In this article
Updated September 18, 2026. Written by Chaos Audio, maker of Stratus.
With Stratus, you can start by describing the effect you want—such as a delay whose repeats darken and drift—then audition it, refine it, and install it beside NAM captures. MOD Dwarf starts with a modular canvas for connecting plugins, split paths, instruments, and controls. Both invite experimentation; the difference is whether you want to shape an effect's behavior or design a broader routing network.
Stratus combines up to three NAM A2-Lite blocks with surrounding effects and looping in a mono chain, within the total CPU budget. Dwarf provides a modular routing canvas. The useful distinction is the way you want to develop and control a sound.
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 | MOD Dwarf |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $299; power supply sold separately | Check MOD Audio’s current store/dealer price and regional availability |
| 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 | NAM through the MOD plugin ecosystem; model architecture, plugin version, and CPU demand determine what fits |
| 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 | 300+ available plugins across effects, instruments, loopers, and utilities; modular splits, merges, parallel audio, MIDI, and internal CV routing |
| Creating effects | FX Builder 2.0 generates editable FAUST effects from a description; 30 free AI builds every month | Patch plugins in the browser; developer tools support building additional plugins |
| 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 | Browser-based pedalboard editor over USB; upload files and manage plugins through the MOD workflow |
| Live controls | Multiknob and footswitch; 14 directly accessible presets, up to 128 through MIDI; app editing | Three footswitches, three encoders, four buttons, 2.9-inch display, pedalboards and snapshots |
| Looping | Built-in five-minute looper with overdubbing | Choose looper plugins and route them as part of a pedalboard |
| Audio connections | Mono 1/4-inch input and output; no headphone output, stereo audio, or effects loop | Two independent unbalanced inputs; two balanced/unbalanced outputs; headphone output |
| Computer and MIDI | USB-MIDI; a USB host is needed with conventional MIDI controllers; USB-C is not a recording audio interface | TRS type-A MIDI in/out, USB device and USB host, plus Control Chain; internal CV routing is not a set of physical CV jacks |
| Power | 9V DC, center-negative, at least 400mA; compatible USB-C power is another option | 12V DC, 2A |
| Size and weight | 5.5 × 3.125 × 2.125 inches; 11.6oz | 202 × 105 × 54mm; 800g |
Modular patching versus generating an effect
Dwarf is compelling when the connections between effects are part of the composition. A parallel ambient path, a synth controlled over MIDI, or a loop feeding several processors fits naturally into a modular editor. Once the board is prepared, the hardware runs it without a laptop.
Dwarf also has NAM support. It would be misleading to frame native capture playback as exclusive to Stratus. MOD’s plugin version and the selected model’s processing cost matter; current MOD discussions also document A2 quality-scaling behavior. A model that loads is not a promise that a complex surrounding pedalboard will fit in the CPU budget.
Stratus is simpler to approach from a phone: choose a TONE3000 capture, install it, arrange effects, and save a preset. FX Builder 2.0 can combine several requested behaviors inside one generated effect, but that is different from Dwarf’s freely patched multi-path graph. Stratus’s hardware audio remains mono.
Building an effect with FX Builder 2.0
Start with a familiar musical idea: a warm delay with darker repeats and gentle pitch movement. Describe it in FX Builder 2.0, audition it, request changes, then install it beside captures. You can use the resulting controls without programming; source access is available for deeper editing. 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 for a personal sound in a compact mono chain: find captures, create the effect they need, and save the result for the pedal. Choose Dwarf when parallel paths, stereo or dual-mono operation, and modular control are essential parts of the composition. Effect creation and a routing graph are different tools.
Explore Stratus · Try FX Builder 2.0
Sources and current specifications
- MOD Dwarf: platform, hardware, and I/O
- MOD platform and developer tools
- MOD’s official NAM plugin announcement
- MOD support discussion: A2 model scaling and plugin versions
- 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.
