Radiator

Name: Radiator
Price: 99 USD
Author: Soundtoys

by Soundtoys · Saturation · Tube

vst3s Score 8.4/10 · rated #5 of 10 saturation

A model of the Altec 1567A tube mixer, with simple bass and treble controls and a drive that goes from warmth to grit. It is especially strong on bass and drums.

Soundtoys donates 100% of Radiator sales to nonprofit organizations.

Best for: Bass, Drums, Vocals. Genres: Rock & Indie, Hip-Hop & Trap.

Keywords: drums, tube, bass, hardware emulation, vocals, simple, warm, metering, 50s, 60s, gritty, heavy, mixing, modern, musical, parallel processing, single-band, transformer, vintage.

What it does

Radiator is Soundtoys' dual-drive tube input channel and EQ, modeled on the 1960s Altec 1567A tube mixer, a unit heavily used on early Motown recordings.

Two drive stages: Input drives the first tube stage, and Output pushes the signal after the tone controls into a second stage for more saturation, as on the hardware.
Bass and Treble: ±10 dB each, with curves modeled on the original.
Mic/Line switch: loads the transformers two ways for different sounds.
Noise switch: turns the original unit's noise on or off.
Mix: a modern addition for parallel processing.
Heat meter: a VU-style saturation meter.

Soundtoys donates 100% of Radiator sales to nonprofit organizations.

Source: Soundtoys product page

When to use it

Radiator is the simpler, cheaper Soundtoys tube-colour option. It has one modeled circuit and a few controls, where Decapitator offers five styles. Soundtoys calls it "a beast on bass and drums".

Best for: rasping basslines, drums and drum groups, and vocal warmth and presence.
Surprisingly good on: delicate sources like fingerstyle guitar and soft vocals, where Sound On Sound found the saturation creeps in gently rather than breaking up suddenly.
Genres: reviewers point to rock (guitar, bass and drums) and electronic music, and the original hardware shaped the Motown sound.

What producers say

There are fewer user reviews than for Decapitator, but the published reviews are positive.

Sound On Sound found it "ludicrously simple to use", with a broad sweet spot and a forgiving response.
Resident Advisor praised its "pleasingly musical" EQ and a sound distinct from other emulations.
One Sweetwater user has it in almost every session, on vocals, drums, organ and electric piano for presence and weight.
Criticisms: a limited set of controls, and noise that's only on or off. One Sweetwater user found it "just ok" compared with real outboard gear.

Where to buy

Tutorials and reviews

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