BOSS Announces Firmware Updates for GT-1000 Guitar Effects Processor and Katana Amps

Free Katana update adds new effects types, user-customizable parameter controls, and stereo recording via USB; free GT-1000 update adds more AIRD preamps, overdrive and distortion effects, and new master delay types

The NAMM Show, Anaheim, CA — BOSS announces firmware updates for its GT-1000 guitar effects processor and its Katana guitar amps.

The Version 2 firmware update for the GT-1000 Guitar Effects Processor is free for all GT-1000 owners. This user-installable update expands the processor’s extensive feature set with four new AIRD preamp types, three new overdrive/distortion effects, and three new Master Delay types based on classic analog echo machines. Since its introduction in January 2018, the GT-1000 has received universal acclaim for its class-leading sound and feel, extensive effects, versatile real-time control, and travel-ready size. Standout features include a high-powered custom DSP engine, 32-bit AD/DA, 32-bit floating-point processing, and 96 kHz sampling rate throughout, plus the ability to edit patches wirelessly via built-in Bluetooth® and a dedicated app. The GT-1000 debuted BOSS’s groundbreaking AIRD (Augmented Impulse Response Dynamics) technology, which is based on the comprehensive Tube Logic concept behind the Katana, Waza, Nextone, and Blues Cube amplifiers. The Version 2 update adds MATCH COMBO, BG COMBO, ORNG STACK, and BGNR UB METAL preamp types, increasing the number of onboard AIRD preamps to 20.

For BOSS’s Katana guitar amplifiers, a free Version 3 update further enhances these stage-class models. This feature-rich update adds three new effect types that are perfectly matched for the Katana’s Brown amp character, bringing the onboard effects total to 61. Other improvements include the ability to assign favorite parameters to the front-panel effects knobs and connected expression pedals, as well as the option to record with stereo effects when tracking in a DAW via USB. All Katana stage-class amps include integrated access to a wide selection of BOSS effects, which are customizable using the free BOSS Tone Studio editor software. With Version 3, the legendary Roland DC-30 Analog Chorus-Echo, iconic BOSS GE-10 Graphic Equalizer, and expressive 95E pedal wah effects have been added to the mix. The Version 3 update also provides the ability to assign favorite parameters to the front-panel effects knobs, giving users greater flexibility for shaping their own unique effects tones on the fly. Additionally, it’s now possible to control specific effects parameters from up to three expression pedals connected via the rear panel and an optional GA-FC foot controller. (The GA-FC is compatible with all Katana stage-class amps except the Katana-50.) Supported Katana amp models include the Katana-Artist, Katana-50, Katana-100, Katana-100/212, and Katana-Head.