Radiator

Radiator's architecture is important to its sound: the input stage saturates first, Bass and Treble shape that result, and a second saturation stage follows the tone controls. Consequently, changing EQ also changes what drives the output stage, and the Output knob is not merely a transparent final trim.

The model draws on the Altec 1567A mixer amplifier, including its colored response and circuit noise. Mic and Line select different modeled source-impedance behaviors, while Clean/Noisy lets the noise component be removed without discarding the tube coloration. A wet/dry control extends the original hardware workflow by allowing strong coloration to be blended beneath the source.

Begin with restrained Input and Output settings, select Mic or Line for its response, and make broad tonal changes with the two EQ bands. Then decide where the drive should occur: before the tone stack, after it, or at both stages. If the output stage is pushed deliberately, use a separate host trim for final level matching rather than undoing the chosen distortion with Radiator's Output control.

Manual, About Radiator, p. 4; Radiator's Circuit, p. 5; The Radiator Control Panel, pp. 6–9.

Input and source character

Input sets the drive into the first tube-saturation stage. Increasing it raises level and coloration before the signal reaches the tone stack. Start here for a more harmonically dense signal that the EQ can then reshape.

Mic / Line selects the modeled response associated with different source impedances. It is a tonal/model choice inside the plug-in, not a switch that changes the physical input type of the audio interface. Compare both when the same Input setting sounds too thick or too forward.

Noisy / Clean enables or suppresses modeled circuit noise. Clean does not remove the saturation model. Use it when applying Radiator across many channels or when noise in exposed pauses would be undesirable.

Tone stack

Bass and Treble sit after the first saturation stage and before the second. Both offer ±10 dB with zero at noon. The curves follow the hardware rather than providing freely selectable frequencies or Q.

Bass adjusts weight and low-frequency drive into the following stage. Treble changes top-end balance and what high-frequency content reaches that stage. Because the EQ precedes another nonlinear section, an aggressive boost may add more than a simple increase in that frequency region. Recheck Output-stage coloration after large tonal changes.

Output, blend, and metering

Output controls the level sent into the second saturation stage and the resulting output level. Raising it can add further distortion; lowering it can compensate for Input gain but also changes that second stage's behavior. If a heavily driven output stage is the intended sound, compensate afterward with the DAW or another trim processor.

Mix combines the untreated source with the complete processed path. Use it for parallel density without losing all the original attack. Heat Meter gives a VU-style indication related to the modeled hardware's operating level and saturation, but the host's meter remains useful for checking final headroom.

Manual, Radiator's Circuit, p. 5; Input and Mic/Line, p. 6; Noisy/Clean and Bass, p. 7; Treble and Output, p. 8; Output, Mix, and Heat Meter, p. 9.