Tone library / System of a down / Aerials

Aerials amp settings — Boss Katana 50 MkII

The System of a down guitar tone for “Aerials”, dialed in for a Boss Katana 50 MkII with a Ibanez GIO GRG170DX. Studio version, Toxicity (2001) — heavy main riff and chorus tone

Original rig

1962 Gibson SG / Les Paul into blended Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier (Modern High Gain) and Marshall JMP 2203, tuned to Drop C

Aggressive, mid-forward wall-of-sound modern high gain with tight low end and sharp bite

Amp settings — Boss Katana 50 MkII

CHANNELBrown amp typeBOOSTon

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	7
Bass	6
Mid	6
Treble	7
Reverb	2
Master	5

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Katana Built-in Booster (Tube Screamer / Warm OD style)

Engage onboard Booster block to tighten the low end and add Marshall-style upper-mid cut to the Brown channel.

Drive 0 · Tone 6 · Bottom 5 · Effect Level 8

Why these settings

The Katana 50 MkII Brown amp type captures the blended Mesa Rectifier chunk and Marshall roar when pushed with the internal booster set as a clean mid-tightener. Your Ibanez GIO bridge humbucker has plenty of bite, so keep the mids around 6 to prevent the scooped sound from disappearing in a mix while retaining clarity in Drop C. The Katana 50 MkII has no physical presence control, so presence is nulled. Clean intro/verse: roll the guitar volume down to 3-4 or tap to the Clean channel block.

PRO TIPDaron Malakian's rhythm attack is very aggressive and downstroke-heavy; pick firmly right next to the bridge saddles to keep the Drop C low string snappy and articulate rather than muddy.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Boss Katana 50 MkII. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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Song, artist and gear names are used to identify the tone being matched; ToneAdapt is not affiliated with or endorsed by the artists or manufacturers mentioned. Settings are AI-generated starting points — trust your ears.