I've played some of the songs on Universe. I liked them, especially the Tsugaru one. This one:
Soft pads are a lot better than what they used to be. When I first played DDR, it was on a Dreamcast on 2nd mix. The soft pad was terrible because it would crumple up like paper and always move around.
Now they have a grippy bottom and they don't crumple up, even on harder songs. I bought the Mario Mix on the GC when it came out, and I was surprised how well the pad that's included worked. But, it's still a soft pad, so it's not the best thing.
If you aren't satisfied with the pad that comes with it though, you could always go for an Ignition pad. It's better than a soft pad because you can feel the panels, and it's not too pricey compared to a metal pad. http://www.redoctane.com/ignitionpadv3.html