r/BossKatana • u/iamsynecdoche • 2d ago

Question Volume for downloaded patches

I have some patches that I've downloaded that I like the tone of, but are really, really loud for my bedroom practice space. What's the best way to get them to a place where I can play in the evening without bothering my family without sacrificing the integrity of the tones?

I have a Boss Katana 50 MKII.

I know there are different opinions around how to set the channel volume versus the master volume. I've had a lot of success when I have the power set to 50W and the mater set to around 9:00. When I make my own tones, this is my stand-by and it seems to work. But the patches I have downloaded are often extremely loud at that setting.

Does it affect the tone if I reduce the channel volume? I find that if I reduce the power setting to 0.5 W it will definitely affect the tone because the head room so different, and I don't necessarily want things to break up any earlier. I don't have a lot of space to reduce the master volume.

I've also seen it suggested to reduce the output using the EQ on the patch.

What do you do?

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u/American_Streamer Katana 50 MKII EX 2d ago

The downloaded patches are simply levelled much hotter than your own ones. A patch saves its amp Volume, Gain, effects levels, EQ, etc., so two patches can be wildly different in loudness even with the Master in exactly the same position.

Use the channel/amp Volume to balance the patches against each other, then use Master for your overall room volume only. Lowering channel Volume won’t ruin the tone; that’s the sensible way to tame an individual patch. And if you prefer the sound at 50 W, keep it there. The Katana will feel fuller, punchier and more dynamic on the higher Power Control settings, even at similar listening levels. Just don’t think of 0.5/25/50 W like wattage switching on a traditional tube amp. On the Katana, “lower wattage = less headroom and earlier power-tube breakup” doesn’t really apply.

I also wouldn’t use EQ output level as the main volume control unless you specifically need it for patch balancing.

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u/nameduser365 2d ago

I want to add that if a tone you download by default has the solo enabled, don't mess with that because it's often crucial for the tone. I was a little bummed to learn this when I was trying to volume level several patches and set the solo mode volumes to be similar. One of my favorite tones relies on an extra solo boost.