RUFFKUT User Guide

Vinyl Crackle & Character · by GDP Audio · macOS & Windows

Download the PDF · RUFFKUT product page · Release notes

Overview · Controls · Factory Presets · Support

Overview

RUFFKUT puts the sound of a well-played record on any track: crackle and pops, pitch drift from a warped disc, and the dull, narrow sound of a worn groove. Three dials take a sound from a clean pressing to a beat-up thrift-store find, and a 33 / 45 / 78 switch sets the speed of the record it plays on. The surface noise is generated as it plays, so it never repeats like a loop.

System Requirements

Installation

macOS

Run the RUFFKUT macOS installer (the .pkg file you downloaded) and follow the on-screen steps. The installer places files at:

Windows

Run the RUFFKUT Windows installer (the .exe file you downloaded) and follow the on-screen steps. The installer places files at:

Most DAWs find RUFFKUT automatically on their next plugin scan. If it doesn't appear, rescan plugins from your DAW's plugin manager.

Licensing

RUFFKUT runs in demo mode until a license is activated. In demo mode a brief noise burst plays approximately every 45 seconds — all controls remain fully functional.

To purchase a license visit gdpaudio.com.

To activate:

1. Click the UNLICENSED - CLICK TO ACTIVATE pill in the plugin footer.
2. Paste the full contents of your license file into the text box.
3. Click Activate. The pill will change to LICENSED TO followed by the name on your license.

Your license file carries the name it was issued to, and the pill shows it (shortened if it is long). A license that carries no personal name simply shows LICENSED. Either way it unlocks the plugin in full.

Your license is stored at:

Using another computer — activate RUFFKUT there with the same license file. No internet connection is required.

Uninstalling

macOS — open RUFFKUT Uninstaller.app from your Applications folder and follow the prompts.

Windows — go to Settings → Apps → Installed apps, find RUFFKUT by GDP Audio, and choose Uninstall.

Both remove the plugin files and your user presets. Your license file is kept, so reinstalling RUFFKUT later doesn't require re-activation.

Controls

DUST — Surface noise. Low settings give a few light ticks; the middle brings steady crackle and the odd pop; high settings add dense crackle, frequent pops, hiss, and now and then a scratch that pops once per turn of the record. Range: 0–100.

WARP — Pitch drift. Flutter (fast and subtle) comes in first, then wow (a slow swing, once per turn of the record), and in the top half a warped record's deep, lopsided swing. Range: 0–100.

WEAR — How worn the playback is: a duller top end, a mono low end, low rumble, and groove distortion near the top of the knob. 0 leaves the sound untouched. Range: 0–100.

33 / 45 / 78 — Record speed. Sets how often the wobble and scratches repeat (about every 1.8, 1.3 or 0.8 seconds). 45 keeps a little more top end; 78 gives the narrow sound and louder surface noise of an old shellac disc.

SOLO — Plays only the dust layer (ticks, crackle, pops, hiss and rumble), without your track and regardless of MIX. Use it to hear the noise on its own or to record it to its own track.

RUNOUT — Off: the dust fades out shortly after your track goes silent, so silence stays silent. On: the crackle keeps playing through silence, like the groove after the music ends.

MIX — Dry track to full record. Range: 0–100%.

OUTPUT — Output level. Range: −12 dB to +12 dB.

STEREO / MONO — Monitor mode. MONO sums the output to mono. Useful for checking mono compatibility.

BYPASS — Bypass with a short crossfade. Follows the host's bypass.

IN / OUT METERS — Input and output peak levels, left and right. The small light next to DUST flickers with the crackle.

DSP Signal Chain

Input → Warp (pitch drift) → Groove Distortion → + Dust & Rumble → Wear (mono low end, top-end rolloff, speed band) → Level Match → Mix → Output → Monitor

RUFFKUT's output level is matched as WEAR and the speed change, so switching between your track and the record with MIX is a fair comparison. RUFFKUT has a fixed latency of 10 ms, which your host compensates automatically; bypass keeps the same timing.

Dust Between the Notes

With RUNOUT off, the dust follows your track: it plays while there is sound and fades out about a quarter of a second after the track goes silent. Turn RUNOUT on to keep the crackle going under intros, breaks and gaps. To build a crackle layer on its own track, turn on SOLO and RUNOUT and record RUFFKUT's output.

Getting the Sound

Start from a preset close to the record you have in mind, then set DUST for the amount of noise, WARP for the wobble and WEAR for how tired the playback sounds. For loops and samples a little of everything goes a long way: the SECOND HAND default is a good middle ground. Each copy of RUFFKUT makes its own crackle, so two tracks never crackle in unison.

Factory Presets

24 factory presets are included. Click the preset name in the plugin header to open a list of every preset and pick one directly, or step through them with the < and > arrow buttons. Presets you save yourself appear at the bottom of the same list.

User presets are saved to ~/Library/Application Support/RUFFKUT/ (macOS) or %APPDATA%\RUFFKUT\ (Windows). Use SAVE to store settings, RENAME / DELETE to manage them.

Support

Support: support@gdpaudio.com · Release notes: gdpaudio.com/ruffkut-release-notes

GDP Audio and the names of our products are trademarks of GDP Audio LLC. All other product and company names mentioned in this guide are trademarks of their respective owners. They are used only to describe the character of a sound or for compatibility, and do not imply any affiliation with, or endorsement by, those companies.