Latency When Playing Through NAM: Buffer Size, Sample Rate and CPU

A great model is useless if you feel a delay under your fingers or hear crackles. Here is how to set up your interface and computer for comfortable real-time playing.

Setup NAM Hub team · October 2, 2026 · 6 min read

Where latency comes from

When you play through software, sound travels from the guitar into the interface, is converted to digital, processed by the computer in small chunks ("buffers"), converted back to analogue and sent to your headphones or monitors. The size of those chunks — the buffer size — is the main thing you control. A NAM model itself does not "look ahead"; what you feel is mostly the audio system around it.

As a rough guide, at 48 kHz a 64-sample buffer is about 1.3 ms and a 128-sample buffer about 2.7 ms in each direction. Total round-trip latency is higher because of converters and driver overhead; most players feel comfortable below roughly 10 ms in total.

Step 1: use the right driver

Windows: install your interface's own ASIO driver and select it in the DAW or the NAM standalone app. Avoid generic drivers for real-time playing.
macOS: Core Audio works well; install the manufacturer's driver or control software if one is offered.

Step 2: set the sample rate to 48 kHz

NAM models are typically trained at 48 kHz. Running the project at the same rate avoids extra conversion and keeps CPU use predictable. Higher rates such as 96 kHz cost more CPU without a clear benefit for most guitar players.

Step 3: find the smallest stable buffer

Start at 256 samples, play for a minute and listen for clicks.
Go down to 128, then 64. Stop at the smallest value with no crackles, even while playing hard and with all your effects on.
If you only get clean sound at large buffers, continue with the steps below.

Step 4: reduce CPU load

Choose a smaller model size. Lite and Feather models use noticeably less CPU than Standard models and often sound very close.
Use one instance. Several NAM plugins plus heavy reverbs add up quickly.
Freeze or bounce other tracks in your DAW while you record guitar.
Power settings: on Windows pick a high-performance power plan; keep laptops plugged in.
Close background apps — browsers, sync tools and updates can cause dropouts.

Step 5: monitor smartly

Turn off the interface's direct monitoring of the dry guitar signal, otherwise you will hear a dry and a processed signal at the same time.
Use headphones or monitors connected to the interface, not the computer's built-in output or Bluetooth headphones — Bluetooth adds a lot of latency.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Likely fix
Crackles and pops	Increase buffer, use a smaller model, close apps
Feels "laggy"	Lower buffer, use ASIO, avoid Bluetooth
Doubled / phasey sound	Turn off direct monitoring
Sounds different from the demo	Check input level and IR — see common mistakes

Choosing a device to run NAM away from the computer? Compare options in our processors overview.

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