Further functionality review and information about the Millenium MPS-850 electronic drum kit. (This follows on from the “Millenium MPS-850 Review” video.)
Just noticed that the brains firmware/software used, medellin 650 i think it is, is the same that we have in the higher end alesis kits - surge, command mesh and crimson. I have the command mesh and the menu is exactly the same. I mean exactly. Same placements of menu items in the exact same places. Same options in exactly the same places. Same color of the screen. Same typeface used. Same sized typeface. Same screen size. The command mesh is around 700 pounds sterling and for this to be on a kit costing hundreds less is ok.
Great review mate! Just wondering whether you can do crossticks/rimshots on this kit? I've been playing acoustic for nearly a decade but need something to practice quietly at night
Hiya, Thanks very much for your comment., much appreciated! Unfortunately, I sold the Millenium about 18 months ago, so I can't check for sure. I'm fairly sure that the snare drum pad is dual sensor, so you can program the rim shot sound, or a cross stick sound, I don't think you can do both at the same time. However, I'm not 100% sure on this, sorry. Just a word of warning, re playing at night: the sound of the pads being hit isn't super quiet, so if you have people trying to sleep while you're playing, you might get some complaints as they'll probably hear you. I saw another review video which said the pads are as loud as hitting a roll of toilet paper and the cymbals are a bit louder still. It's still a lot quieter than an acoustic kit though, so your neighbours will be happy for that!!! Good luck, I hope this has helped!
@@mydrumming4037 Thanks, definitely helped! Will keep in mind about the noise but hopefully it will be all good, I'll test it out by slamming a few toilet paper rolls tonight 😂 Thanks again, very helpful!
they seem to hang really low?! is there Eno way to rt them higher up than this= perhaps they were thought to be used by children mostly= thanks for showing us how the work ,look really cool
Thanks for the reviews. I'm considering buying this kit. I'm a beginner. Does the mps-850 have any kind of teaching or training mode? I think some of the Yamaha kits have the ability to set the drummer some exercises and even assesses their ability to play them, giving a score or percentage at the end. Does this kit have anything like that?
Hi, Apologies for the delay in replying. I don't think the 850 has this functionality, but I'm not 100% sure on this as I sold the kit a few months ago and changed it for a different electric drum kit. I'm pretty sure that with the 850, you can play along to preset songs, (with or without the Millennium drum parts included), but I think you'd then just have to assess your ability yourself, instead of getting a score from the kit. Sorry I can't give a better answer.
Hiya, I bought a Roland VAD 306 and am really pleased with, it's great! (I've done a review video on that kit too, just in case you're interested.) What persuaded you against the Millennium in the end and what kit did you end up buying? (I hope it arrives soon for you!) Thanks.
@@mydrumming4037 One of the main reasons I decided against the millennium is that they come from abroad (I'm in the UK) and I was concerned about customer service issues if a fault developed. I've read some bad reviews on Thonman in that regard. I've ordered a Yamaha kit from my local drum shop. That way, if there are any issues I hopefully have a physical shop I can go back to. From everything I've seen, the millenniums are a great kit. It's just the "what if something goes wrong" scenario that got me. Your Roland VAD 306 is a massive jump up from the milleniums though. How are you finding them? I'll certainly check out your video on them.
Hiya, I think that's really good reasoning - I had read a load of reviews that said that the Thomann service was really good if things went wrong, so I decided to take a chance and it worked out ok, fortunately.!! I think Yamaha have great kits - I used to have a Yamaha DTExpress and that was awesome for many years - I hope you enjoy yours! I think the Roland is excellent. There were a few things that I thought could be better, (I've mentioned these in the review for that kit if you're interested), but overall, I'm really happy with!
I bought the kit, set it up, turned on the module and chose a kit but I get no sound at all. The manual is very vague in my opinion but as dat as In understand for the pre-set kits it's Just choose and go. If I bang on a drum, Tom or cymbal I see some blocks on the screen but no sound, Just the sound same as when the module is turned off. Do you know what I'm doing wrong? All the video's I've watched seem Just to show choose a kit and play. Thanks
Hiya, Thanks for your message. The blocks on the screen is a good sign that the sensors in the drums are reaching the module. What sort of speaker have you got the kit plugged into? If you're using the "Output" ports, are your leads the right way round? Alternatively, if you're just using a "mono" output, is it in the correct "output" "mono" port? Have you tried plugging some head phones into the "Phones" output? (That would be a good way to check if your output sound is working). If you've tried using phones, are your "Master" and "Phones" volume dials both turned up, along with the six individual pad volume controls? For the "Fader" option, is your top red light illuminated, (as opposed to the bottom red light nearest the "Fader" button?) You could always try pressing the "Click" button: if your metronome is heard then that would prove that your speaker output is working properly and that it could be a problem with the pads. Oh, and make sure all your wires are plugged in properly: I didn't plug my multi-drum cable in far enough the first time. That's all I can think of I'm afraid - there is a "trouble-shooting" section in the manual - have you tried that? I hope the above helps!
@@mydrumming4037 Thanks for your feedback, appreciated. If I understand you correctly, an external speaker is required for any sound? Strange I've never Read this or heard anything about that in any video. I thought An external speaker was An option to aplify sound, but nog a requirement, however if that's true then I guess that's the problem. As for the fader the red light is on at the Bottom not the top. I was missing the adapter for the headphones in the package, so I haven't been able to use Them yet. I'm just picking up the sticks again after Many years and have never owned An e kit so apologize for the limited knowledge, although I did do quite some research before deciding on this kit.
Ah, I'm sorry to hear that. Unfortunately, electric drum kits are like electric guitars in as much as you have to buy the amplification separately. Have you got a hifi/stereo? If yes, (and the hifi has a microphone port), you can plug a lead into your headphone socket on the MPS module and plug the other end in to your microphone socket on your hifi: that way, the drum sound can come out of your hifi speakers. I guess you could also use MP3 player speakers in a similar way, (ie, plugging them in to your MPS headphone socket), but I've never tried that. (That might be a cheaper way than having to buy an amp.) I hope you get to fix your problem quickly and it doesn't put you off drumming for too long.
Hello! I don’t know if you’re interested or not, but last weekend I created an Instagram account where I’m inviting people to send me their favorite pictures of anything drum related for me to give them a “beats per minute” score based on a bit of fun and entertainment for all. If you’d like to be included, please look up drum.score on Instagram. Thanks and I hope to hear from you!
Super good video 💪 i have the same drums, any advice to adjust the hihat controller and the bell of the ride to give a more realistic touch? Thanks in advance!
Hi, Thanks for your message. I'm sorry, but I don't have any tips on improving the hi-hat or the ride bell: it was these things that weren't great features that ended up with me making the decision to sell the kit, which I did a few months ago and I traded it in for a different one. So, no, sorry, but I can't help. I hope you really enjoy your 850 though and these things don't put you off!!
Hi there, I’m thinking to buy this kit soon, the only worry I have is the height, I’m 6’3 so I like the kit to be fairly tall. My question is, is this kit tall enough?
Hello! Thanks for your question. I'm about 6'1 and this ok for me. I've just written a load of measurements on another reply, (on the part 1 review), so please have a look there and see if it helps - I hope it does!
Hello! I don’t know if you’re interested or not, but last weekend I created an Instagram account where I’m inviting people to send me their favorite pictures of anything drum related for me to give them a “beats per minute” score based on a bit of fun and entertainment for all. If you’d like to be included, please look up drum.score on Instagram. Thanks and I hope to hear from you!
Great reviews, thanks. I’ve been researching different kits and was thinking about getting the Alesis Command kit but now I’m thinking this would be better. I haven’t drummed for over 30 years and want to get back into it now I have a bit more spare time. Do you think this kit would be suitable for me being a beginner all over again? One other thing, with the hi-hat being on a stand do you have variable opening like on an acoustic kit?
Hello, thanks for your message. I use this kit for practicing and learning songs on that I end up playing live during gigs, so as far as "is it good enough for starting again with", my answer would be "yes". There's only a couple of things that I've found out over the months that I'm not 100% happy with. The cymbals are supposed to be multi-functional, allowing you to play them, then pinch them to mute the sound: this works fairly well, but the Ride cymbal is supposed to also have a "bell playing" functionality, and this doesn't always trigger. The other thing that's not perfect is the hi-hat: it does have a moving top hi-hat rubber cymbal, (so it mirrors the set up of an acoustic kit), but the "shoop" you'd get from playing actual cymbals doesn't trigger all of the time either - you have to play them open to create the sound, instead of playing as you open on metal cymbals. I hope that makes sense. All in all though, I'd recommend this kit for home use, (as opposed to gigging with it), as I'm really pleased with it. Good luck!!
@@mydrumming4037 thanks for getting back to me. I think I’m set on getting this kit. You mentioned either in this video or your previous one about the bass drum pedal beater shaft hitting the rim before the beater, is the beater removable and if so did you try a different one?
Hiya, Apologies for the delay in replying this time round. Yeah, re the beater, I'd forgotten about that because I ended up replacing it with a double bass drum pedal that I now use whenever I play it. Have a look at some of the other comments because I'm sure that someone else found a solution, but I definitely found that the shaft of the plastic side of the beater hit the rim of the bass drum pad before the beater head contacted the pad and I'd read that using the cloth side of the beater degraded the drum head - not sure if that is 100% accurate, but I'd seen it on another video I think. I guess if you do go for this kit, keep in mind that you might need to replace the bass drum pedal because it could cause you an issue. I hope that's of use!
This has exactly the same brain firmware/software as the command. I have the command mesh so i know. Ive been playing it a few months now and am startign to see its short comings. Trigger settings are not sensitive enough and there are huge differences. Achieving ghosts notoes on my kit is pretty hard. If you want to translate over your skills to an acoustic kit it should work though as long as you intentionally play really soft ghost notes.
Hello! I don’t know if you’re interested or not, but today I’ve created an Instagram account where I’m inviting people to send me their favorite pictures of anything drum related for me to give them a “beats per minute” score based on a bit of fun and entertainment for all. If you’d like to be included, please look up drum.score on Instagram. Thanks and I hope to hear from you!
It has "EQ High" and "EQ Middle" settings, which are adjustable from -12 to +12 and make a BIG difference in the sound - this is a feature that I like and have played around with quite a bit!!
It is nice having a "full" hi-hat now but, if I'm honest, I don't think it would stop me buying a different kit if it didn't have one. The Yamaha I had before, had a rubber pad and a foot pedal so it's great having a moving to hi-hat cymbal on the Millenium that you can open and close with the clutch - I love that part of it!! Since I last wrote, I just placed my snare pad on a snare drum stand, so it's gradually turning into a full size kit!!!
Hello! I don’t know if you’re interested or not, but today I’ve created an Instagram account where I’m inviting people to send me their favorite pictures of anything drum related for me to give them a “beats per minute” score based on a bit of fun and entertainment for all. If you’d like to be included, please look up drum.score on Instagram. Thanks and I hope to hear from you!
Hiya, Yes, they are! The ride cymbal also has the functionality of being able to play the bell, so the cymbals are pretty versatile. Plus, you've got individual volume controls for the hats, the crashes and the ride so, (I think), you get quite a good cymbal package for the money!
Hello! I don’t know if you’re interested or not, but today I’ve created an Instagram account where I’m inviting people to send me their favorite pictures of anything drum related for me to give them a “beats per minute” score based on a bit of fun and entertainment for all. If you’d like to be included, please look up drum.score on Instagram. Thanks and I hope to hear from you!
Hey man! It’s me again who watched the part 1. Just came here to say keep doing on what you do because I love it! Subscribed!
By the way, the dislikes are from youtube dislikes bots. So don’t be too bothered by them. I’m not entirely sure why it’s made but it’s there.
Excellent, thanks very much for your support..... Now, I just need to find about a million others like you, hahaha!!
Just noticed that the brains firmware/software used, medellin 650 i think it is, is the same that we have in the higher end alesis kits - surge, command mesh and crimson. I have the command mesh and the menu is exactly the same. I mean exactly. Same placements of menu items in the exact same places. Same options in exactly the same places. Same color of the screen. Same typeface used. Same sized typeface. Same screen size. The command mesh is around 700 pounds sterling and for this to be on a kit costing hundreds less is ok.
Can you connect your laptop or phone to play songs from Spotify on this set?? 🙏
Great review mate! Just wondering whether you can do crossticks/rimshots on this kit? I've been playing acoustic for nearly a decade but need something to practice quietly at night
Hiya,
Thanks very much for your comment., much appreciated! Unfortunately, I sold the Millenium about 18 months ago, so I can't check for sure. I'm fairly sure that the snare drum pad is dual sensor, so you can program the rim shot sound, or a cross stick sound, I don't think you can do both at the same time. However, I'm not 100% sure on this, sorry. Just a word of warning, re playing at night: the sound of the pads being hit isn't super quiet, so if you have people trying to sleep while you're playing, you might get some complaints as they'll probably hear you. I saw another review video which said the pads are as loud as hitting a roll of toilet paper and the cymbals are a bit louder still. It's still a lot quieter than an acoustic kit though, so your neighbours will be happy for that!!! Good luck, I hope this has helped!
@@mydrumming4037 Thanks, definitely helped! Will keep in mind about the noise but hopefully it will be all good, I'll test it out by slamming a few toilet paper rolls tonight 😂 Thanks again, very helpful!
they seem to hang really low?! is there Eno way to rt them higher up than this= perhaps they were thought to be used by children mostly= thanks for showing us how the work ,look really cool
in lamen terms - how do i take a song myself and add it as a 'user song'? cannot figure out for the life of me!
Thanks for the reviews.
I'm considering buying this kit. I'm a beginner.
Does the mps-850 have any kind of teaching or training mode? I think some of the Yamaha kits have the ability to set the drummer some exercises and even assesses their ability to play them, giving a score or percentage at the end.
Does this kit have anything like that?
Hi,
Apologies for the delay in replying. I don't think the 850 has this functionality, but I'm not 100% sure on this as I sold the kit a few months ago and changed it for a different electric drum kit. I'm pretty sure that with the 850, you can play along to preset songs, (with or without the Millennium drum parts included), but I think you'd then just have to assess your ability yourself, instead of getting a score from the kit. Sorry I can't give a better answer.
@@mydrumming4037 Hi. Thanks for coming back to me. I have in fact order something completely different now.
What did you switch to?
Hiya,
I bought a Roland VAD 306 and am really pleased with, it's great! (I've done a review video on that kit too, just in case you're interested.)
What persuaded you against the Millennium in the end and what kit did you end up buying? (I hope it arrives soon for you!)
Thanks.
@@mydrumming4037 One of the main reasons I decided against the millennium is that they come from abroad (I'm in the UK) and I was concerned about customer service issues if a fault developed. I've read some bad reviews on Thonman in that regard.
I've ordered a Yamaha kit from my local drum shop. That way, if there are any issues I hopefully have a physical shop I can go back to.
From everything I've seen, the millenniums are a great kit. It's just the "what if something goes wrong" scenario that got me.
Your Roland VAD 306 is a massive jump up from the milleniums though. How are you finding them? I'll certainly check out your video on them.
Hiya,
I think that's really good reasoning - I had read a load of reviews that said that the Thomann service was really good if things went wrong, so I decided to take a chance and it worked out ok, fortunately.!! I think Yamaha have great kits - I used to have a Yamaha DTExpress and that was awesome for many years - I hope you enjoy yours!
I think the Roland is excellent. There were a few things that I thought could be better, (I've mentioned these in the review for that kit if you're interested), but overall, I'm really happy with!
I bought the kit, set it up, turned on the module and chose a kit but I get no sound at all. The manual is very vague in my opinion but as dat as In understand for the pre-set kits it's Just choose and go. If I bang on a drum, Tom or cymbal I see some blocks on the screen but no sound, Just the sound same as when the module is turned off. Do you know what I'm doing wrong? All the video's I've watched seem Just to show choose a kit and play. Thanks
Hiya,
Thanks for your message.
The blocks on the screen is a good sign that the sensors in the drums are reaching the module. What sort of speaker have you got the kit plugged into?
If you're using the "Output" ports, are your leads the right way round?
Alternatively, if you're just using a "mono" output, is it in the correct "output" "mono" port?
Have you tried plugging some head phones into the "Phones" output? (That would be a good way to check if your output sound is working). If you've tried using phones, are your "Master" and "Phones" volume dials both turned up, along with the six individual pad volume controls?
For the "Fader" option, is your top red light illuminated, (as opposed to the bottom red light nearest the "Fader" button?)
You could always try pressing the "Click" button: if your metronome is heard then that would prove that your speaker output is working properly and that it could be a problem with the pads.
Oh, and make sure all your wires are plugged in properly: I didn't plug my multi-drum cable in far enough the first time.
That's all I can think of I'm afraid - there is a "trouble-shooting" section in the manual - have you tried that?
I hope the above helps!
@@mydrumming4037 Thanks for your feedback, appreciated. If I understand you correctly, an external speaker is required for any sound? Strange I've never Read this or heard anything about that in any video. I thought An external speaker was An option to aplify sound, but nog a requirement, however if that's true then I guess that's the problem. As for the fader the red light is on at the Bottom not the top. I was missing the adapter for the headphones in the package, so I haven't been able to use Them yet. I'm just picking up the sticks again after Many years and have never owned An e kit so apologize for the limited knowledge, although I did do quite some research before deciding on this kit.
Ah, I'm sorry to hear that. Unfortunately, electric drum kits are like electric guitars in as much as you have to buy the amplification separately. Have you got a hifi/stereo? If yes, (and the hifi has a microphone port), you can plug a lead into your headphone socket on the MPS module and plug the other end in to your microphone socket on your hifi: that way, the drum sound can come out of your hifi speakers. I guess you could also use MP3 player speakers in a similar way, (ie, plugging them in to your MPS headphone socket), but I've never tried that. (That might be a cheaper way than having to buy an amp.) I hope you get to fix your problem quickly and it doesn't put you off drumming for too long.
@@mydrumming4037 Thanks for the tips!
Hello!
I don’t know if you’re interested or not, but last weekend I created an Instagram account where I’m inviting people to send me their favorite pictures of anything drum related for me to give them a “beats per minute” score based on a bit of fun and entertainment for all. If you’d like to be included, please look up drum.score on Instagram. Thanks and I hope to hear from you!
Super good video 💪 i have the same drums, any advice to adjust the hihat controller and the bell of the ride to give a more realistic touch? Thanks in advance!
Hi,
Thanks for your message. I'm sorry, but I don't have any tips on improving the hi-hat or the ride bell: it was these things that weren't great features that ended up with me making the decision to sell the kit, which I did a few months ago and I traded it in for a different one. So, no, sorry, but I can't help. I hope you really enjoy your 850 though and these things don't put you off!!
@@mydrumming4037 ok man, thanks for the answer! 👍
@@mydrumming4037 which one did you trade this for?
Hi there, I’m thinking to buy this kit soon, the only worry I have is the height, I’m 6’3 so I like the kit to be fairly tall. My question is, is this kit tall enough?
Hello! Thanks for your question. I'm about 6'1 and this ok for me. I've just written a load of measurements on another reply, (on the part 1 review), so please have a look there and see if it helps - I hope it does!
Hello!
I don’t know if you’re interested or not, but last weekend I created an Instagram account where I’m inviting people to send me their favorite pictures of anything drum related for me to give them a “beats per minute” score based on a bit of fun and entertainment for all. If you’d like to be included, please look up drum.score on Instagram. Thanks and I hope to hear from you!
Great reviews, thanks. I’ve been researching different kits and was thinking about getting the Alesis Command kit but now I’m thinking this would be better. I haven’t drummed for over 30 years and want to get back into it now I have a bit more spare time. Do you think this kit would be suitable for me being a beginner all over again? One other thing, with the hi-hat being on a stand do you have variable opening like on an acoustic kit?
Hello, thanks for your message.
I use this kit for practicing and learning songs on that I end up playing live during gigs, so as far as "is it good enough for starting again with", my answer would be "yes". There's only a couple of things that I've found out over the months that I'm not 100% happy with. The cymbals are supposed to be multi-functional, allowing you to play them, then pinch them to mute the sound: this works fairly well, but the Ride cymbal is supposed to also have a "bell playing" functionality, and this doesn't always trigger. The other thing that's not perfect is the hi-hat: it does have a moving top hi-hat rubber cymbal, (so it mirrors the set up of an acoustic kit), but the "shoop" you'd get from playing actual cymbals doesn't trigger all of the time either - you have to play them open to create the sound, instead of playing as you open on metal cymbals. I hope that makes sense.
All in all though, I'd recommend this kit for home use, (as opposed to gigging with it), as I'm really pleased with it. Good luck!!
@@mydrumming4037 thanks for getting back to me. I think I’m set on getting this kit. You mentioned either in this video or your previous one about the bass drum pedal beater shaft hitting the rim before the beater, is the beater removable and if so did you try a different one?
Hiya,
Apologies for the delay in replying this time round. Yeah, re the beater, I'd forgotten about that because I ended up replacing it with a double bass drum pedal that I now use whenever I play it. Have a look at some of the other comments because I'm sure that someone else found a solution, but I definitely found that the shaft of the plastic side of the beater hit the rim of the bass drum pad before the beater head contacted the pad and I'd read that using the cloth side of the beater degraded the drum head - not sure if that is 100% accurate, but I'd seen it on another video I think. I guess if you do go for this kit, keep in mind that you might need to replace the bass drum pedal because it could cause you an issue. I hope that's of use!
This has exactly the same brain firmware/software as the command. I have the command mesh so i know. Ive been playing it a few months now and am startign to see its short comings. Trigger settings are not sensitive enough and there are huge differences. Achieving ghosts notoes on my kit is pretty hard. If you want to translate over your skills to an acoustic kit it should work though as long as you intentionally play really soft ghost notes.
Good job 👍🏻
Thanks very much for your support - I appreciate it!
Hello!
I don’t know if you’re interested or not, but today I’ve created an Instagram account where I’m inviting people to send me their favorite pictures of anything drum related for me to give them a “beats per minute” score based on a bit of fun and entertainment for all. If you’d like to be included, please look up drum.score on Instagram. Thanks and I hope to hear from you!
Does it have pitch + or -? My Alesis does , I think that’s great too.
It has "EQ High" and "EQ Middle" settings, which are adjustable from -12 to +12 and make a BIG difference in the sound - this is a feature that I like and have played around with quite a bit!!
Only thing I think my kit needs is the whole hi hat deal.
It is nice having a "full" hi-hat now but, if I'm honest, I don't think it would stop me buying a different kit if it didn't have one. The Yamaha I had before, had a rubber pad and a foot pedal so it's great having a moving to hi-hat cymbal on the Millenium that you can open and close with the clutch - I love that part of it!! Since I last wrote, I just placed my snare pad on a snare drum stand, so it's gradually turning into a full size kit!!!
Hello!
I don’t know if you’re interested or not, but today I’ve created an Instagram account where I’m inviting people to send me their favorite pictures of anything drum related for me to give them a “beats per minute” score based on a bit of fun and entertainment for all. If you’d like to be included, please look up drum.score on Instagram. Thanks and I hope to hear from you!
hey i got a question for the cymbals are they chokable?
Hiya,
Yes, they are! The ride cymbal also has the functionality of being able to play the bell, so the cymbals are pretty versatile. Plus, you've got individual volume controls for the hats, the crashes and the ride so, (I think), you get quite a good cymbal package for the money!
@@mydrumming4037 awesome thank you for letting me know!!! 😁
@@lest5539 No worries, I hope it helped!
Hello!
I don’t know if you’re interested or not, but today I’ve created an Instagram account where I’m inviting people to send me their favorite pictures of anything drum related for me to give them a “beats per minute” score based on a bit of fun and entertainment for all. If you’d like to be included, please look up drum.score on Instagram. Thanks and I hope to hear from you!
el sonido no puede ser peor, lo siento es mi opinion.