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

[6d5321]

for you MPK49 users..... i put this up close to a year ago... just saw this topic and surprised no one has posted it here....

beat by me....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mI4SutQJpQ

[Taylor Barclay]

Hey,

I tried this on my LPD.

Took me 3 tries of opening and closing it to get the right amount of tape.

I first put 4 square pieces of black electrical tape on each pad back, didn't work at all. Killed the pads as it was touching too much.

Then I tried 2 pieces per pad, which caused some erratic behavior, pads triggering other pads etc.

My gold spot is 1 piece of black electrical tape on the LPD8 per pad. See EDIT...

It works great now, and I've run it through some trials to make sure the pads don't stick or trigger other ones like it did with 2 pieces, and it's perfect.

P.S. - Keep in mind that if you use black electrical tape like I did you can't see the LED feedback anymore because the black tape blocks it. Use clear if possible I guess?

P.S. EDIT - This morning when I woke up to try it I had 3 out of 8 pads sticking. I think I'll have to try another type of tape or just leave it alone altogether, the electrical tape is apparently too thick for the LPD.

[outershpongolia]

Hey,

I tried this on my LPD.

Took me 3 tries of opening and closing it to get the right amount of tape.

I first put 4 square pieces of black electrical tape on each pad back, didn't work at all. Killed the pads as it was touching too much.

Then I tried 2 pieces per pad, which caused some erratic behavior, pads triggering other pads etc.

My gold spot is 1 piece of black electrical tape on the LPD8 per pad.

It works great now, and I've run it through some trials to make sure the pads don't stick or trigger other ones like it did with 2 pieces, and it's perfect.

P.S. - Keep in mind that if you use black electrical tape like I did you can't see the LED feedback anymore because the black tape blocks it. Use clear if possible I guess?

Good to know - was thinking about picking one up and making the ultimate super sensitive hi-hat controller but I NEED that LED feedback so clear tape must be the way to go - even the i'm sure it defuses the light errr something

[Danny_DJ]

hello,

i just got an mpd 32, and am not satisfied with the pad response.
i stumbled across this: http://cgi.ebay.de/Pad-Sensitivity-Upgr ... 1c10b83b29.

it states that tape mods have to be maintained. can anyone confirm that? how long are your mods lasting right now?
does anyone know the thickness and material of the ebay items?

thanks for quick reply

[barcelona1]

i'm about to crack open my mpk49 and would love to hear from soneone that bought these off ebay before i go ahead and use tape....

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Akai-MPK-Pad-Sens ... 1c1003db5c

[Danny_DJ]

i didn't wait for any reply and used tape instead of these prefabricated pads. first i went for 3 layers, then for four. only one pad seemed to be too thick, because i got ghost triggers. i removed one layer on this pad and now it works very well.

[rbmonosylabik]

Just did the mod to mine using electrical tape. They do feel way more responsive, but I'm thinking of redoing it because my tape squares turned out quite small (a little bit bigger than the sensor) and am afraid they'll start moving around after some use. Still, the mod works really well.

[bob123]

hi

used the mpd16 yesterday, purley as my wrists hurt from using mouse so much,
with battery, mostly auditioning cells, i found my wrists hurt even MORE with the mpd16,
the sensitivity is not too sensitive.

the mpd16 utility app that they give you, has pad sensitivity settings, -8 to +8....i tried both extreme settings,
and could NOT tell the difference.........which setting is it for triggering pad with least force? +8?

the sensitivity should be as feather touching technology as say a macbook trackpad.

can anything be done to lighten the hitting of the pad?

thanks.

[Jimbabwae]

I just did the mod with my MPD26.. It's somewhat different in that there seems to be heaps of screws to take out and you also have to remove the 6 bolts from the encoders before the insides will move and the pads can be gotten to. It's not an easy job at all but I'm really pleased with the results having added 4 layers of electrical tape. It's now something I'm looking forward to using (hated it before) and its even sorted a problem with 'ghost' triggering!

[DJ Gurge]

I read most of this thread. Reviving it since I'm not so thrilled with the pads on my recently purchased mpk mini

Has anyonce done this successfully on a mpk mini or a lpd8?

Trying to get a handle on what kind and how much tape to use. While still maintaining the LED feature when the pads are engaged

thanks...

[bob123]

hi

used the mpd16 yesterday, purley as my wrists hurt from using mouse so much,
with battery, mostly auditioning cells, i found my wrists hurt even MORE with the mpd16,
the sensitivity is not too sensitive.

the mpd16 utility app that they give you, has pad sensitivity settings, -8 to +8....i tried both extreme settings,
and could NOT tell the difference.........which setting is it for triggering pad with least force? +8?

the sensitivity should be as feather touching technology as say a macbook trackpad.

can anything be done to lighten the hitting of the pad?

thanks.

sorry chaps ive had to re-quote myself, still struggling with it.

But what i have just heard/seen is Korg Nano series products, they look like as much sensitivity of apple qwerty keyboard eg light and easy, im gonna buy one.

[OrangeCrush]

Hi guys, I went through this thread and wanted to give some input on my LPD8.
It's the first midi pad I've ever used, but right out of the box I could tell I wasn't going to be happy with the sensitivity.
What I tried:

4 layers of black squares, electrical tape: Pads were completely unresponsive and didn't light up.

3 layers of black strips, electrical tape: Pads were responsive and lit up, but were super sticky and randomly triggered on and off.

2 layers of black strips, electrical tape: Everything worked and the sensitivity was a dream. I was getting some false hits on adjacent pads when I tapped hard though.

1 layer of black strips, electrical tape: Noticeably better than no tape at all, noticeably worse than 2 layers, but no more false hits!





Here's what the circuit looks like if anybody's interested, no ribbons or cords. 8 screws on the outside and 8 on the inside.



Conclusions: 1 layer is your safest bet and will net you noticeable improvement. I'm still toying with the idea of separating the pads somehow so I can use 2 and not get the false hits.

[flashy12]

In the process of fixing the pad response on MPK 88 also switching to red pads wshile the thing is taken apart. The sensor "upgrades" are little black rubber squares that will be placed uder each pad on top of each sensor. hopefully this thing will really have the mpc feel afterward

[condra]

I wish I had known about the possibility of upgrading the pads on these when I sold both an MPD32, and an MPK49 about 3 years ago.
I actually bought the 32 when it was first released in 2008, and it cost me something like 380 euro at the time.

Anyway, I’m getting a good deal on a 49 in the next few days hopefully, so I’m looking forward to trying this little mod.

It’s interesting that the LPD8 only needs 1 layer of tape to be improved.
I used to own two of them, and personally I think they work pretty good out of the box, (much better than the MPD24/32, but not as good as the PadKontrol) so I probably wouldn’t even bother upgrading an LPD. If I can get the pads on my 49 to be as responsive as an LPD8, I’ll be chuffed.

[condra]

Just to report back, I got the MPK49 and did the upgrade.
It works great.
Feels like upgrading a Nissan Micra to a VW Golf. Just way more powerful and inspiring.

It took 7 layers of my tape to get it right, presumably my tape is quite thin.
I would encourage anyone doing this to experiment with tape layers until you get it right.
You don’t have to put all the skrews back every time.

Also, make sure you have the latest firmware so you can save your Global settings.

Oh, and also, edit that dumbass Live template so you have better drum rack control, i.e, not missing every fourth pad when you slice something to Midi. - Hint - Try using a drum rack with the Reason template. Start at note 36, and go up from there.

I also put the buttons on momentary mode, for mixer/arming control.