DIAL
Price history
- On sale
- 19 of 28 days tracked
- Lowest in 90 days
- $10.00
- Highest in 90 days
- $50.00
About this plugin
DIAL by Thenatan Audio models the complete signal path of an analog radio receiver rather than applying arbitrary degradation. The plugin chains six processors - tuner, interference, tone, reception, rattle, and output - in a fixed order that mirrors how broadcast audio actually deteriorates between transmission and speaker. This architectural decision distinguishes DIAL from conventional lo-fi tools that layer bitcrushing and filtering without acoustic justification.
The tuner is the interface's central feature. Seven locked stations sit across a frequency band, and parking the needle on one yields clean signal while drifting produces increasingly prominent hiss and ghost artifacts. A hold-to-search function randomly hops across the dial at six hertz, with the needle returning to the tuned position on release. Real-time frequency readout, signal-strength visualization, and a drawn reception curve provide immediate feedback about where usable signal exists.
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The remaining stages handle the physical phenomena of radio reception. Interference adds authentic modulation artifacts, tone reshapes the frequency response typical of receiver design, reception models multipath and fading effects, and rattle generates the mechanical crackle inherent to aged equipment. Each stage can be individually bypassed, and independent mix and output controls allow for creative signal blending.
DIAL appeals to producers and sound designers seeking broadcast authenticity without the workflow friction of hunting through parameter combinations. The fixed signal chain eliminates decision paralysis while the interactive tuning dial encourages performative exploration. For mixing applications requiring period-specific radio aesthetics - whether podcast intros, cinematic beds, or sample processing - DIAL delivers consistency that random degradation cannot match.