Featuring the modeled bass and treble tone controls from the original unit, a mix control for easy parallel processing, and the saturation and harmonic effects of the original hardware’s input and output amplifiers.Īll of these different circuit elements interacts, allowing a wide range of tones to be created with just a few simple knobs. Radiator brings the classic Altec tube sound to desktop recording rigs, capturing the distinctive warmth and punch of the original hardware. Producer Matt Wallace was a very big fan. Motown Records ChiefEnginner, Russ Terrana (shown here), used the 1567A extensively and it became part of the distinctive Motown sound. After Motown, and after much gear came and went, analog diehards began seeking out the 1566A and 1567A as inexpensive sources for real tube sound. The EQ is as simple as it gets, with one knob for bass, and another for treble. Ahhh, when life was simple. These mic preamps and mixers have a very colored warm sound and are very loud. Songs by greats like The Four Tops, TheMarvelettesand The Supremes went through a 1567A mixer to the massive three-track recorder. The unmistakable green-faced Altec gear, and in particular the 1566A and 1567A, played a big part in shaping the early “sound” of Motown between 1961 to 1964.
![soundtoys little radiator soundtoys little radiator](https://www.soundtoys.com/wp-content/uploads/Sie-Q_Full-400x110.png)
In its day, it was used on many early Motown hits and found its way into the PA racks of countless churches and school auditoriums across the USA
![soundtoys little radiator soundtoys little radiator](https://www.soundtoys.com/wp-content/uploads/Motown-Studio-Russ-Terrana.jpg)
The sound, by today’s standards, is colored and gritty, with a heaping helping of good old-fashioned hardware noise. The original Altec 1567A hardware was a rack-mounted five-input tube mixer with removable transformers, a simple two-knob EQ, an unmistakable green faceplate, and a whopping 97 dB of gain. Introducing Radiator, a dual drive tube input channel and EQ, based on the classic Altec 1567A tube mixer from the 1960s.