The Sonicake RockStage (model QCE-10) is a multi-effects pedal built as a single wide bar rather than a stack of separate boxes. Sonicake pitches it as a "One-Stop Gig Solution for Classic Rock Players with Main Effects needed": an analog Plexi-style distortion, a chorus, a delay and a reverb, plus built-in cabinet simulation for going straight into a PA, mixer or audio interface12. Delicious Audio, which covered the unit in November 2022, described it as "a multi-fx bar like the Sonicake Rockstage" aimed at players who want the core classic-rock effects in one purchase3.
The drive section is the anchor. Sonicake calls it an "Analog Plexi Style Distortion Brings the Tone back to 80s/90s Hard Rock Stage"243, and Delicious Audio's Paolo De Gregorio wrote that it delivers "that Marshall half stack type of distortion crunch tone"3. Around that sit the three time and modulation effects, each with its own knobs, so nothing is buried in menus.
What it does
The RockStage covers the four effect families a classic-rock player reaches for most, in a fixed signal order on one bar123.
- Rock Amp: an analog Plexi-style distortion with Volume, Tone and Gain controls3
- Chorus: a digital but analog-voiced chorus with speed and depth controls3
- Delay: a 500ms analog-voiced delay with Blend, Repeats and Time controls3
- Reverb: a spring-style reverb with a Mix control3
The cabinet simulation is the feature that sets it apart from a simple pedal cluster: Sonicake builds it in "for directly connecting to PA, Mixer or Audio Interface"2, so the RockStage works as a complete gig rig without an amp. Delicious Audio noted the reverb "can expand your tone from a small room to a big concert hall"3.
The controls, section by section
Each effect has its own knob set, in the style of individual distortion, chorus, delay and reverb pedals laid side by side.
| Section | Controls | What they do |
|---|---|---|
| Rock Amp | Volume, Tone, Gain | Set the level, brightness and amount of the analog Plexi-style distortion3 |
| Chorus | RATE, DEPTH | Set modulation speed and depth; minimum rate with maximum depth gives a "Leslie Rotary" sound3 |
| Delay | Blend, Repeats, Time | Mix in the repeats, set their number and the delay time, up to 500ms35 |
| Reverb | Mix | Sets how much spring-style reverb is blended in3 |
The gain knob is the most flexible control on the bar. Sonicake says adjusting it takes your tone through a range of familiar crunch settings, and De Gregorio's writeup at Delicious Audio matches that: "from saturated Plexi break-up to JCM-800 crunch to a fully over-the-top brown sound"34.
"Adjusting the gain knob, you can get your tone from AC/DC's saturated Plexi break-up to Guns N' Roses classic JCM-800 crunch, to early Van Halen's fully over-the-top brown sound."
The chorus section holds the one hidden trick. Sonicake's own instruction, repeated in the press coverage, is to set RATE to minimum and DEPTH to maximum for a rotary-speaker effect3:
"if you set RATE to minimum, and DEPTH to maximum, you'll get yourself a 'Leslie Rotary' sound."
Analog or digital?
The RockStage is a hybrid. The distortion is an analog circuit, while the delay and reverb are digital. Sonicake's description of the two time-based effects is blunt: "They both run on digital algorithms, but they sound analog"23, a line Delicious Audio quoted directly in its coverage3. The chorus is also digital, voiced in a BBD style, the bucket-brigade circuit used in vintage analog chorus pedals; Sonicake says it "adds a Beautiful Warm-Dream feeling to the Sound"4. The delay is likewise described as analog-voicing, with a 500ms maximum time45.
Power and practical notes
The RockStage runs on 9V DC, center negative, and the power supply is included2. At 130mA it draws more than a single analog stompbox, which matters if you plan to share a supply with other pedals2. The enclosure is a heavy-duty metal casing, and the whole bar measures 262mm deep by 64mm wide by 44mm high and weighs 480g2, so it occupies roughly the footprint of four compact pedals side by side.
Where it sits in the Sonicake range
Sonicake positions the RockStage as its classic-rock multi-effects bar at $89.996. Players who want deeper amp and effects modeling can move up the company's multi-effects line, which includes the Sonicake Matribox II and the Sonicake Matribox II Pro, while the Sonicake Sonic Wood covers other single-effect duties. The RockStage's angle is simplicity: fixed effect order, knob-per-function controls, and no menus.
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Questions
Can the Sonicake RockStage go straight into a PA or audio interface?
Yes. The RockStage has built-in cabinet simulation designed for connecting directly to a PA, mixer or audio interface, so you can leave an amp at home. The cab simulation works alongside the drive, chorus, delay and reverb sections, and the unit runs on a standard 9V DC center negative supply, which is included in the box.
How do you get a Leslie rotary sound from the RockStage?
Set the chorus section's RATE knob to minimum and the DEPTH knob to maximum. Sonicake describes this setting as producing a Leslie Rotary sound, a slow, deep modulation that mimics a spinning rotary speaker. Backing off the depth or raising the rate moves you back toward a conventional chorus.
What power supply does the Sonicake RockStage need?
It needs 9V DC, center negative, and the power supply is included with the pedal. Current consumption is 130mA, which is modest for a multi-effects unit but higher than a simple analog stompbox, so it is worth checking the rating of any shared or daisy-chain supply.
Is the Sonicake RockStage analog or digital?
It is a hybrid. The distortion section is an analog Plexi-style circuit, while the delay and reverb run on digital algorithms that Sonicake and reviewers describe as sounding analog. The chorus is digital too, voiced in a BBD style to imitate the analog bucket-brigade chorus circuits of older pedals.
Sources (6)
- Sonicake, Sonicake, 2021-03-23
- RockStage Multi effects Pedal for Classic Rock Players, Sonicake
- Sonicake Rockstage Multi-FX Bar, Delicious Audio, 2022-11-08
- RockStage Multi effects Pedal for Classic Rock Players, Sonicake (de.sonicake.com)
- RockStage Multi effects Pedal for Classic Rock Players, Sonicake
- Sonicake Sonic Wood Acoustic Guitar Multi Effects Pedal Preamp DI Box, Sonicake
