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At Falkirk Sherriff Court, MacPherson, a first offender, pleaded guilty to downloading, possessing and distributing indecent material over more than 14 years, between 1 January 2012 and 20 January 2026.
Solicitor-advocate Stephen Biggam, defending, said MacPherson was deaf and suffering from the eye condition macular degeneration.
Biggam said that since the arrest, MacPherson had "continued to go about his business and had not been any centre of attraction in the community, as is his way."
Sheriff Craig Harris took the unusual step of warning members of the public in the gallery that they could step out and return once the case was over, saying matters might be "difficult for some people to hear".
He placed MacPherson on the Sex Offenders Register, and called for background reports before a further hearing on 8 September.
He told him: "The offences are far too serious for me to proceed without a report.
"Given the nature and the scale and the time over which the offences have been committed, the risk you pose when you are at liberty, and the likely outcome by way of sentence, you must now be remanded into custody."
