Soundtoys Radiator Tube Amp Review

This little gem of a plugin packs a punch for the size of it. The amp can work on plenty of tracks but is made for a guitar to be shredded through it. The plugin offers a glimpse into the sounds of the Motown era with a distinctive arming tube amp compressor effect to the signals that pass through.

This is a review of the Soundtoys Radiator 1567A Tube Amp mixer covering the basic features and the presets which come with the package.

Jump to:

• Introduction To Radiator
• Getting Started
• Notable Features
• Presets For Soundtoys Radiator Available
• Is Soundtoys Radiator worth it?
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Review Summary
• Where To Buy Soundtoys Radiator and Little Radiator

Introduction To Radiator

There are some little but powerful devices which pop up every so often and the Radiator from Soundtoys is certainly one of those plugins. I have always enjoyed the quality of Soundtoys plugins and they quite often pop up on offer so when they do I snap them up.

Getting Started

Recently I completed a rebuild of my laptop but completely forgot to remove the association of the old drive from the iLok function. This meant any plugins I had registered via iLok needed to be requested to get unlocked from my account by the product manufacturer. I'm pleased to say that Soundtoys were one of the quickest to respond and so my new install was up and running in no time.

Notable Features

• Analog modelled tube mixer with integrated equalisation
• Upgrades available from Little Radiator
• Motown sounds for your mix

The history of the original 1567A tube amp featured on plenty of Motown records and was an integral part of the sound of that era. This features heavily in the output of the signal from this plugin replica and offers up a genuine feel to the style of that era. The simplicity of the plugin is what really makes it - with the minimal Bass and Treble dials doing a lot of the heavy lifting.

To get onboard with the Soundtoys Radiator you can try the little brother Soundtoys Little Radiator and then there are upgrade paths from there. Every purchase of Radiator now includes Little Radiator, the simpler single-stage version based on the Altec 1566A. There's no separate upgrade path to worry about, you get both in one purchase.

Presets For Soundtoys Radiator Available

The presets which come compiled with the plugin are quite limited, there are only ten included however they do demonstrate what the plugin can do. The presets on show offer up a wide showcase of how the sound can be manipulated.

Presets offer a nice way to try the settings of the plugin on a variety of track types. Presets included cover settings for:

• Overdrive
• Vocal Warmth
• Drum Punchiness

But you don't have to use Vocal Warmth on vocals. Try mixing it up a bit and put it on a drum track. In this demo below, I added it to some synth and you can really tell the difference.

Is Soundtoys Radiator worth it?

Yes, if you want that specific Motown-era tube colour without hunting down real Altec hardware. It's simple by design, two knobs and a mix control, so it won't suit anyone after a deep, flexible saturation tool. For that, look at something with more parameters.

Alternatives to Soundtoys Radiator Available

Tube plugins are quite readily available covering all kinds of genres and eras. Some which spring to mind are the Vertigo Compressor from Brainworx, Softube and GTR3 from Waves. Doing a search for Vintage Tube Amp will give you a lot of options to try. Check out some more options from our best saturation plugins cluster.

Free alternative: for general tube warmth without the Soundtoys price tag, most DAWs include a stock saturation or tape device that gets you most of the way there. Klanghelm's IVGI is a solid free option if you want something dedicated.

It's also worth a mention for the TDR Molot GE which adds some options for compression too.

Frequently Asked Questions