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 Yamaha Pacifica 112V. Studio version, Toxicity album (2001)

Original rig

Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier + Marshall JCM800 2203 blend, Gibson SG with stock passive humbuckers, no dirt pedals

Tight, mid-forward high-gain with clarity and bite — not scooped like typical nu-metal

Amp settings — Boss Katana 50 MkII

CHANNELBrownBRIGHToffBOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	7
Bass	4
Mid	7
Treble	6
Presence	5
Reverb	0
Master	5

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Metal Muff

LEAVE OFF — Daron's tone used no dirt pedals; the Katana Brown channel provides all necessary gain. The Metal Muff's scooped voicing would fight the mid-forward character of this tone.

Top Boost 0 · Treble 5 · Mid Freq 6 · Bass 4 · Distortion 0 · Volume 0

Why these settings

Your Pacifica's Alnico V humbucker is lower output than Daron's SG — gain raised to 7 compensates. Katana's Brown channel approximates the Marshall JCM800 component of his blend. Mids pushed to 7 because Daron's tone is unusually mid-forward for heavy music; bass rolled to 4 to keep the Drop C tuning tight rather than boomy.

PRO TIPTune to Drop C (D-G-C-F-A-D) — this is non-negotiable for the riff to sound and feel correct. The low string movement defines the song's character, and standard tuning will not get you there regardless of amp settings.

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.