Build your first pedalboard

By Landon McCoy · Updated October 3, 2026

The Pedalboard is where you arrange effects, adjust their controls, and save a complete sound as a preset.

Applies to: Stratus and Nimbus.

Create a chain

  1. Connect your hardware and open Pedalboard.
  2. Tap + / Add Effect and choose an effect from your library or the available categories.
  3. Install any missing effect files to the device. Adding a card to your account is separate from transferring it to hardware.
  4. Adjust the effect’s knobs and switches, then use its footswitch to compare engaged and bypassed sound.
  5. Add more effects and arrange them from left to right in the order you want the signal to pass through them.
  6. Save your work as a preset with a name you can recognize during a performance.
Earlier Chaos Audio Pedalboard screen with a loaded effect.
Earlier app reference: an effect on the Pedalboard. Use the current written steps for adding and installing effects. Open image at full size.

Choose the next task

Find your way around the app

The tutorial’s app has Pedalboard, Presets, and Settings tabs. Tone Shop browsing is available inside Add Effect; older walkthroughs may show a separate shop tab. Tap the + at the position where you want to insert the next effect. Audio passes through the chain from left to right.

Adjust and bypass an effect

Tap an effect’s knob to open its larger control view, then drag up or down to change the value. Close the enlarged view to return to the board. Tap the effect’s virtual footswitch or on/off control to bypass or engage it. The colored effect indicator helps identify the card; bright/dim states show whether it is enabled in the tutorial’s interface.

Reorder or remove an effect

Drag an effect card or its colored indicator to change its position. Listen again after moving it because the new order changes the sound immediately. Use the effect’s remove/delete action when you no longer want that block; older app versions offer a swipe-left removal gesture.

Keep your changes

Use the Pedalboard menu to create a new preset or save the current chain as a new preset. An asterisk beside the preset name indicates unsaved changes in the tutorial. Tap the preset’s save control after editing; its saved state is shown in gray in that interface. Saving your phone’s preset is separate from syncing the updated preset to hardware.

Watch this task

From the Full Uncut Stratus Tutorial, recorded October 2, 2026. App screens and available controls can vary by version.

Enlarged effect controls for vertical knob adjustment, from the October 2026 Stratus tutorial.
Enlarged effect controls for vertical knob adjustment. Watch this screen (14:56) · Open screenshot at full size.
A two-effect chain with colored order indicators, from the October 2026 Stratus tutorial.
A two-effect chain with colored order indicators. Watch this screen (16:11) · Open screenshot at full size.
More visual references
Touch an effect knob and drag up or down to adjust it.
Existing gesture guide: touch and drag vertically to adjust a virtual knob. Open image at full size.
Still need a hand?

Email support@chaosaudio.com. We’re here to help.

Related articles

Download the app and check device compatibilityUse the Chaos Audio app for both Stratus and Nimbus. Download it through the official Apple App Store or Google Play listing.Connect Stratus or Nimbus to the appMake the control connection inside the Chaos Audio app. Pairing only in your phone’s Bluetooth settings does not complete app setup.Find and add effects, NAM models, and IRsOpen Add Effect from the Pedalboard to find pre-made effects, your created effects, NAM amp models, and impulse responses.Install effects on Stratus or NimbusAn effect in your account must also be installed on the hardware before that device can run it.Save, back up, and sync presetsSaving a preset, backing it up to your account, and syncing it to hardware are three different actions.