Boss MT-2 Metal Zone Settings Guide

For Metal: Dist 7/10, Level 6/10, Low 6/10, Mid Freq 3/10, Mid 3/10, High 6/10. Classic scooped metal — Mid Freq in the lower range (~400Hz), Mid cut to 3 for the characteristic scooped character. Keep Low at 6, not higher, to retain chord clarity on downtuned riffs. A noise gate after the MT-2 is essential at Dist 7+. For leads, temporarily push Mid to 7 for cut-through.

For Hard Rock: Dist 5/10, Level 7/10, Low 5/10, Mid Freq 6/10, Mid 7/10, High 5/10. Lower Dist with mid boost — less compressed, more dynamic. Mid Freq pushed to the upper range with Mid above noon produces a more present, amp-like character than the standard scooped metal setting. This is the setting that reveals why professional players value the MT-2: the boost capability is as useful as the scoop.

Dist: Distortion amount. The sweet spot for most players is 4–7; above 8 becomes over-compressed and fizzy, losing note separation on chords. (Clean to Maximum Gain). Level: Output volume. Set to unity gain first (match bypassed guitar level), then adjust up to compensate for perceived volume loss at high Dist. (Silent to Loud). Low: Bass frequency. Above 7 with high Dist produces muddy, undefined chords. Start at 5 and add cautiously — less than you expect is more useful. (Thin to Thick). Mid Freq: Selects the frequency band the Mid control affects. This is the most powerful knob on the MT-2. Sweep it slowly while playing to find where mid character dramatically changes. (Low Mids (~200Hz) to High Mids (~5kHz)). Mid: Boosts or cuts the frequency selected by Mid Freq. Below 5 cuts (scoops) mids; above 5 boosts them. At 5 the circuit is essentially flat — not the famous scooped sound. (Cut (scoop) to Boost). High: Treble content. Above 7 with high Dist produces harsh fizz. Start at 5 and reduce further if the tone sounds glassy or harsh. (Dark to Bright / Fizzy)

The default noon settings sound bad — this is normal and expected. The MT-2 requires active EQ work to be useful; never judge it at noon. The Mid Freq knob is the most important control. Sweep it slowly while playing — the tonal change across its range is dramatic and immediately reveals the pedal's character. Less Dist than you think: the best MT-2 tones happen between 4 and 7. Above 8, note definition on chords disappears and fizz becomes hard to control. A noise gate after the MT-2 is essential at high Dist. The Boss NS-2 in send/return mode (NS-2 Send → MT-2 Input, MT-2 Output → NS-2 Return) is the standard professional pairing. The High control above 7 adds fizz almost immediately — start at 5 and reduce it further if the tone sounds harsh. Pulling High is always the first correction for harshness. Running the MT-2 into a tube amp's clean channel produces better results than solid-state — the valve's natural compression softens the MT-2's hard digital edge. The Mid control boosts when above 5, cuts when below 5, and is flat at exactly 5. Players who keep it below 5 exclusively miss the boost character that makes the pedal usable for mid-heavy hard rock and blues-influenced metal. Try Dist 4, Mid Freq 7, Mid 7, High 4 for a compressed, nasal "character overdrive" sound — one of the most usable MT-2 surprises, completely unlike its metal reputation.

Kurt Cobain settings: Dist 7/10, Level 6/10, Low 5/10, Mid Freq 5/10, Mid 4/10, High 5/10. Cobain used the MT-2 during the In Utero sessions as a foundational rhythm distortion — not the extreme metal setting the pedal is commonly associated with. His approach was a moderate scoop, Dist controlled enough to retain dynamics, combined with a Boss DS-1 and ProCo RAT on different tracks. Guitar volume control was central to his dynamic range rather than amp or pedal switching.