How many effects can I run? Understanding CPU

By Landon McCoy · Updated October 3, 2026

The number of simultaneous effects depends on their processing cost. Use the app’s CPU indicator and overload messages instead of a fixed effect count.

Applies to: Stratus and Nimbus.

Check the connected device

Open Settings → CPU Usage in the app version shown in the Stratus tutorial. Older versions may put CPU information in the Pedalboard menu. Check the current chain after adding NAM models, IRs, or a generated effect. The tutorial’s example percentages describe that particular chain, not a fixed cost for every effect.

If an effect will not fit

  1. Look for a CPU Overload message in the app.
  2. Remove an effect you do not need, or choose a simpler alternative.
  3. Check the chain again after the change and leave room for reliable playback.
Stored files and running effects differ. Storage: How many files the device can hold. Processing: How much work the active chain needs. App feedback: Check CPU limits for the complete chain. There is no universal effect count. Choose lighter effects if the chain will not fit.
There is no universal effect count. Choose lighter effects if the chain will not fit. Open image at full size.

NAM improvements in the latest software

Preview: Recent firmware optimization and app updates remove the old one-NAM restriction and have validated three A2-Lite NAM blocks on Stratus. The same software features apply to Nimbus. This is not a guarantee that three NAMs plus any other effects will fit; the full chain still has to pass the CPU budget.

Why old percentages are misleading

Firmware changes can alter processing cost. The app’s budget estimates and measured hardware load are not interchangeable. Earlier fixed NAM/IR percentages in this Help Center have been removed; use the connected device’s current feedback.

Storage is different

The number of files you can store is separate from how many effects can run at once. An IR library is not limited to ten slots in the latest workflow; available device storage still matters.

Watch this task

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

Connected device CPU Usage for the tutorial’s example effect, from the October 2026 Stratus tutorial.
Connected device CPU Usage for the tutorial’s example effect. Watch this screen (23:35) · Open screenshot at full size.
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