In this article
Updated September 18, 2026. Written by Chaos Audio, maker of Stratus.
Stratus is useful when one effect slot will not cover the sound you want. Build a mono preset with NAM captures, delay or modulation, and looping, then use FX Builder 2.0 to create a missing effect. HX One fills a different role: one selected HX-family effect with stereo operation, Flux, and direct hardware controls. The choice is whether this position on your board needs one flexible effect or several parts of the sound together.
For a Stratus preset, combine captured drive and amp stages with a delay or modulation effect as processing allows. Save the chain and recall it with your foot; installed sounds run locally without the phone connected.
What changed for Stratus
With the latest Chaos Audio app and Stratus firmware 1.0.100, you can run up to three NAM A2-Lite blocks simultaneously in one preset. Each NAM block uses roughly half the CPU it used before this update; every other effect in that chain still shares the processing budget. The same release brings FX Builder 2.0 to the iOS and Android app, alongside the released web builder.
Read the full Stratus and mobile FX Builder 2.0 release notes.
Side by side
| Feature | Chaos Audio Stratus | Line 6 HX One |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $299; power supply sold separately | Line 6’s published US reference price is $299.99; check current dealer offers |
| NAM and amp sounds | Native NAM A2-Lite; up to three simultaneous NAM blocks with firmware 1.0.100 and the latest app; total chain CPU still applies | Effects processor; no amp-model or NAM-capture engine |
| Effects and routing | 19 free effects covering all effect categories; reorder the chain and add custom FX Builder 2.0 effects within the CPU budget | 250+ HX-family effects; one selected effect at a time |
| Creating effects | FX Builder 2.0 generates editable FAUST effects from a description; 30 free AI builds every month | Choose and adjust factory algorithms; Flux moves parameters between settings |
| Finding and loading sounds | Chaos Audio app for iOS/Android; install any of TONE3000’s 600,000+ amp and pedal NAM captures or your own supported uploads over Bluetooth | Browse effects on the pedal; HX One Librarian manages presets on a computer |
| Live controls | Multiknob and footswitch; 14 directly accessible presets, up to 128 through MIDI; app editing | Two footswitches, OLED display, parameter knobs, Flux, and expression/external-switch input; 128 presets |
| Looping | Built-in five-minute looper with overdubbing | Looper algorithms are available; choosing one occupies the single effect slot; MIDI can control looper functions |
| Audio connections | Mono 1/4-inch input and output; no headphone output, stereo audio, or effects loop | Stereo 1/4-inch inputs/outputs; selectable true or buffered DSP bypass; adjustable input impedance |
| Computer and MIDI | USB-MIDI; a USB host is needed with conventional MIDI controllers; USB-C is not a recording audio interface | 5-pin MIDI in and out/thru plus USB-MIDI; USB supports firmware and preset management |
| Power | 9V DC, center-negative, at least 400mA; compatible USB-C power is another option | 9V center-negative; included 500mA-rated supply; Line 6 describes operating draw as just under 400mA |
Where HX One makes sense
HX One is well suited to a board with one changing role: a different modulation effect for each song, a specialist pitch effect, or a delay you only need occasionally. Its stereo path, true-bypass option, physical MIDI connectors, and expression input are meaningful advantages over Stratus for that setup.
Flux can move several parameters over a chosen time. That lets a player create a rising repeat level or a changing pitch texture from one switch. Stratus approaches evolving effects differently: describe the behavior in FX Builder 2.0, audition it, refine it, and install the resulting algorithm.
Do not mistake HX One’s large catalog for a multi-block signal chain. Its one-effect architecture is deliberate. Likewise, Stratus’s multiple blocks do not make it a stereo replacement for HX One. Decide which routing and control features your actual board requires.
Building an effect with FX Builder 2.0
Start with an effect behavior, such as repeats that darken and drift or a modulation sound with a slower sweep. FX Builder 2.0 lets you audition and refine that idea before installing it beside captures. Adjust the resulting controls as you would another effect. Hear FX Builder 2.0 examples for an idea of the results; these demonstrations are software-rendered.
Generation and installation use online services. Once an effect and preset are installed, Stratus processes your instrument locally and can play without the phone or an internet connection. A generated effect is an interpretation of a prompt; it is not a promise of an exact circuit clone or an artist’s recorded sound.
Libraries, limits, and ongoing cost
Stratus is US$299 with 19 free effects covering all effect categories, 30 free AI builds every month in FX Builder 2.0, and access to all 600,000+ amp and pedal NAM captures on TONE3000. See the product page for configuration, regional pricing, and shipping estimates.
Distinguish an amp-only capture from one that already includes a cabinet before adding an IR. All 600,000+ amp and pedal NAM captures on TONE3000 work on Stratus in A2 Lite mode. Stratus’s storage and total chain CPU limits still apply. See the linked FX Builder 2.0 page for generated-code terms.
Which fits your rig?
Choose Stratus to save several sound stages as one playable preset—for example, a drive capture into an amp capture with a delay shaped to the song, as processing allows. Choose HX One when one stereo effect and its Flux or expression controls fill the gap in an otherwise finished board.
Explore Stratus · Try FX Builder 2.0
Sources and current specifications
- Line 6 HX One: current product features and connections
- Line 6 HX One FAQ: single-effect operation, loopers, power, and reference price
- Chaos Audio Stratus specifications and current offer
- Chaos Audio September release: three NAM blocks and FX Builder 2.0 on mobile
- FX Builder 2.0: workflow, code rights, and installed effects
Comparison notes: product images are scaled for visibility, not to physical scale. This article compares published specifications and workflows; it is not a controlled listening test. Check current regional offers and shipping estimates before ordering.
