Drive pedal settings
Boss MT-2 Metal Zone settings, and how its EQ really works
Updated 9 min read3 knob panels6 sources
Set Level so the pedal is as loud on as off, put High, Low, Middle and Mid Freq at 12 o'clock, and start Dist low, at 8 to 10 o'clock, raising it only until the riff is heavy enough. Then shape the sound with Middle and Mid Freq together, not with High. Guitar World's all-purpose setting is Level 2 o'clock, High 3 o'clock, Low 2 o'clock, Middle 10 to 11 o'clock, Mid Freq 3 o'clock and Dist 10 o'clock, into a tube amp.
Most bad Metal Zone sounds come from two habits. Dist turned near full, which BOSS's manual warns raises the noise and can make the pedal oscillate, and High turned down to kill fizz, which Guitar World says also takes out the upper mids and leaves the sound dark. And with Middle at 12 o'clock, BOSS says moving Mid Freq does not change the sound, so the pedal's most useful control only works once Middle is off center.
What do the six knobs on an MT-2 do?
BOSS describes the MT-2 as a dual-stage gain circuit with a three-band active EQ and a semi-parametric midrange.[5] Dist sets the amount of distortion, and the manual warns that if it is set too high, the noise increases and oscillation may occur.[1] Level sets the output, and BOSS's instruction is to set it so there is no difference in volume between the effect and the straight guitar.[1] Fully counterclockwise, Level gives no sound at all.
High and Low each boost or cut by a lot: BOSS gives both a range of ±15 dB.[1] Middle boosts or cuts the band that Mid Freq picks, and Mid Freq sweeps that band from 200 Hz to 5 kHz, higher as you turn it clockwise. With Middle at 12 o'clock, BOSS says moving Mid Freq does not affect the sound,[1] so set Middle off center first, then sweep Mid Freq to find the band you are boosting or cutting.
Guitar World adds two warnings from use. High is a shelving control whose effect depends on the rest of the pedal, so pulling it back to kill fizz also darkens the sound. And because Mid Freq covers 200 Hz to 5 kHz, it works better as one powerful EQ control than as a mids knob: it decides the character of the whole distortion.[3]
Why does a Metal Zone sound bad with every knob at noon?
BOSS's manual draws every knob at 12 o'clock as the place to begin,[1] and it is a fair place to begin, not to finish. Guitar World's guide to the pedal says not to expect its best sounds from all the controls at 12 o'clock, and advises starting with very little gain and raising it slowly, because the pedal has far more gain than you need.[3]
So start with Level at unity, High, Low, Middle and Mid Freq at 12 o'clock, and Dist at 8 to 10 o'clock, the range both of Guitar World's settings below sit in. Play a palm-muted riff, raise Dist until it is heavy enough and stop there. Then move Middle a little either way and sweep Mid Freq: that pair, not High, is where the sound gets fixed.
- Level unity
- High 12 o'clock
- Low 12 o'clock
- Middle 12 o'clock
- Mid Freq 12 o'clock
- Dist 8 to 10 o'clock
Level as loud on as off. Raise Dist only until the riff is heavy enough, then move Middle and sweep Mid Freq.
Guitar World's all-purpose Metal Zone setting
Guitar World's preferred setting uses High and Low as boosts with a heavy cut in the upper mids. It began as an attempt at the guitar sound on Tool's Ænima, and the magazine calls it one of the pedal's best all-purpose distortion tones: Level 2 o'clock, High 3 o'clock, Low 2 o'clock, Middle 10 to 11 o'clock, Mid Freq 3 o'clock and Dist 10 o'clock.[3]
It is set for a tube amp, and Guitar World notes you may need to cut a little bass at the amp to remove thump.[3] The magazine's wider point is that the amp after the pedal makes a big difference: the same setting into a small solid-state practice amp will not sound the same.
- Level 2 o'clock
- High 3 o'clock
- Low 2 o'clock
- Middle 10 to 11 o'clock
- Mid Freq 3 o'clock
- Dist 10 o'clock
Into a tube amp. Cut a little bass at the amp if it thumps.
Can a Metal Zone work as a boost?
Yes: its EQ can push a tube amp instead of doing the distortion itself. Guitar World's boost setting is Level at 5 o'clock, High, Low, Middle and Mid Freq at 12 o'clock and Dist at 8 o'clock: more volume, little distortion and a flat EQ, then adjust to taste.[3]
Kurt Ballou of Converge, who also runs God City Studios, works the same way. Guitar World says he flattens the EQ, turns the gain down and uses Level to drive a tube amp into saturation, then shapes the result with the pedal's EQ.[3] Wikipedia quotes him saying that turning everything all the way up is not typically the best way to use an MT-2.[4]
Biffy Clyro's Simon Neil, Guitar World says, runs his main gain sound close to the all-purpose setting with High and Low boosted less, Mid Freq at about 10 o'clock and Middle at about 11 o'clock. That leaves some fizz, which works for him because a clean amp runs beside it in a wet/dry rig.[3]
- Level 5 o'clock
- High 12 o'clock
- Low 12 o'clock
- Middle 12 o'clock
- Mid Freq 12 o'clock
- Dist 8 o'clock
More volume, little distortion, flat EQ, then adjust to taste.
The preamp trick: an MT-2 into the effects loop return
Ola Englund's method, as Guitar World describes it, skips the amp's own preamp: plug the Metal Zone into the effects loop return of a tube amp, and the pedal becomes the preamp, driving the amp's power section.[3] Its EQ then does the job the amp's tone controls would.
Turn Level down before you plug in. The return feeds the power amp, so the pedal's Level now does the job of a master volume. Start with Dist at 8 to 10 o'clock and the EQ at 12 o'clock, as above, and bring Level up slowly.
MT-2W: Standard and Custom modes
The Waza Craft MT-2W adds a mode switch. BOSS's manual says S, Standard, reproduces the original MT-2 sound with a newly crafted all analog circuit, and C, Custom, is fine-tuned for a broader range of dynamics and response.[2] BOSS's product page describes Custom as a wide-ranging voice suited to today's high-gain styles.[6]
Guitar World found that most owners of the original boosted Low at least a little to fill out the low mids, and that Custom does some of that itself: more low mids and a slightly tighter bass.[3] If you boosted Low on the original, try Custom with Low back at 12 o'clock first, and compare the two modes at the same loudness.
Who used a Metal Zone?
BOSS first released the MT-2 in 1991 and has made it ever since.[6] Wikipedia says it has sold over a million units, more than any other BOSS distortion or overdrive pedal except the DS-1, and that it has also been lampooned as the worst pedal ever made.[4] Its list of notable users includes Dave Mustaine of Megadeth, Prince, who it says used one on tour through the 1990s, Korn's Munky for lo-fi effects, Kirk Windstein, Dino Cazares and Joe Bonamassa.[4]
Bonamassa's advice, as Wikipedia quotes it, is that the name does not mean the gain has to go all the way up.[4] None of the rig accounts Tonelify cites tie a particular Metallica or Pantera record to a Metal Zone: Tonelify's Cowboys from Hell page traces Dimebag Darrell's sound to a Randall solid-state head with an MXR EQ and a Furman parametric EQ, and its Master of Puppets page traces Metallica's to a Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ into Marshall heads. On Korn's Blind the amps are not documented at all, and fans have guessed at Metal Zones among other things.
Which multi-effects units have a Metal Zone model?
Many multi-effects units carry a model of the MT-2, under names that do not always say so. The names in the table are from each maker's own list, as Tonelify's gear pages print them. The same approach carries over: start the model's gain low and its EQ flat, then work its mid controls the way you would on the pedal.
| Unit | Model |
|---|---|
| BOSS GX-1, GX-100, GT-1000CORE | METAL ZONE |
| BOSS ME-80, ME-90 | METAL DS |
| Fractal Audio FM3 | M-Zone Distortion |
| Line 6 Helix, HX Stomp, POD Go | Killer Z and Heavy Dist, both in the legacy distortions |
| Mooer GE150, GE250 | MTL ZONE |
| Mooer GE200, GE300 | MTL Zone |
| Mooer GE100 | Metal Land |
| Zoom G6 | MetalWRLD |
| Zoom G2 Four | METAL WORLD DRIVE, added from Zoom's app |
When a Metal Zone sounds wrong
Fizzy: lower Dist first, then cut Middle and sweep Mid Freq until the harsh band drops, before you touch High. Dark and muffled: High was probably pulled down to fight fizz, so put it back to 12 o'clock and use Middle and Mid Freq instead. Boomy into a tube amp: cut a little bass at the amp, as Guitar World suggests for its own setting. Quieter when it is on: raise Level to unity.
Squealing or noisy: BOSS warns that too much Dist raises the noise and can make the pedal oscillate, so back it off and put a noise gate after the pedal. Distorting oddly on a battery: the manual says the CHECK indicator dims when the battery is near exhaustion,[1] so replace it or use a PSA adaptor.
These positions are starting points for the pedal, not any player's settings, and the amp after it decides as much of the sound. When you want one song's whole chain set for the amp you own, Tonelify works out the positions for that rig, pedal included.
Songs named in this guide
Common questions
What are the best Boss Metal Zone settings?
Start with Level at unity, High, Low, Middle and Mid Freq at 12 o'clock and Dist at 8 to 10 o'clock, then shape it with Middle and Mid Freq. Guitar World's all-purpose setting is Level 2 o'clock, High 3 o'clock, Low 2 o'clock, Middle 10 to 11 o'clock, Mid Freq 3 o'clock and Dist 10 o'clock, into a tube amp.
Why does my Metal Zone sound fizzy?
Usually Dist is too high or the upper mids are too strong. Lower Dist, then cut Middle and sweep Mid Freq to find the harsh band. Turning High down also cuts fizz, but Guitar World notes it darkens the whole sound because it takes the upper mids with it.
What does the Mid Freq knob do on an MT-2?
It picks the band that Middle boosts or cuts, anywhere from 200 Hz to 5 kHz. BOSS's manual says that with Middle at 12 o'clock, moving Mid Freq does not change the sound, so move Middle off center first.
Can I use a Metal Zone as a boost?
Yes. Guitar World's boost setting is Level at 5 o'clock, High, Low, Middle and Mid Freq at 12 o'clock and Dist at 8 o'clock, into a tube amp. Kurt Ballou of Converge uses it the same way: EQ flat, gain down, Level up.
Did Metallica or Pantera use a Boss Metal Zone?
None of the rig accounts Tonelify cites tie their records to one. Tonelify's Cowboys from Hell page traces Dimebag Darrell's sound to a Randall solid-state head with EQ pedals in front, and its Master of Puppets page traces Metallica's to a Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ into Marshall heads.
What is the difference between the MT-2 and the MT-2W?
The MT-2W adds a mode switch. BOSS says Standard reproduces the original MT-2 sound with a new all analog circuit, and Custom is fine-tuned for a broader range of dynamics and response. Guitar World found Custom adds low mids and tightens the bass.
Sources
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Settings for your own amp
This guide covers what is true of every rig. For a specific song on a specific amp, Tonelify reads the documented chain behind the recording and returns gain, bass, middle, treble and presence values for the controls your amp actually has. A first plan starts with 7 days free, $0 today.
