The MG-101 amp modeler and guitar effects processor (and how to use it for streaming)

This is a quick note about the MG-101 Multi Effects Pedal from Nux (pronounced “new-ex”).

Nux MG-101

There are at least a dozen YouTube videos that explain and dissect the device better than I ever could. Suffice it to say this thing is awesome, and something I can only wish I had had decades ago when I was getting started. I haven’t gone past the presets yet, but have been enjoying Funk Starter (a cleaner set with a bit of character), Metal Starter, and Punk Starter (perfect for songs like Smells Like Teen Spirit) most of all so far.

But what has really been a game changer for me is the drum loop. For whatever reason (maybe it’s because it’s patched in to the headset, or because it sounds slightly less mechanical than a metronome?), it’s opened the door for me to just jam along with it, drilling song melodies until I can get them intertwined with the beat.

One common complaint with this unit is that there’s no power switch, and the only way to turn it off is to disconnect the power adapter. An inconvenience easily addressed with a 5.5mm x 2.1mm inline cable with an on/off switch.

So far I’ve tested it successfully with a 10th generation iPad using a JSAUX USB C Male to USB Female OTG Cable I had sitting around, and the USB cable the MG-101 shipped with. I also successfully used it with the bundled cable connected directly to a 2015 MacBook Air, both running GarageBand.

I’m going to try it using  an Anker USB-C to USB-A OTG Adapter ($13) and, for older Lightning devices, OTG Lightning Male to USB 3.0 Female Adapter ($5), Lightning to USB OTG Camera Adapter ($10) and an Apple Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter I have hooked up to my listening station.

Headsets connect using TRRS, and the headsets I have that fit that bill have relatively short cables that don’t work with the pedal on the floor. Solution: A Cable Matters Headset Extension Cable. (Maybe. Getting weird feedback from a cheap pair of JBL headphones I have hooked up to it currently. Investigating. EDIT: It works, with both my cheap JBLs and my lower-midrange Sennheiser PC38X, but it’s very sensitive to levels. Working for me at the moment, with the cheap JBL: Global Settings / Global EQ / (Page 2) Phones -4eB Output 0dB; Global Settings / MIC & USB / (Page 1) Volume 62, Noise Gate Threshold (Thre.) 0, Decay 0.)

The 9V wall wart likewise doesn’t have the longest cord, so I’m sticking it on the end of an extension cord.

When it came to using the headset online, the instructions weren’t the most clear, but I did get a response from Nux support within about a day. A few settings have to be changed from the default:

Press both the EDIT/EXIT and SAVE buttons at the same time to enter the GLOBAL settings menu:

EDIT/EXIT and SAVE buttons

Turn the SELECT knob to select Mic & USB and press the SELECT knob to enter that section:

Global Setting menu

Use the “page” button to change between the three (as of Firmware v1.1.1) Mic & USB settings pages:

Page button

Use the 1, 2, and 3 knobs to change the settings on each page. When you have a page setup the way you want, press the SAVE button. When you’re done setting everything, hit the EDIT/EXIT button to get back to the regular interface.

Page 3 is where the most important setting is; Loopback must be set to On:

Third settings page, with Loopback set to On

Finally, when using with, say, video conferencing software (e.g., Google Meet), the audio input device must be set to the MG-101. Depending on the software, the system audio output device might need to be switched to the MG-101 and the video software set to use the System Device for output:

macOS Sound widget selecting the MG-101 as the system default speaker

Google Meet settings