Sonicake Matribox

The Sonicake Matribox, model number QME-50, is a compact multi-effects processor from Sonicake, a maker whose range also includes the Pocket Master and Smart Box¹. It puts a full rig in one floor unit: 130 built-in guitar, bass and acoustic effects, 40 amp models and 38 IR cabinet simulations, all running through 24-bit 44.1kHz digital signal processing that Sonicake describes as white-box digital modeling¹²³. The regular price is $129.99⁴.

For a player, that means amp tones, cab simulation, stompbox effects, a drum machine and a looper in a single box with a built-in expression pedal, aimed at the budget end of the multi-effects market²⁵³.

What the Matribox does

Sonicake positions the Matribox as "a compact multi-effects processor with potent circuit design and high quality digital effects"¹. The 130 effects cover guitar, bass and acoustic use, and the 40 amp models are paired with 38 IR (impulse response) cabinet simulations, so the amp and cab stages can be modeled together². The signal chain is adjustable, with a maximum of 9 simultaneous effect blocks, so you choose which effects run at once and in what order².

Rhythm and looping tools are built in: 100 drum rhythms and a 90-second looper². The unit runs stompbox and preset modes, which Sonicake describes as serving "different situations": stomp mode for switching individual effects on and off like a pedalboard, preset mode for recalling whole patches⁵³⁶.

Controls, modes and connections

The Matribox is controlled by its footswitches, its built-in expression pedal and its screen, with stompbox and preset modes available³⁵. Connections include 1/4" stereo outputs and a stereo 1/8" aux input for playing along with backing tracks³. Power comes from a DC 9V supply¹.

The original unit has two footswitches; Delicious Audio notes that the Matribox II's predecessor "was a little smaller in width, but only featured two footswitches instead of three"⁸. The chassis and footswitches are metal¹.

Where it came from and what reviewers said

The Matribox is the first generation of Sonicake's Matribox line. Its latest firmware is V1.1.0³. The second generation is the Matribox II, which MusicRadar covered as a new affordable multi-effects pedal with 63 amp models and 93 pedal sims, complemented by 61 onboard cab simulations⁹.

Delicious Audio profiled the Matribox II in September 2024 and described the line's development, noting the II's 10 movable effect modules and its 63 amp, 61 cab and over 63 pedal emulations⁸. On the II's screen, MusicRadar's Rob Laing wrote that "the bright colour screen could certainly help with" editing on a unit of this kind⁹.

Matribox II and Matribox II Pro

The Matribox II, model QME-100, is Sonicake's second-generation multi-effect processor, inheriting the first generation's design and moving to a new hardware platform with updated digital modeling². It lists at $229.99⁴.

The Matribox II Pro is the second-generation Pro version, built on the same Matribox Gen 2 hardware platform¹⁰¹¹.

A few points worth knowing when comparing them:

• The Matribox II's 6.5mm output supports TRS balanced output, and the unit can record via USB audio, with an AUX IN⁴¹².
• The Matribox II has no buffer, per Sonicake's product page⁴.
• The Matribox II's latest software supports NAM A2¹².
• Matribox II Pro presets are not compatible with the Matribox II¹⁰.
• After updating the II Pro's firmware (latest version V1.2.2), Sonicake asks users to re-calibrate the built-in expression pedal¹³.

Sonicake says the II's new hardware platform and modeling technology "can perfectly reproduce every detail of the sound, and perform more accurately, clearly and with high fidelity"⁴, a maker's claim rather than an independent finding. Delicious Audio reported the Matribox II gathering good reviews on Amazon with an average of 4.5 stars at the time of its 2024 profile⁸.

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