Tone library / System Of A Down / Soldier Side

Soldier Side amp settings — Blackstar DEBUT50RBLK

The System Of A Down guitar tone for “Soldier Side”, dialed in for a Blackstar DEBUT50RBLK with a Gibson Les Paul Special. Studio version, Hypnotize album (2005) — full 'Soldier Side' track, not the intro

Original rig

Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier (Modern channel), 1962 Gibson SG with humbuckers, Boss DD-6 delay

Heavy but articulate high-gain with mid-forward clarity, tight low-end, atmospheric delay on leads

Amp settings — Blackstar DEBUT50RBLK

CHANNELOD1 (Overdrive 1)

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	3
Bass	5
Mid	7
Treble	5
Presence	0
Reverb	2
Master	5

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE7 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Boss MT-2W Metal Zone (Waza Craft)

Use 'Custom' mode (C) for tighter, less fizzy response. This is your primary gain source — amp gain stays low to prevent mud.

Level 7 · High 4 · Low 5 · Mid Freq 6 · Mid 7 · Dist 6

Why these settings

The Blackstar Debut 50R is a practice-level solid-state amp without the Rectifier's tube saturation or tight low-end response. The MT-2W becomes your gain engine — amp gain dropped to 3 to keep it as a clean platform. Mids pushed to 7 (vs original's scooped ~3.5) because the Debut lacks the inherent mid presence of a Mesa. Tone knob rolled to 7 to tame the Les Paul's extra brightness vs Malakian's SG.

PRO TIPOn the MT-2W, the Mid Freq knob is critical — set it around 600-800Hz (noon to 1 o'clock) to capture the 'Soldier Side' vocal-range guitar growl. Palm mute lightly for the verse riff; let notes ring open on the chorus for that soaring, melancholic quality.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Blackstar DEBUT50RBLK. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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Blackstar DEBUT50RBLK settingsALL SONGS FOR THIS AMP Soldier Side on other ampsSAME SONG, YOUR AMP System Of A Down tonesALL SONGS System Of A Down on the Blackstar DEBUT50RBLKSAME ARTIST, SAME AMP Gibson Les Paul Special tonesSAME GUITAR Tone libraryEVERYTHING

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.