Like Light to the Flies amp settings — Boss Katana 50 MkII
The Trivium guitar tone for “Like Light to the Flies”, dialed in for a Boss Katana 50 MkII with a Jackson JS32 Dinky. Studio version, Ascendancy (2005) — Peavey 5150 + Mesa hybrid rig
Peavey 5150 block-letter head, Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier, Maxon OD808 overdrive, Mesa 4x12 w/ Vintage 30s, Ibanez RG / Les Paul with humbuckers
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 3 |
| Bass | 4 |
| Mid | 7 |
| Treble | 6 |
| Presence | 5 |
| Reverb | 0 |
| Master | 7 |
01Boss ML-2 Metal Core
Run into amp's CLEAN channel input — the ML-2 provides all the gain; amp stays clean to avoid double-saturation mud
The Katana's Brown channel approximates a 5150's tight saturation, but your ML-2 is a high-gain distortion pedal — running it into an already-dirty amp creates undefined mush. I've set the Katana to Brown with gain at 3 (essentially clean with mild grit) so the ML-2 drives the tone. Mid boosted to 7 replicates Heafy's aggressive pick attack; bass held at 4 prevents flub in Drop C# tuning. The original used an overdrive as a boost, but your ML-2 is a full distortion unit that replaces the amp's gain stage entirely.
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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