I just want to add that the pads are no longer available. I used Caig Circuit writer to redo my pads. You will need an eraser, Goof Off cleaner(acetone will work too) and I used magnifying headset glasses. Take mc909 apart and what you do is the eraser is for the circuit board area of the pads, I erased a pad area and then cleaned the eraser before going to the next pad. Then used Goof Off to clean with Q tips. Used the Goof Off on the rubber pads too. Now the Caig pen is not easy , you have to stiple it onto the pads, took about 2 hours to do the repair so not a quick fix. You want to do it right so you don't have to do it again. Let it dry for about 8 hrs at least and put it all back together and enjoy
if i make a small hole in a pad i should be able to squirt in some electronic cleaning fluid? (like the one you use to get crackling faders on a mixer to stop crackling)
Not sure on that one- I'd be worried about what putting a small hole in the pad would do for the longevity of the buttons. I don't really mess with my machine as much anymore, but when I was solely using the 909 as my main box, I would hammer on those velocity buttons like crazy- especially on my 100th take of a baseline (lol). I'd be worried that whatever hole I put in them would get bigger and lead to a bigger problem. Not sure where you're located, but I found a local place that charged me $28 usd to clean up / tune up an SP808 I had collecting dust, which in the grand scheme of things was what I probably should have done with the 909... either way- good luck, have fun with your gear!
It's not that hard to get apart. Of course mine is not powering-on after reassembly so I'll have to say it could happen to you too. But just squirting some cleaner in there through a small hole is not likely to solve the problem.
Just tore mine apart tonight. Got some pad cleaner/restorer on the way. If that doesn't work like it should (and it should!), I'll order new ones from Syntaur. They're out-of-stock on the transport buttons, though. Mine is from a smoker, too, so I'm cleaning and clearing out as much of that crud as I can - ugh! Stinky! Hopefully the orange cleaner will kill the smell and the electronics will air out.
I wish the cleaning had a more effective result on the velocity buttons, but it did bring back the ones that were less responsive than the others. And. That’s crazy that the box coming from a smoker is that gross smelling- -! Bummer-. Man, I haven’t made music for a few years now- but I loved my MC909.. so much fun.. maybe I should fire that thing up- maybe send it in for a tune-up. At Stereo Advantage’s ‘Lifetime Service Center’ - I heard they fix everything..
@@fidalabill I'm going to be using a rubber keypad repair kit on mine to get the pads to work again. You can use a circuit pen, too, but I saw this and thought it would be a good idea. Always a project, you know? I'll keep you posted ...
@@bluemonster65 How'd this go? I've got a silver conductive circuit pen i've been meaning to use on mine. Any tips on the application and effectiveness are appreciated!
Well my pads weren't working at all. The seller said it had been damaged in shipping. I thought maybe it was just the general pad problem these units have. Anyway it was working pretty well except for the pads. So I got it apart and discovered that actually stuff had been spilled on it. Not covering a massive area but several spots mainly around a few pads. I cleaned it up pretty well and put on brand new pads. Now the whole thing won't power on. Must have left something off or worse. That's enough for today. I'll get back at it tomorrow. Anyway, non-working pads may be because of other issues besides just wear. Sellers can lie. Who knew?
Well user error accounts for a lot. I didn't plug in the mains transformer. lol. Anyway now it does power up. First time it hung in the boot process. Second time on it boots without problem. I do have a few buttons on the left hand side that don't seem to light up anymore. I need to check manual. Maybe they don't work in all modes normally. The pad replacement worked. I wouldn't say every pad responds normally but they all do work now. The tap tempo button doesn't work but that is a different fix. I replaced the transport pads as well and they now work as intended. All in all a simple take apart and repair. I'd recommend taking off the bottom plate that allows you to see inside as you replace the back cover. there is a ribbon and a cable there that the long piece can hit if you are not careful. Good luck.
It didn't solve the sticky pads unfortunately. Fresh pads are available for purchase on eBay or other places online, that was going to be my next move. Haven't gotten around to it yet. Such a bummer step programing velocities and having to do extra unnecessary takes because of missed notes.
jeff walton hey man good vid and thanks for showing how it took me forever searching for vids on mc909 about opening yours was the only one I found.. I just took apart mine and at first I was hesitant but honestly it was fun to do so..right.. anyways I cleaned my v pads becus sum wherent working they still don't work do u recemend me buyng new velocity pads? thanks yo any info would help!!
Thanks! it's not the best video, but I'm glad it gave you some pointers and some confidence to give it a go - as far as the pads go, about 4 months after that video, I binged on some analog equipment and an MPC, so I semi- retired the 909, use it for synth lines when I'm looking for something full and dirty sounding. - but I've read on forums that the pads really aren't that expensive, and it apparently does the trick -So I guess I should sack up and give it a shot - to add some closure to this video. I'll see what I can do! I guess if that doesn't work, I'm from Buffalo NY, and we have a local place called "Lifetime Service" that specializes in repairing all kinds of equipment, from Appliances to home theater / stereo stuff to music gear. They're backed by pretty much every audio gear manufacturer out there. www.lifetimeservice.com/ I was able to pick their brain about the issue I was having with my part select buttons cracking and pushing into the machine (rendering them useless)... maybe I should call them again to see if a simple replacement of the pads will do it, or if it's the circuitry. I miss the velocity!!!! Thanks again for watching - cheers!
Awesome! I'll have to give that a shot next time I'm feeling adventurous enough to attempt ripping that thing apart again!
I just want to add that the pads are no longer available. I used Caig Circuit writer to redo my pads. You will need an eraser, Goof Off cleaner(acetone will work too) and I used magnifying headset glasses. Take mc909 apart and what you do is the eraser is for the circuit board area of the pads, I erased a pad area and then cleaned the eraser before going to the next pad. Then used Goof Off to clean with Q tips. Used the Goof Off on the rubber pads too. Now the Caig pen is not easy , you have to stiple it onto the pads, took about 2 hours to do the repair so not a quick fix. You want to do it right so you don't have to do it again. Let it dry for about 8 hrs at least and put it all back together and enjoy
Syntaur has had new pads manufactured.
Great
if i make a small hole in a pad i should be able to squirt in some electronic cleaning fluid? (like the one you use to get crackling faders on a mixer to stop crackling)
Not sure on that one- I'd be worried about what putting a small hole in the pad would do for the longevity of the buttons. I don't really mess with my machine as much anymore, but when I was solely using the 909 as my main box, I would hammer on those velocity buttons like crazy- especially on my 100th take of a baseline (lol). I'd be worried that whatever hole I put in them would get bigger and lead to a bigger problem. Not sure where you're located, but I found a local place that charged me $28 usd to clean up / tune up an SP808 I had collecting dust, which in the grand scheme of things was what I probably should have done with the 909... either way- good luck, have fun with your gear!
It's not that hard to get apart. Of course mine is not powering-on after reassembly so I'll have to say it could happen to you too. But just squirting some cleaner in there through a small hole is not likely to solve the problem.
Just tore mine apart tonight. Got some pad cleaner/restorer on the way. If that doesn't work like it should (and it should!), I'll order new ones from Syntaur. They're out-of-stock on the transport buttons, though. Mine is from a smoker, too, so I'm cleaning and clearing out as much of that crud as I can - ugh! Stinky! Hopefully the orange cleaner will kill the smell and the electronics will air out.
I wish the cleaning had a more effective result on the velocity buttons, but it did bring back the ones that were less responsive than the others. And. That’s crazy that the box coming from a smoker is that gross smelling- -! Bummer-. Man, I haven’t made music for a few years now- but I loved my MC909.. so much fun.. maybe I should fire that thing up- maybe send it in for a tune-up. At Stereo Advantage’s ‘Lifetime Service Center’ - I heard they fix everything..
@@fidalabill I'm going to be using a rubber keypad repair kit on mine to get the pads to work again. You can use a circuit pen, too, but I saw this and thought it would be a good idea. Always a project, you know? I'll keep you posted ...
@@bluemonster65 How'd this go? I've got a silver conductive circuit pen i've been meaning to use on mine. Any tips on the application and effectiveness are appreciated!
I did it twice and (slightly ocd) it worked fine. Unfortunately I could not get rid of the smoke smell, so I got rid of it.
Well my pads weren't working at all. The seller said it had been damaged in shipping. I thought maybe it was just the general pad problem these units have. Anyway it was working pretty well except for the pads. So I got it apart and discovered that actually stuff had been spilled on it. Not covering a massive area but several spots mainly around a few pads. I cleaned it up pretty well and put on brand new pads. Now the whole thing won't power on. Must have left something off or worse. That's enough for today. I'll get back at it tomorrow. Anyway, non-working pads may be because of other issues besides just wear. Sellers can lie. Who knew?
Well user error accounts for a lot. I didn't plug in the mains transformer. lol. Anyway now it does power up. First time it hung in the boot process. Second time on it boots without problem. I do have a few buttons on the left hand side that don't seem to light up anymore. I need to check manual. Maybe they don't work in all modes normally. The pad replacement worked. I wouldn't say every pad responds normally but they all do work now. The tap tempo button doesn't work but that is a different fix. I replaced the transport pads as well and they now work as intended. All in all a simple take apart and repair. I'd recommend taking off the bottom plate that allows you to see inside as you replace the back cover. there is a ribbon and a cable there that the long piece can hit if you are not careful. Good luck.
It didn't solve the sticky pads unfortunately. Fresh pads are available for purchase on eBay or other places online, that was going to be my next move. Haven't gotten around to it yet. Such a bummer step programing velocities and having to do extra unnecessary takes because of missed notes.
jeff walton hey man good vid and thanks for showing how it took me forever searching for vids on mc909 about opening yours was the only one I found.. I just took apart mine and at first I was hesitant but honestly it was fun to do so..right.. anyways I cleaned my v pads becus sum wherent working they still don't work do u recemend me buyng new velocity pads? thanks yo any info would help!!
Thanks! it's not the best video, but I'm glad it gave you some pointers and some confidence to give it a go - as far as the pads go, about 4 months after that video, I binged on some analog equipment and an MPC, so I semi- retired the 909, use it for synth lines when I'm looking for something full and dirty sounding. - but I've read on forums that the pads really aren't that expensive, and it apparently does the trick -So I guess I should sack up and give it a shot - to add some closure to this video. I'll see what I can do!
I guess if that doesn't work, I'm from Buffalo NY, and we have a local place called "Lifetime Service" that specializes in repairing all kinds of equipment, from Appliances to home theater / stereo stuff to music gear. They're backed by pretty much every audio gear manufacturer out there. www.lifetimeservice.com/ I was able to pick their brain about the issue I was having with my part select buttons cracking and pushing into the machine (rendering them useless)... maybe I should call them again to see if a simple replacement of the pads will do it, or if it's the circuitry. I miss the velocity!!!!
Thanks again for watching - cheers!