sync to tempo.

Has anyone else found that doing this mod helps increase the sensitivity of the corners as well? One of my big gripes with the MPD and MPD were that you had to hit straight dead center in order to register a good hit. I like that you can just tap a corner on the PK and it will still register.

With the MPD26 out, I am looking to get one, since it takes up a much smaller footprint than the 32 (the 26 seems to be almost the same dimensions as the Korg PK) and still has some sliders, knobs, buttons, and sync'able note repeat. I'll try out the pads on the 26 and let everyone know my thoughts. I predict that I will try this mod out with the 26 (once I get it) and I'll post up results.

How are you guys measuring your squares? Just enough to cover the circular part of the pads' undersides? Or are you guys measuring them to be about the same size as the whole pad? Or enough to fit within the circular area (but not necessarily cover the entire circle)?

[Tohtruck]

bump?

[Seppe]

Has anyone tried these?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 683wt_1135

Another bump from me. It seems like the least 'invasive' mod I have seen so far. I wonder about the results.

[prisonplanet]

Just did the mod on my LPD8 (had shitty dynamics as all others) and it kicks ass now! rom the gentlest touch to 127 velocity with no stuck notes...I used the yellow tape for masking walls when painting...it took 3 layers...

big up for the tip!

[outershpongolia]

Just did the mod on my LPD8 (had shitty dynamics as all others) and it kicks ass now! rom the gentlest touch to 127 velocity with no stuck notes...I used the yellow tape for masking walls when painting...it took 3 layers...

big up for the tip!

i sold the thing, but its good to know that it works for this.. might have to show my buddy how he can improve his MPD18, but I think he's going to get the 32 soon - (he's the type of guy who goes "yeah as soon as I get the ______ I'm gonna be set!" then the next month it's "ya dude as soon as I pick up this ______ i'm gonna be makin the fattest beats!")

[matsapo]

Tried 6 layers of electrical tape on my MPK49 and the pads stopped responding. Going to try again tonight with less layers or potentially with blue painters tape.

BTW: I tried to cut each layer of tape to cover the rectangular part that contains the oval.

[cotdagoo]

Tried 6 layers of electrical tape on my MPK49 and the pads stopped responding. Going to try again tonight with less layers or potentially with blue painters tape.

BTW: I tried to cut each layer of tape to cover the rectangular part that contains the oval.

i used 4 on my mpk49 and have great action on mine.