Retro Radio from Stone Voices is a free plugin for macOS and Windows that emulates the sound of vintage AM radios.
The sound of AM radio is generally characterised by low fidelity and numerous flaws.
But, if there’s one thing that we all share as music makers, it’s that we strive for imperfection!
Joking aside, we love the imperfections of past technology for various reasons: it has an authentic warmth that’s often lacking in modern equipment, and it evokes nostalgia.
The sound of AM radio certainly evokes nostalgia, even if I didn’t personally experience the golden age of radio.
As musicians, we like to look back, often beyond our own years, as much as forward, and plugins like Retro Radio help us do that.
Having said that, I’ll need to add it to my keep trying list, because I’m having no luck with Retro Radio in Logic Pro on macOS.
The plugin is available in AU, VST, and VST3 formats for macOS (10.12 or later) and Windows (7 or later).
If you experience any issues, let us know the details in the comments (also, let me know if you have it running in Logic Pro).
Retro Radio produces all the flawed characteristics of AM radio that you’d expect: there’s noise, rattle, crackle, and Morse code.
The Morse code element is interesting, more so to think about anything amateur radio enthusiasts of days gone by may have picked up.
The interface provides vintage styling and controls for:
- Noise
- Crackle
- Drift
- Morse
- Rattling Rate
- Rattling Depth
- Lo Cut
- Hi Cut
- Saturation
You also have a selector dial to choose the type of emulation, with options for stationary and pocket radio models.
Now, I might not have experienced the olden age of radio, but I did grow up in a golden age of video gaming. An age that ushered in the transition from two-button controllers to three, and beyond.
More:
Last Updated on April 24, 2026 by Tomislav Zlatic.
