A faithful recreation of the legendary CamelCrusher multi-effect plugin — native Apple Silicon VST3 and AU, built with JUCE.

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🎚️ Download & Install

Just want to use the plugin? You're in the right place. No terminal, no build tools — just download the installer for your OS and run it.

⬇️ Download the latest version →

Platform	File	Formats	Size
🍎 macOS (Universal — M1/M2/M3/M4 + Intel)	CrushClone-v1.0.0-macOS.pkg	VST3 · AU	~7 MB
🪟 Windows 10/11 (64-bit)	CrushClone-v1.0.0-Windows.exe	VST3	~2 MB

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🍎 macOS installation

1. Download CrushClone-v1.0.0-macOS.pkg from the releases page
2. Double-click the .pkg file
3. If macOS says "CrushClone can't be opened because it is from an unidentified developer":
   • Open System Settings → Privacy & Security
   • Scroll down to the security message and click "Open Anyway"
   • Re-run the installer
4. Follow the installer wizard — it installs to:
   • VST3: /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/
   • AU: /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/
5. Open your DAW and rescan plugins

🪟 Windows installation

1. Download CrushClone-v1.0.0-Windows.exe from the releases page
2. Right-click the .exe → Run as administrator
3. If Windows SmartScreen warns "Windows protected your PC":
   • Click "More info"
   • Click "Run anyway"
4. Follow the installer — it installs to:
   • VST3: C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\
5. Open your DAW and rescan plugins

🎛️ Finding CrushClone in your DAW

After installation, rescan your VST3/AU plugins:

DAW	How to rescan
FL Studio	Options → Manage plugins → Find installed plugins
Ableton Live	Preferences → Plug-Ins → Rescan
Logic Pro	Automatic on next launch (AU validation)
Studio One	Options → Locations → VST Plug-Ins → Reset
Reaper	Preferences → Plug-ins → VST → Re-scan
Cubase	Studio → VST Plug-in Manager → Update

CrushClone will appear under Effects — typically in the Distortion or Dynamics category.

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✨ Features

• Tube Saturation — asymmetric tanh waveshaper with even-harmonic bias, 4× oversampled
• Mech Distortion — hard clipper with low/high shelf pre-emphasis, 4× oversampled
• Resonant Low-Pass Filter — zero-delay feedback SVF with nonlinear resonance
• One-Knob Compressor — maps a single control to threshold, ratio, attack, release, and makeup gain
• Phat Mode — parallel compression + low-shelf boost for bass thickness
• Master Volume + Dry/Wet Mix
• Full automation via APVTS — every parameter is automatable
• State recall — presets save and restore with your project

Signal chain

Audio In → Distortion (Tube + Mech) → Low-Pass Filter → Compressor (+ Phat) → Master → Audio Out

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🐛 Troubleshooting

macOS: "The application can't be opened" / Gatekeeper blocks the installer CrushClone isn't notarized with Apple yet. Override Gatekeeper once via System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway.

Windows: SmartScreen blocks the installer CrushClone isn't code-signed with a commercial certificate yet. Click "More info" → "Run anyway".

Plugin doesn't appear in my DAW Rescan your plugin folders (see the table above). If CrushClone still doesn't show up, verify the files exist at the install paths listed above.

Issues or feature requests? Open an issue — include your DAW, OS version, and a description of what you're hearing or seeing.

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🛠️ For Developers

Everything below is for building CrushClone from source. If you just want to use the plugin, stop here — the installers above are all you need.

Requirements

Tool	Version
macOS	13+ (Ventura) or Windows 10+
Xcode (macOS)	15+
Visual Studio (Windows)	2022 with C++ workload
CMake	3.22+
Processor	Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) or Intel / x64

Build instructions

1. Install prerequisites

macOS:

xcode-select --install
brew install cmake

Windows: Install Visual Studio 2022 with the C++ workload, and CMake.

2. Clone and build

git clone https://github.com/doxiedevops/CrushClone.git
cd CrushClone

cmake -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
      -DCMAKE_OSX_ARCHITECTURES="arm64;x86_64"
cmake --build build --config Release --parallel

3. Locate the built plugin

After building, the VST3 bundle is at:

build/CrushClone_artefacts/Release/VST3/CrushClone.vst3

On macOS, the AU component is at:

build/CrushClone_artefacts/Release/AU/CrushClone.component

CMake is configured with COPY_PLUGIN_AFTER_BUILD=TRUE, so it attempts to auto-copy to your system plugin folder. If permissions block this, copy manually:

# macOS
sudo cp -R build/CrushClone_artefacts/Release/VST3/CrushClone.vst3 \
           /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/

4. Verify native architecture (macOS)

file build/CrushClone_artefacts/Release/VST3/CrushClone.vst3/Contents/MacOS/CrushClone
# Should output: Mach-O 64-bit bundle arm64 (or universal binary)

Project structure

CrushClone/
├── CMakeLists.txt              # Build config (fetches JUCE automatically)
├── README.md
├── .github/
│   ├── workflows/
│   │   └── build-and-release.yml  # CI/CD pipeline
│   └── scripts/
│       ├── create-pkg.sh          # macOS .pkg builder
│       └── installer.nsi          # Windows NSIS installer script
└── Source/
    ├── PluginProcessor.h/cpp      # Main audio processor + APVTS params
    ├── PluginEditor.h/cpp         # Dark-themed GUI
    └── DSP/
        ├── Oversampler.h/cpp      # 4× oversampling wrapper
        ├── Distortion.h/cpp       # Tube + Mech waveshapers
        ├── LadderFilter.h/cpp     # ZDF SVF resonant low-pass
        └── Compressor.h/cpp       # One-knob compressor + Phat mode

Tuning tips

• The Tube waveshaper bias (0.08) and gain range (1–20) can be adjusted in Distortion.cpp
• The Mech pre-emphasis shelf frequencies (200 Hz / 4 kHz) shape its character — raise the high shelf for more sizzle
• The Filter resonance cap (0.95) prevents true self-oscillation — raise it to 0.98 if you want the filter to sing
• The Phat shelf frequency (120 Hz) and gain (2.5) control how much bass gets added — adjust in Compressor.cpp

Releasing a new version

The CI pipeline builds and publishes automatically when you push a semver tag:

git tag v1.1.0
git push origin v1.1.0

Both macOS and Windows installers will be built in parallel and posted to the Releases page.

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📄 License

Released under the MIT License.

CamelCrusher was originally by Camel Audio (acquired by Apple in 2015). CrushClone is a clean-room recreation of the concept, not a copy of any proprietary code.