Katana FxFloorBoard Help

Katana FxFloorBoard is a midi patch editor software made to assist with getting the most from your Katana DSP amplifier.

This software provides a graphical layout of your Katana’s internal settings and virtual pedal board, and allows you to access settings not available from the front panel. FxFloorBoard also provides access to “hidden” extra features not available from the ‘official’ Boss editor.

The extra features include 23 extra (“sneaky”) preamps and 5 custom preamps parameters, extra effects hidden in MOD, FX, and Delay 1 & 2, and Custom Booster drives.

This editor software also allows use of more effects blocks, where the Katana allows a choice of either “Booster or MOD”, “Delay 1 or FX”, and “Delay 2 or Reverb”. You now use all of these at one time, switching them independently.

The signal chain typically has limited choice of arrangement, but with FxFloorBoard, the effects in the signal chain can be placed in any preferred order.

Since the Katana is a subset of the Boss GT series of Multi-effects, patch files can be Opened from the file menu and translated for the Katana, these include patches for the GT-100, GT-001, GT-10, GT10B, GT-8, GT-6B, and the ME-80. Patches can be in *.tsl (Tone Studio Library), *.syx file formats.  Patches (a snapshot of a channels settings) can also be saved in *.tsl format to use with Tone Studio, and exported in native *.syx format too.

Katana FxFloorBoard also has a feature called “Midi Patch Loader”, which allows your computer/tablet/laptop to be used, along with a Midi Foot Controller, as a 128 channel extension to your Katana. Giving you 128 instant access channels recalled from you midi controller. The extra channels make use of 16 “Assigns” functions, giving programmable control over any of the Katana parameters.

First time use

Before using Katana FxFloorBoard, a USB driver may be required (depending on your operating system) to be downloaded and installed, for Mac OS, the Katana USB driver can be downloaded from the Boss website, and installed as recommended by the manufactures instruction.
Windows will usually install a USB driver automatically when the Katana USB is plugged in. Linux has a USB driver built in.

Once the driver is installed (if required), plug in the Katana USB port to your computer, then start FxFloorBoard editor software.

In most cases the USB device and Katana amp model selection will be automatic, and closing and re-starting the app will sort out an automatic connection.

But if Katana midi/USB port may be required to be selected in the FxFloorBoard, by opening from the editor menu “Preferences”, and select “Katana” for Windows, “Katana DAW Ctrl” for Mac OS, if using the Katana USB port directly, or other Midi device if an alternative USB/Midi connection is used to the Katana.
Support is also added for wireless Bluetooth BLE devices, at this time the CME Widi uHost and XSonic Airstep are supported, change the device type the Bluetooth and wait a few seconds for your paired device to show in the selection list.

Select O.K. to accept the device changes and the app will automatically re-start with the settings applied.

On re-start, the “Connect” button will flash green, and if the connection is successful, will remain lit green. The editor main screen will now be populated with the current Katana amp settings, and the left-side panel “Patch-Tree” will populate the channel names.

The Main Screen Layout

After the midi connection has been established and the editor is “Connected”, the editor is ready to use.

The left panel contains the “Patch Tree” list of Katana channels, and Midi Patch Loader channels (when enabled from Preferences – General menu). A “single mouse “click” on a Katana Channel will change the Amp’s channel to that selected option, and as you play your guitar, the sound of that selected channel will be heard, the channel data will also be loaded into the editor screen, replicating the Katana channel settings, which can be freely adjusted on both the computer and amp panel.

The patch name is displayed in a dialog box at the top of the screen, which you can change the patch name by “clicking” on the box, and a text dialog will pop up allowing user input of text to change the name, the name will be saved when a patch is “written” to a channel or to a File.