Nudist Audio Nudistort Overview
In the oversaturated (pun very much intended) world of analog emulator plugins, originality is becoming a rare commodity. So when a plugin like Nudist Audio Nudistort comes along, it deserves your full attention. Nudistort is a chaotic, expressive, and wildly creative tool for transforming audio in unexpected and artful ways. Whether you’re looking to rough up a drum buss, destroy a guitar track in the best possible way, or send vocals into alien dimensions, Nudistort delivers — often in ways you didn’t know you wanted.
This is not just another “vintage tube warmth” saturation unit. This is a monster. A beautifully designed one. Beneath, I’ll cover how Nudistort works, how I would use it in my own work, and also provide audio examples. Let’s dive in.
User Interface and Controls
One of the first things you’ll notice is how thoughtfully designed the UI is. It strikes a balance between elegance and eccentricity, encouraging experimentation without ever overwhelming the user. The ‘painting’ in the center of the plugin changes as you alter each control. Does it help your tracks sound better? No, but that’s not the point. It enhances the user experience and makes you feel like you’re doing more than twisting digital knobs.
If you want to get an idea of how to tweak the many parameters, and hear what kinds of sounds are possible with Nudistort, definitely check out the included presets which have been curated by talented creators including Kenny Beats, Andrew Huang, Romil Hemnani, Psymun, Reske, Shane Becker, Doug Schadt.
Here’s a breakdown of the main controls:
Distort Section
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Mix: Controls the wet/dry blend of the distortion.
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Drive: Adds input gain, but higher values don’t always mean “more distorted.” Sometimes, subtle settings yield the strangest results.
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Type: Four algorithm types, each with their own unique flavor or “scent.”
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Mode (T/P): T is more traditional; P is untamed, unpredictable, and expressive.
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Grain: Alters the micro-timing and feel of the distortion algorithm, interacting uniquely with each Type.
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Damping: Tames transient harshness.
Delay Section
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Mix: Sets wet/dry balance — note: 100% still includes dry signal due to Nudistort’s internal processing quirk.
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Time: Delay time — crank it low (under 90ms) for tone-shaping or high for chordal expansions.
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Abnormality: Blend between standard delay and harmonically recombined chaos. Values closer to 1 produce wilder results.
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Feedback: Controls delay repeats, but beware: high feedback with high abnormality can quickly spiral into beautiful disorder.
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Type: Four abnormality algorithms to choose from.
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Sync: Toggle to sync the delay time to your DAW’s tempo.
Global Controls
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Input/Output Gain: Straightforward level control.
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Tone: A pre-distortion tilt EQ. Higher values boost highs, lower values boost lows.
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Mu-law: A companding algorithm borrowed from telecoms — strangely musical and very usable.
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Buzz: Adds amp-like noise for additional character and grit.
Nudistort not sounding wild enough for you? Check out the expanded controls (to the right) for more bizarre and beautiful sound sculpting tools.
Advanced Controls (Click to Expand)
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L/R Offset: Shifts delay time between left and right channels for stereo manipulation.
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Wobble: Tape-style pitch modulation.
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Mod Amount/Frequency: Controls for stereo modulation depth and speed.
Weirdo Knobs
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Noodle: A pitch-following sine wave added pre-distortion. With multiple blend modes, it behaves like a spectral shadow, adding tonal motion and oddness to your sound.
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Species: Applies harmonic resampling based on a musical note. Try matching it to your track’s key for hypnotic harmonic interaction. Okay this one is insane. According to the manual, which I absolutely recommend reading, ‘try setting the species note to the tonic of the key you’re playing in, or the dominant.’
Applications for Nudistort
Nudistort shines in its versatility — it works on anything you want to transform, as long as you don’t expect it comply with your exact desires. Something to note is that applying Nudistort to already recorded tracks is fun and interesting when mixing, but playing Nudistort is it’s own unique experience. You will inevitably play parts differently when Nudist Audio Nudistort is inserted while recording. Be sure to try both ways of using this exciting plugin.
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Drums: Great on individual hits or across the buss to create aggressive transients, glitchy textures, and raw energy. Place it on drum rooms to make everything sound more ‘explode-y’. Highly recommended.
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Bass: Adds monstrous density and harmonics, turning a simple bass line into something massive and primal.
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Guitar: From fizzy, scorched leads to mangled power chords, Nudistort excels at pushing guitars past their limits. Some of the most fun I had with it was processing each guitar string separately with the SubSix Hexaphonic Pickup from Submarine Pickups using Nudistort. Have a listen to some audio examples in this article.
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Vocals: Whether you want alien-like formants or ripping distortion, this plugin can make voices sound inhuman, broken, or ethereal. Try placing Nudistort on Reverb or Delay sends for placing vocals in a bizarre space.
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Synths, Pads, Effects: Amazing for sound design — from ambient detuning to dense, dystopian soundscapes.
Sound Quality
Nudist Audio Nudistort doesn’t aim for fidelity — and that’s its biggest strength. It is expressive, aggressive, and full of sonic character. It often creates unexpected textures, behaving almost like a collaborator in your creative process. The interaction between its modules encourages discovery and experimentation.
If you’re after clean, linear behavior, this isn’t your plugin. But if you want to surprise yourself and reshape your sounds with character and intensity, Nudistort excels.
The distort section ranges from adding thickness and weight, to screaming harmonics depending on how it is set. The transients and overall loudness are often mangled in indescribable ways, and interesting things happen to the stereo field.
If you want a classic delay, go get Echoboy and call it a day. But for unpredictable delay magic, Nudistort is a different beast entirely.
The dry/wet blend feature at the bottom is super helpful if you want to leave a certain amount of the original signal in tact, and I’ve had great luck simply adding a few percentage points of Nudistort for subtle thickness.
Audio Examples (Before and After Nudistort)
Drums:
Bass:
Vocal:
Guitar:
Synth:
More Drums:
Nudistort Summary
In a plugin ecosystem already filled with analog emulations and vintage recreations, Nudist Audio Nudistort is a bold, bizarre, and beautiful outlier. It’s a reminder that plugins can still surprise us. More than a distortion or a delay, it’s a creative instrument in its own right — one that rewards boldness and curiosity. Just don’t try to tame the beast, as it can not be contained.
Nudist Audio Nudistort is highly recommended for sound designers, experimental producers, and anyone looking to make their tracks stand out. Consider me thoroughly excited at whatever they’re cooking up next!
