The only thing that adjusting that setting does is give you a bit more of a smooth start. Too high and the ESC acts like it "kicks" in. Too low and the motor will chatter more at very low throttle.

I have exact the same problem, after uncountable tries I decide to recharge my LiPo pack and the problem goes away. But my MMM was set at customized voltage LiPo protection. h

Yeah, the deadband adjustment just lets you make the ESC more or less sensitive to initial trigger movements. If you have a good radio, then you can usually go quite low on the deadband. With my React, I have it set to the smallest setting and it's fine. Good to hear you've got it worked out, though.:yes:

You can probably increase the consistency of the neutral range on the throttle simply by using a stiffer spring on the trigger so it returns to neutral a little stronger. That is of course as long as the pot isn't dirty or just general component value drift...