What is Crunchix Raw?
Crunchix Raw is the free, one-knob way to make anything sound dirty, digital, and broken. Turn a single CRUNCH knob and your drums, synths, vocals, or full mix get instant lo-fi grit, with Auto Gain hard-wired on so it just gets crunchier, never louder. Signed and notarized on macOS, code-signed on Windows, zero-latency, and free.
The one CRUNCH knob reduces bit depth and adds sample-rate decimation together for instant lo-fi grit: the same bitcrush and decimator engine from the full Crunchix, behind a single knob. Auto Gain keeps the output level-matched, and the whole thing runs zero-latency.
Quick start
Get a result with Crunchix Raw in under a minute.
- Insert it. Put Crunchix Raw on the track or bus you want to change.
- Turn CRUNCH up. Raise CRUNCH until it sounds right.
- Compare. Bypass the plugin in your DAW to hear the difference.
The interface
Controls
Header
- 1Fire Head: click the flame logo to open the About panel: what the plugin is, who made it and the trademark notices. Click anywhere in the panel to close it.
The knob
- 2CRUNCH: a single macro that lowers bit depth and adds sample-rate reduction together. At low settings you get subtle digital edge. Push it further and the engine bites harder: dirty, digital, and broken. Auto Gain is hard-wired on, so every position stays level-matched and your A/B comparison is honest. Zero-latency, authentic grit.
Key specs*
| One knob, hidden parameters | CRUNCH is the only host-automatable parameter; every underlying engine control is wrapped as non-automatable so it never clutters your automation list, yet still saves and restores with the plugin's state. |
|---|---|
| Bit depth and decimation together | The bitcrusher quantizes each sample to a reduced number of levels while a sample-and-hold decimator reduces the sample rate, both eased in front-loaded so the first quarter of the knob is subtle. |
| Bass Sentinel | A stereo Linkwitz-Riley crossover splits off the low band before the crush and recombines the clean lows afterward, so the bottom end stays solid while the crush bites the mids and tops. |
| Safe by design | A DC blocker preserves headroom after quantization, an unconditional soft clipper feeds a 0 dBFS hard ceiling, and NaN/Inf protection with denormal guards keeps the output clean at any knob position. |
| Controls | One knob, CRUNCH |
| Formats | macOS: AU, VST3, CLAP, AAX, Standalone. Windows: VST3, CLAP, Standalone |
* Key specs from the plugin page. Some specs may not be listed.
How do I use Crunchix Raw on a track?
- Insert it. Put Crunchix Raw on the track or bus you want to change.
- Turn CRUNCH up. Raise CRUNCH until it sounds right. At low settings you get subtle digital edge. Push it further and the engine bites harder: dirty, digital, and broken.
- Automate it. CRUNCH is the only control your DAW can automate, so one automation lane covers it.
What about the full Crunchix?
Love the crunch? The full Crunchix goes deeper. The Pro version adds analog jitter, ring modulation, tone shaping, Bass Lock sub protection, tempo sync, and oversampling for full control over your lo-fi destruction. Every control is explained in the Crunchix manual.
Keyboard and mouse shortcuts
These work in every Crunchix Raw format (AU, VST3, CLAP, AAX, Standalone).
| Reset a control to its default | Double-click the knob or slider |
|---|---|
| Scroll to change a value | Hover over a knob and scroll the mouse wheel |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Crunchix Raw free?
Yes. Crunchix Raw is completely free: freeware, no trial, no nag screens, no expiration.
What does the CRUNCH knob do?
CRUNCH is a macro that reduces bit depth and sample rate together for instant lo-fi grit. Auto Gain keeps the output level-matched, so it just gets crunchier, never louder. It's zero-latency.
How is Crunchix Raw different from Crunchix (Pro)?
Crunchix Raw gives you the bitcrush and decimator engine behind a single CRUNCH knob with Auto Gain. The full Crunchix adds analog jitter, ring modulation, tone shaping, Bass Lock sub protection, tempo sync, and oversampling.
Does Crunchix Raw run on Apple Silicon and Windows?
Yes. Crunchix Raw is a Universal Binary that runs natively on Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) and Intel Macs, and ships as a 64-bit build for Windows 10 and 11.
What formats does Crunchix Raw come in?
Crunchix Raw ships as AU, VST3, CLAP, AAX and a Standalone app on macOS, as a Universal Binary for Apple Silicon and Intel, plus VST3, CLAP and Standalone on Windows 10 and 11. AAX ships on macOS only. It runs in any AU, VST3, CLAP or AAX host, or on its own.
Can I automate Crunchix Raw?
Yes: the single CRUNCH macro is the only host-automatable parameter. Every underlying engine control is hidden from your host's automation list, so all you ever automate is the one knob.
Where can I find more about Crunchix Raw?
On the Crunchix Raw page: its features, system requirements and how to get it.
How do I get and install Crunchix Raw?
- Get it. Crunchix Raw is free. Get it from the Crunchix Raw page.
- Run the installer. On macOS, double-click the .pkg file and choose AU, VST3, CLAP, AAX or Standalone. On Windows, run the .exe installer and choose VST3, CLAP or Standalone.
- Open your DAW. Restart your DAW and rescan plugins if needed, then find Crunchix Raw under Remi Blaze in your plugin list.
More about Crunchix Raw, including its features and system requirements, is on the Crunchix Raw page.
Where are the plugin files?
If you need to find Crunchix Raw on disk, for example to troubleshoot or to uninstall it manually, these are the standard locations.
| macOS AU | ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/ |
|---|---|
| macOS VST3 | ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/ |
| macOS CLAP | ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/CLAP/ |
| macOS AAX | /Library/Application Support/Avid/Audio/Plug-Ins/ |
| Windows VST3 | C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\ |
| Windows CLAP | C:\Program Files\Common Files\CLAP\ |
To uninstall, quit your DAW and delete the Crunchix Raw file from the relevant folder. Your DAW will stop listing it on its next rescan.
Need help with Crunchix Raw?
If something isn't covered here, or Crunchix Raw doesn't behave as described, contact support or email support@remiblaze.com. To get an answer faster, include:
- your operating system and version (for example macOS 15.6 or Windows 11)
- your DAW and its version
- the format you're using (AU, VST3, CLAP, AAX or Standalone)
- the version you installed (shown in the installer and in your download), since the About panel of every Raw shows v1.0.0
- what you did, what you expected, and what happened instead
This manual is for Crunchix Raw 1.0.1. Controls and settings can change between versions, so if something here doesn't match what you see, check the version shown in your installer or download. Spotted a mistake or have a question? Let us know.