CRUNCHIX

Bitcrusher and decimator with Bass Lock, jitter, and tempo sync.

NFT Exclusive

Crunchix is a lo-fi bitcrusher and decimator by Remi Blaze that reduces your signal from clean 32-bit down to a 1-bit square wave, with tempo-synced sample-rate decimation, analog-style jitter, and a Bass Lock crossover that protects the sub while everything above it gets crushed. It's the permanent NFT-exclusive plugin in the suite — access is token-gated and that's not changing.

Get Crunchix — NFT Token Required All Plugins
AU AUv3 VST3 CLAP Standalone macOS

WHAT IT DOES

  • Bit Crusher — logarithmic bit-depth reduction from 32-bit (clean) to 1-bit (square wave); the logarithmic mapping keeps the full knob range musical so subtle grit and total destruction are both usable territories.
  • Sample-Rate Decimator — downsamples your signal to as low as ~100 Hz in free-running mode or locked to your DAW's tempo across six rhythmic divisions (1/2 through 1/64) so aliasing artifacts stay on the grid.
  • Analog Jitter — adds independent per-channel random timing drift to the decimator, simulating the warble of vintage hardware samplers; per-channel independence preserves stereo width so the degradation sounds organic rather than digital.
  • Bass Lock — a 150 Hz Linkwitz-Riley crossover splits the signal so only the mid and high band gets destroyed; the sub passes through completely clean, letting you push Crush and Decimate to extreme settings without losing the bass.
  • Auto-Gain Sentinel — RMS-based loudness compensation tracks the energy drop from heavy crushing and automatically compensates so your output stays at a consistent perceived volume, letting you hear the character of the destruction rather than just the level drop.

WHY CRUNCHIX?

Every standard lo-fi approach — bit reduction, sample-rate drop, vinyl simulation — applies degradation to the full signal. The low end gets crushed along with the highs, which means you can't use extreme settings on anything that needs to keep its sub intact. Crunchix's Bass Lock crossover changes that. Set it to 150 Hz and the bit crusher and decimator only touch the mids and highs. The sub stays clean and controlled while everything above it gets destroyed. Push Crush to 70% and the hi-hats and percussion get a hard digital texture while the kick's sub body comes through completely untouched.

Most bitcrushers apply linear scaling on bit depth and sample rate — you hit the interesting territory fast and fall into unusable noise before you've found the sweet spot. Crunchix uses logarithmic mapping on both Crush and Decimate so the entire knob range is usable, from subtle grit to total destruction. Tempo-synced decimation locks the hold rate to your BPM across six rhythmic divisions so the aliasing stays in time rather than drifting against the grid. The always-on 18 kHz safety low-pass removes the ear-fatigue digital glass that heavy crushing can produce — you get the character without the pain. And the auto-gain sentinel compensates for the loudness drop from extreme settings so you can A/B freely without the crushed version sounding quieter. Remi Blaze built every parameter with hardened safety so producers can push knobs into extreme territory without the signal falling apart.

Crunchix is the permanent NFT-exclusive tool in the Remi Blaze suite — it will never be sold through standard distribution. Tech house and techno producers who want lo-fi texture on percussion, pads, and transitions without losing the bass will use Bass Lock as the primary reason to own it. Experimental and noise-oriented producers will push Digital Chaos and Broken Sampler into extreme territory knowing the output won't clip or blow up. Producers building drops and transitions will use Bit-Filter Rise to sweep the crush in over several bars. And and for those who know the music, there's more here than meets the eye — seek and you shall find. If you know, you know.

HOW TO USE CRUNCHIX

How to crush hi-hats and percussion while keeping the bass clean

  1. Load Crunchix on your drum bus or drum loop insert. Enable Bass Lock in the options row — the 150 Hz crossover is now active.
  2. Bring Crush to 40–65%. The mids and highs get quantization grit while the sub and kick body pass through clean. Logarithmic scaling means the first half of the knob covers subtle-to-moderate texture.
  3. Add Decimate at 20–35% for sample-rate roughness on top of the bit reduction. The combination compounds quickly — keep Decimate lower than Crush for a controlled result.
  4. Enable Sync and set the division to 1/16. The decimation locks to your DAW tempo so the aliasing artifacts feel rhythmically placed rather than random.
  5. Enable Auto and set Mix to 60–80% to blend the crushed signal with the clean original. Auto-Gain compensates for the energy drop so the drum bus volume stays consistent.
Pro tip: Load the 909 Burner preset as a starting point — it's tuned for exactly this workflow with Bass Lock, Sync, and the Crush/Decimate balance pre-set for a tech house drum bus. Adjust from there.

How to add lo-fi texture to a pad or atmosphere

  1. Load Crunchix on a pad, synth chord, or atmospheric layer. Leave Bass Lock off — for pads, you often want the full-spectrum degradation.
  2. Load the Lo-Fi Pad preset as a starting point, or set Crush to 30–50% and Decimate to 20–30%.
  3. Increase Jitter to 30–50%. The per-channel random drift adds organic instability and subtle stereo width — the pad starts to feel like it was sampled from an old machine.
  4. Use the Tone knob to pull the brightness back after crushing. A negative Tone value darkens the high end, making the lo-fi texture feel warm rather than harsh.
  5. Set Mix to 50–70% for a parallel blend — enough lo-fi character to be clearly present without completely removing the original pad's clarity.
Pro tip: Try Vinyl Drift preset with Jitter pushed to 60%. The combination of decimation drift and tilt EQ darkening creates a convincing vintage sampler character on sustained pads and textures.

How to sweep Bit-Filter Rise into a drop buildup

  1. Load Crunchix on a synth, a riser, or the full mix bus for the buildup section. Load the Bit-Filter Rise preset.
  2. At the start of the buildup, set Crush to near-maximum and Mix to 100%. The signal is heavily degraded.
  3. Over the length of the buildup (4–8 bars), automate Crush decreasing from high to zero. The signal progressively clears as it builds toward the drop — the opposite of a standard filter sweep.
  4. Add Decimate automation following the same arc. Both controls decreasing simultaneously creates the sensation of a broken signal coming into focus.
  5. At the drop, pull Crush and Decimate to zero and switch to the Init preset or bypass entirely — the clean signal hits as the drop lands.
Pro tip: Automate Tone sweeping from negative (dark) to zero alongside the Crush sweep. The combination of clearing degradation and brightening tone reinforces the buildup energy even more than Crush alone.

RECOMMENDED SETTINGS

Scenario Settings Result
Tech house drum bus 909 Burner preset, Bass Lock on, Sync 1/16, Crush 50%, Auto on Rhythmic digital grit with clean sub underneath
Lo-fi pad texture Lo-Fi Pad preset, Crush 40%, Decimate 25%, Jitter 40%, Tone -20 Vintage sampler character with organic stereo drift
Vinyl character Vinyl Drift preset, Decimate 25%, Jitter 55%, Tone -15, Mix 65% Pitch-drifting warble with warmth from tilt darkening
Drop buildup sweep Bit-Filter Rise preset, automate Crush and Decimate decreasing over 8 bars Broken signal clearing into the drop
Maximum destruction Digital Chaos preset, Crush 90%, Decimate 70%, Jitter 80%, Bass Lock on Full noise with clean sub — controlled chaos

TECH SPECS

  • FormatsAU, AUv3, VST3, CLAP, Standalone
  • PlatformmacOS, Apple Silicon + Intel (Universal Binary)
  • LatencyZero (oversampling off); reported to host for automatic PDC compensation (2x/4x modes)
  • CPULight (no oversampling), moderate (2x/4x oversampling)
  • OversamplingOff, 2x, or 4x linear-phase FIR (selectable)
  • Presets14 factory presets
  • AccessNFT token required — permanent exclusive, never sold through standard distribution
Get Crunchix — NFT Token Required

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

TORCHIT Run Torchit's saturation before Crunchix for harmonic coloring that warms the signal before the bit depth reduction hits — layer texture rather than apply it cold. OXIDEX Follow Crunchix with Oxidex's tape saturation on the same drum bus — the Wear knob adds organic analog degradation that complements the digital crush character. PUMPIT Sidechain-duck the crushed signal with Pumpit so the lo-fi texture pumps rhythmically against the kick — combining destruction and groove in one chain. CLAMPIT Place Clampit after Crunchix on the master bus — set a final ceiling after the crushed signal hits the mix, and check LUFS-I to confirm the lo-fi character didn't shift the loudness target.