If you are a drummer looking for an electronic drum kit, you may have heard of Mobile Drums . These are handy electronic drum kits that are easy to take with you or store away.
Mobile drum kits can provide a solution in the following situations:
- You live in a space where neither an acoustic nor an electronic drum kit fits, for example an apartment or studio, but you would like to (learn to) play the drums
- You are a music producer and want to be able to easily record your drum parts via MIDI
- You want to be able to practice on the go, for example before a show
- You want to be able to practice at any time of the day without having to sit behind a drum kit
The Millenium MD-100 is a mobile electronic drum kit that has been on the market since the end of 2023 and comes from Millenium, the house brand of music store Thomann.
Now that I have had the MD-100 at home for a few weeks, I will share my experiences with you in this review.
In this blog
Millennium MD-100
Review
The Millenium MD-100 is a sturdy mobile electronic drum kit with many sounds and functions. Pros are the ability to use the kit with a power bank, the mesh heads, the amount of sounds and the ability to mount the kit on a snare stand.
Can the Millenium MD-100 replace an electronic drum kit? No, it can't. But for those who have limited space and still want to play drums, this kit is a very good solution.
Pros
- Mobile electronic drum kit with a beautiful design thanks to the blue lighting
- Very many sounds and kits
- Can also be mounted on a snare stand
- To be used with a power bank
- Mesh head toms and snare
Cons
- Playing feel is not as realistic as a real drum kit
- Included poles feel cheap
- Pedals don't always respond well
- Connecting a double bass pedal is not possible
Pros and Cons of the Millenium MD-100
I have reviewed this mobile electronic drum kit differently than the other electronic drum kits, because it is simply a completely different type of instrument. Furthermore, you cannot expect a mobile kit to play exactly like a real drum kit.
The first thing that stands out is that the Millenium MD-100 has a beautiful design that immediately catches the eye thanks to the striking blue lighting.
In addition, the drum kit offers a huge number of sounds (665) and preset kits (80), allowing you to vary and experiment endlessly with almost all musical styles.
An additional advantage is that the drum kit can easily be attached to a snare stand , so you can always position the kit at the right height.
What's more, you can take the Millenium MD-100 with you wherever you go and even use it with a power bank . This is ideal for on the go or in locations without a power outlet.
One of the disadvantages of this kit is that it doesn't feel like a real drum kit. On the other hand, this is also something that can't be avoided, because it is a mobile electronic drum kit. The pedals also don't always respond well.
The supplied drumsticks also feel a bit cheap and lightweight, so I would recommend buying an extra pair of drumsticks (for example Vic Firth 5A ).
Another downside is that the pads are fixed to the kit and therefore cannot be positioned separately, but that is also unavoidable. Connecting a double bass is also not possible.
What's in the box?
- Millenium MD-100 Mobile Drum Set
- 1x Hihat pedal
- 1x Bass drum pedal
- 1x Drumsticks
- Power cord
- Manual
💡 The Millenium MD-100 features a hand perc fashion which allows you to even play the kit by hand and therefore use it as a cajon or djembe.
Toms and Cymbals
The Millenium MD-100 consists of the standard setup of a drum kit, namely a snare, three toms, a hihat, two crashes and a ride cymbal. The availability of 2 crashes is certainly a plus.
All pads are velocity-sensitive, so they respond differently when you strike them hard or soft.
Mesh Head Pads
Unlike many other mobile kits, the snare, but also the toms, are mesh heads . Mesh heads are pads of tightly woven mesh, which absorbs the blow of the stick in the same way as a real drum head.
Four Cymbal Pads
The 4 smaller pads represent the cymbals. Of course, these do not move, so this cannot be compared to an acoustic or electronic drum kit.
One advantage is that there are 4 pads, so you have two crashes in addition to your ride and hihat.
The pads are all single-zone, so you won't be able to create a “ping” sound when riding.
Kick and Hihat Trigger Pedals
A handy addition are the two hi-hat and kick trigger pedals, so that you can train not only your hand coordination but also your feet while playing.
Overall the pedals do what they are supposed to do, but I did notice that they don't always register what you play correctly. Sometimes two kicks are registered, while you only tap once with your foot.
Integrated Module
The kit includes an integrated module that has a surprising number of functions and sounds, including a recording function, equalizer and hand percussion mode.
80 Versatile Kits
The number of kits that this mobile drum kit comes with is abnormally high. Rock, Funk, Chinese, Pop, Metal, every music genre is represented by the Millenium MD-100.
In addition to these 80 kits, there is also the possibility to compose 10 of your own kits with which you can choose from the more than 665 sounds. So you can really go in all directions with this kit.
Metronome
The integrated metronome allows you to work on your timing. The metronome click sound has a clear and distinct sound.
Connections
The module has 5 different connections:
- 12V connection (power supply)
- USB-MIDI (allows you to import the drum kit sounds to your PC)
- 3.5 mm stereo jack aux in (to connect your smartphone so you can play along with your favorite music)
- 3.5mm stereo jack headphone output (for headphones )
- 2x input for kick and hi-hat pedals
Overall playing feeling
With some electronic drum sets you can quickly feel that the quality is poor. This is not the case with the Millenium MD-100: the whole feels robust and sturdy and can withstand a knock.
While a mobile electronic drum kit will never quite feel like a real drum kit, the Millenium MD-100 certainly lets you experience the real feeling of drumming.
I found this kit particularly useful for hand coordination and stick control. The kit is great for practicing hand patterns such as paradiddles or other grooves.
Hihat and Kick Pedal
The kick and hihat pedals can be easily connected to the module with the supplied cables. Place these on a rug or rough surface, because they slide away on a smooth surface.
The pedals are self-explanatory: when you press them with your foot, a signal is sent to the module, which picks it up immediately without delay.
The pedals work well and do what they are supposed to do, but cannot be compared to a real hi-hat or kick pedal.
Mounting on a Snare Stand
Unlike its predecessor, the Millenium MD-90, the MD-100 can be mounted on a snare stand. You can then easily adjust the kit in height and position it so that it plays comfortably.
Snare stands come in all shapes, sizes and price ranges. I used a low budget snare stand similar to the Millenium DSS-718B , which is good enough for this kit and supports it stably.
What alternatives are there?
If the Millenium MD-100 isn't quite your kind of kit, for example because of the price, there are a number of alternatives available.
Millennium MD-90
The Millenium MD-90 Mobile Drum is a cheaper version of the MD-100. This kit contains 1 pad less than the MD-100. Personally, I would be less likely to go for this kit, because I don't find the position of the middle pad at the bottom logical.
Still, the MD-90 can be a good alternative for drummers who are looking for a mobile drum kit but want to spend less on it. This kit contains quite a few sounds, namely 265.
Yamaha DD-75
Another alternative is the Yamaha DD-75. Yamaha is a leading brand in the music industry, so you know you're in good hands when it comes to quality. An advantage of the DD-75 is that you can use it on batteries.
This drum kit contains many kits (75 pieces) and you still have room to put together 10 different kits according to your own wishes.
Conclusion
All in all I am quite pleased with the Millenium MD-100. With the pads logically positioned and the two pedals at your disposal, you can easily experience the feeling of drumming with this kit with little effort.
The mesh heads play quite realistically and the rubber cymbal pads are also suitable for training your coordination.
The blue light stripe and black finish makes the kit look good, in my opinion better than similar drum kits.
The Millenium MD-100 is, in my opinion, a perfect escape for drummers of all levels who simply don't have the space for an electronic drum kit, but still want to practice and jam.
If you do have the space, I would consider a full-fledged drum kit such as the Millenium MPS-450 , Roland TD-02K or the Alesis Nitro Max as it feels more realistic.
