NUX MG-30 Guitar Multi-Effects Pedal Guitar/Bass/Acoustic Amp Modeling Processor, IR Loader, White-Box Algorithm, EFX Routing, 4'' Color LCD, NMP-2 Footswitch Included

There's no shortage of people gushing about this thing, and they're right. Solid build quality, awesome simulations, the amps sound real, it's flexible, etc., etc. all at a price that's well below what you'd expect. Highly recommended, 5 stars. But I've had it a while, and no gear is perfect, so here's some cons.1. It doesn't do everything everyone wants it to do. At least not out of the box. I participate in a user's group on FB, and my, there are some demands. For instance, the preset switching is... different (more later), so they want that changed, and it's not going to happen. The built-in presets were developed by several different pro guitarists, and their volume levels aren't going to be normalized. It's never going to have a true bypass option. It's never going to have analogue reverb, or grow an XLR out or a fourth footswitch, or stop other players from using other pedals with it. (There is a vocal faction of that community who seem to have chosen it specifically so their rig looks minimalistic, and they hate seeing it defiled, say, next to a fuzz pedal, almost as much as they hate the limited fuzz choices the unit has. Odd).2. The amps modeling is awesome sounding, but NU-X hypes their White-Box modeling as being very responsive and realistic in the controls. In reality , the knobs on the amps sometimes sound like they aren't doing much at all. IDK. You can use them to dial in some sweet-ass tones, and you can dial in some just ass tones, but unlike real amps, the difference in the two isn't from accidentally bumping some knob from 4 to 5.3. One of the main reasons I chose it was its send/return jacks. Do I wish they were stereo? Not at this price point, I don't. But I do wish I could put them in between them after the preamp and before power amp, where FX loops usually go. There are power amp specific controls, like presence and bias, and the S/R, like any block, can go anywhere else in the chain you want, but not only are there no separate pre/power amp blocks, the amp and IR (speaker cabinet) blocks are locked together. You can turn them on or off individually, if you just want the amp sim or an IR loader, but the IR is always the next thing after the amp, no exceptions.4. Speaking of cabinets, the IRs seem lifeless. Not to worry, there are plenty of good free ones out there, and plenty of open slots to load them.5. The preset switching takes some getting used to. There are 128 that are, for some reason, numbered 01A to 32D, and each has three "scenes." The scenes will all have the same effects with the same settings, in the same order, but each scene allows you to have any combination of effects engaged. So, when the chorus turns to your big solo, you can turn 3 pedals on and 2 off with a single stomp. All presets and scenes are user writable, and the factory ones can be recalled individually or all at once with relative ease.I'm going to quit now. I had some less talked about plus sides I wanted to get to, but this is long already. It's not my intention to talk anyone out of this unit, because it's the biggest bang for your buck right now, without question, and I love mine. I just wanted to point out where it's not perfect, hoping that when you buy it, you're a well-informed consumer with realistic expectations.One more thing. Of the lesser-discussed upsides to this unit that I was hoping to get to, you have to check out the MIDI this thing has. I said above that it doesn't do everything **out of the box,** and can't grow any extra switches, but it does have 85 different parameters assignable to MIDI, so...

You can get awesome sounding tones if you dig into the settings, amps, and install third party IR's. The stock ones are ok and you can always EQ them but you get better results using other IR's

I was looking for a backup/home use modeler to supplement my Helix. The Nuxs' onboard interface functions similarly to the Helix so it was fairly intuitive for me. I dialed in a couple of presets pretty quickly to use through my FRFR or power amp section of a Catalyst 60. This thing is exactly what I was looking for. It's small enough for me to leave sitting out on top of the Catalyst, or pack in a gigbag to use as a backup for the Helix. Would I use it as my main rig? Probably not, but I love it at home for quick practice sessions. Nux definitely hit it's target with this unit. I'm interested to see if they will keep upgrading the software for it, but for now I'm satisfied with what it is. Especially for $300...

ADDENDUM: for best results on silent stage or in the studio (using a high quality interface like UA, etc.), the results through the 1/8” TRS out are much better than the 1/4” outs on the MG-30. It’s a whole new ball game. For some reason, the 1/4” outs are not voiced the same even when applying cab sims/IR’s to them. I did comparisons directly into powered monitors (no interface or mixer coloration) and the head phone out produced very useable results. It is a huge improvement to using the 1/4” outs which are evidently voiced for guitar amps and eq differently.I am a pro player so expecting this unit to deliver a professional result might be unreasonable, but I read so many good reviews that I thought it might be a small, portable and lightweight alternative to my helix LT which is a beast and not very user-friendly. I also use Helix Native and have used the atomic Amplifire Box for silent stages and going direct for recording to save CPU load. And I have spent a good number of hours tweaking this Nux MG 30. It is possible to get a usable, clean and dirty self out of it but it doesn’t create an experience that involves the player and just makes you want to play and play. It is brittle and thin sounding. It’s very hard to dial those qualities out and still have any clarity. The effects, especially the Reverb‘s you are better left off because they are so thin that they can only be used at the most minimal setting without making the tone of the guitar nasal. Some of the modulation affects are good and that the analog delay is very good. I’m afraid I’m gonna have to sell this because it’s out of warranty now and I’ve only used it on one gig. I’m going to investigate the Strymon and other high end pedal options as I am just not a fan of the Line 6 user interface. If the helix was not so huge, I would use it as it sounds fabulous. The MG 30 is nowhere near that experience unfortunately.