In this article
Updated September 18, 2026. Written by Chaos Audio, maker of Stratus.
Both pedals now support native NAM A2-Lite, so native playback alone does not settle this choice. Stratus lets you use up to three NAM blocks simultaneously: for example, pedal captures before an amp capture, subject to the whole chain's CPU budget. It also gives you FX Builder 2.0 to create and refine another effect for that sound. MG-30 instead packages its modeling workflow with expression, a display, stereo connections, and recording in a floorboard.
MG-30’s GEN2 firmware adds ten NAM storage slots and requires the matching GEN2 QuickTone editor. Stratus’s three-model figure refers to simultaneous processing in a preset. Those numbers describe different functions.
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 | NUX MG-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $299; power supply sold separately | $329 at NUX USA on September 17, 2026; regional offers vary |
| 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 | Native NAM A2-Lite with GEN2 firmware; ten NAM slots in the amp block; circuit-modeled amps also included |
| 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 | 11 movable blocks with optional parallel post-effects routing; factory models and effects expand with firmware |
| Creating effects | FX Builder 2.0 generates editable FAUST effects from a description; 30 free AI builds every month | Adjust existing algorithms and profiles through the hardware and QuickTone editor |
| 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 | Download captures and use the matching GEN2 QuickTone desktop editor over USB |
| Live controls | Multiknob and footswitch; 14 directly accessible presets, up to 128 through MIDI; app editing | Four-inch display, onboard footswitches, built-in expression pedal, external footswitch support |
| Looping | Built-in five-minute looper with overdubbing | 60-second phrase looper and 67 drum patterns |
| Audio connections | Mono 1/4-inch input and output; no headphone output, stereo audio, or effects loop | Stereo outputs, send/return, aux input, and headphones |
| Computer and MIDI | USB-MIDI; a USB host is needed with conventional MIDI controllers; USB-C is not a recording audio interface | USB audio and QuickTone editing; consult the current firmware manual for control-message support |
| Power | 9V DC, center-negative, at least 400mA; compatible USB-C power is another option | Use the specified NUX power adapter |
Ten installed captures are not ten simultaneous amps
The ten MG-30 NAM slots are storage choices within its AMP block. They do not mean ten capture engines running together. Stratus’s three-NAM claim refers to simultaneous blocks in one preset, with processing shared by the rest of the chain. This is a storage-versus-processing distinction, not a comparison between ten and three equivalent slots.
MG-30’s expression pedal, headphones, effects loop, and USB audio can consolidate a setup. Stratus is useful when those jobs are already covered and you want to develop the sound itself: captured pedal stages into an amp capture, with a custom effect shaped around that chain.
For GEN2, update both MG-30 firmware and QuickTone together. NUX says older editor versions are not compatible with GEN2 firmware. Its model-compatibility notes also distinguish native A2 playback from legacy A1 handling; check the specific release notes for the files you intend to use.
Building an effect with FX Builder 2.0
For example, build a delay that leaves the dry attack clear while the repeats darken and drift. Describe it in FX Builder 2.0, listen, ask for a change, and install the result beside your captures. The chain must fit the available CPU. 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 when you have the connections and controls you need and want more freedom in how the sound is built. Three simultaneous NAM blocks and an effect you can describe and refine are reasons to choose it beyond size. Choose MG-30 when expression, headphones, and recording in one floorboard are the features your setup lacks.
Explore Stratus · Try FX Builder 2.0
Sources and current specifications
- NUX USA MG-30: price, connections, and current native-NAM positioning
- NUX MG-30 GEN2: ten NAM slots and matching editor requirement
- NUX native-A2 compatibility and format guidance
- 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.
