A couple years ago I bought my Akai MPD32 (upgraded from an M-Audio Trigger Finger). I did not realize, until after hooking it up to my PC, that the responsiveness of the pads was so bad.  After searching this issue on the web, I found that many people were DIY modifying their MPD controllers. I modified my MPD32 within days of buying it, and I’m SO very glad that I did! The responsiveness is now awesome!

This is the step-by-step video that I used to modify my pads:

Shout out to the guy who put together this vid – a lot of really great information! In this video he is using electrical tape to fill in the gap between the pad and sensor. Or you can also buy a “pad sensitivity upgrade kit” (like this one) for your MPD controller. The kit is basically just a set of 16 rubbers squares that sit on the inside of each pad. Either method will work just fine – it’s really just a matter of preference.

I highly recommend this upgrade to anyone using one of the Akai MPD controllers – you won’t regret it!