Toxicity (System of a Down) guitar tone and amp settings
Toxicity guitar tone on a BOSS Katana 50 Gen 3: Brown amp type, medium gain (Gain 6.5), forward mids (Middle 6.5), smooth top (Treble 6), bridge pickup.
Settings for your amp
Toxicity settings on a BOSS Katana 50 Gen 3
BOSS Katana 50 Gen 3 settings for every songAmpBOSS Katana 50 Gen 3
GuitarElectric guitar with two humbuckers
The same settings in text
Amp
- Variation
- Off
- Amp Type
- Brown
- Gain
- 6.5
- Volume
- 6
- Bass
- 4.5
- Middle
- 6.5
- Treble
- 6
- Booster
- 0
- Mod
- 0
- FX
- 0
- Delay
- 0
- Reverb
- 0
- Master
- Set to your room
- Power Control
- Set to your room
Electric guitar with two humbuckers
- Pickup Selector
- Bridge
- Volume
- 10
- Tone
- 7
Toxicity settings on a Positive Grid Spark 40
Positive Grid Spark 40 settings for every songAmpPositive Grid Spark 40
GuitarElectric guitar with two humbuckers
The same settings in text
Amp
- Amp Type
- Metal
- Gain
- 6.5
- Bass
- 4.5
- Mid
- 5.5
- Treble
- 6
- Master
- Set to your room
- Mod
- 0
- Delay
- 0
- Reverb
- 0
- Output
- Set to your room
- App Drive
- Off
- App Comp/Wah
- Off
- App Mod/EQ
- Off
- App Delay
- Off
- App Reverb
- Off
Electric guitar with two humbuckers
- Pickup Selector
- Bridge
- Volume
- 10
- Tone
- 7
Toxicity settings on a Fender Mustang LT25
Fender Mustang LT25 settings for every songAmpFender Mustang LT25
GuitarElectric guitar with two humbuckers
The same settings in text
Amp
- Amp Model
- 90S ROCK
- Gain
- 6.5
- Volume
- 5.5
- Treble
- 6.3
- Bass
- 5.5
- Middle
- 5.8
- Master
- Set to your room
- Stomp
- None
- Mod
- None
- Delay
- None
- Reverb
- None
Electric guitar with two humbuckers
- Pickup Selector
- Bridge
- Volume
- 10
- Tone
- 7.5
Layer Marshall-style and Mesa-style amps for the original blended sound.
Toxicity settings on any amp with Gain, Bass, Mid, Treble
Amp
GuitarElectric guitar with two humbuckers
The same settings in text
Amp
- Gain
- 7.5
- Bass
- 5
- Mid
- 6
- Treble
- 6.5
Electric guitar with two humbuckers
- Pickup Selector
- Bridge
- Volume
- 10
- Tone
- 8
Add a Mesa/Marshall dual-amp blend for the recording’s layered width.
Why it sounds like that
Daron Malakian's signal ran through a combination of Marshall and Mesa Boogie cabinets and heads. The Mesa gives the teeth and the Marshall gives the body, and the two together make a big, full sound. The tone was built by layering: Malakian stacked a muddy guitar, a rock guitar and a heavy metal guitar, playing each layer many times until it was right.
- Mic each cabinet with two microphones and check that they are phased correctly.
- Layer a muddy guitar, a rock guitar and a heavy metal guitar over each other.
What amp did Daron Malakian use on Toxicity?
Daron Malakian
- Amp
- Marshall and Mesa Boogie cabinets and heads[1]
- Schiffman said the Mesa gave the guitar its teeth and the Marshall its body. (on the album Toxicity)[1]
- Mix reports Malakian's signal went through a combination of Marshall and Mesa Boogie cabinets and heads. (on the album Toxicity)[1]
- Schiffman said the Mesa and the Marshall together made a big, full sound. (on the album Toxicity)[1]
- Mix reports engineer Dave Schiffman put a 57 and an 87 on each cabinet, taking care they were phased correctly. (on the album Toxicity)[1]
- Mix reports the mic signals were then run through a pair of black-faced 1176s. (on the album Toxicity)[1]
- Mix reports the signal path was simple, but Malakian layered the parts extensively. (on the album Toxicity)[1]
- Malakian said he would layer a muddy guitar over a rock guitar over a real heavy metal guitar. (on the album Toxicity)[1]
- Malakian said he would play the song about 50 times until each layer was right. (on the album Toxicity)[1]
- Mix reports recording Malakian's guitar tracks was relatively straight-ahead, because he doesn't like to play through effects pedals. (on the album Toxicity)[1]
Questions
What amp did Daron Malakian use on Toxicity?
The sources on this page document Daron Malakian's gear on Toxicity by System of a Down: amp, Marshall and Mesa Boogie cabinets and heads [1]. Each value cites the numbered source it comes from, listed at the foot of the page.
What are the Toxicity settings on a BOSS Katana 50 Gen 3?
For the Toxicity guitar tone on a BOSS Katana 50 Gen 3, set Amp Type Brown, Gain 6.5, Volume 6, Bass 4.5, Middle 6.5, Treble 6, Booster 0, Mod 0, FX 0, Delay 0, Reverb 0; on the electric guitar with two humbuckers, Pickup Selector Bridge, Volume 10, Tone 7. Set Master and Power Control to your room. They are AI-assisted starting points; adjust them by ear on your own amp.
What are the Toxicity settings on a Positive Grid Spark 40?
For the Toxicity guitar tone on a Positive Grid Spark 40, set Amp Type Metal, Gain 6.5, Bass 4.5, Mid 5.5, Treble 6, Mod 0, Delay 0, Reverb 0; on the electric guitar with two humbuckers, Pickup Selector Bridge, Volume 10, Tone 7. Set Master and Output to your room. They are AI-assisted starting points; adjust them by ear on your own amp.
What are the Toxicity settings on a Fender Mustang LT25?
For the Toxicity guitar tone on a Fender Mustang LT25, set Amp Model 90S ROCK, Gain 6.5, Volume 5.5, Treble 6.3, Bass 5.5, Middle 5.8, Stomp None, Mod None, Delay None, Reverb None; on the electric guitar with two humbuckers, Pickup Selector Bridge, Volume 10, Tone 7.5. Set Master to your room. They are AI-assisted starting points; adjust them by ear on your own amp.
Can I get the Toxicity tone on my own amp?
Yes. The settings above cover 3 reference amps and any amp with the basic controls. For your exact rig, KnobMaster, an iPhone app, sets every knob of your own amp, guitar and pedals for Toxicity, using only the controls your gear has.
Get it for your exact rig
KnobMaster sets every knob of your own amp, guitar and pedals for this song.
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