As a guitarist, I’ve spent countless hours and, if I’m being honest, a bit too much money chasing that elusive, perfect ambient tone. You know the one—that ethereal soundscape where lush reverb tails blend seamlessly with rhythmic, decaying echoes. It’s the sound that fills the room, adds dimension to a solo, and turns a simple chord progression into an emotional journey. For years, the path to that sound was paved with expensive, complex pedals. My board has been home to legendary units that cost a small fortune and required a PhD to operate. I often found myself, as one user aptly put it, going “down rabbit holes” tweaking parameters instead of actually playing. The problem was clear: could I find a simple, intuitive, and affordable solution that delivered professional-grade ambience without the boutique price tag and overwhelming complexity? That’s the question that led me to the SONICAKE Levitate Delay Reverb Pedal, a compact box promising to deliver both effects with grace and power.
- Digital Delay/Plate Reverb 2 effects in 1 guitar effects pedal
- Max. 2000ms Delay Time, Reverb has large schedulable Decay parameter
- Trail and Tap Tempo function helps during the Live Show
What to Consider Before Buying a Delay & Reverb Pedal
A Delay & Reverb pedal is more than just an item; it’s a key solution for creating depth, space, and atmosphere in your guitar tone. It’s the difference between a dry, flat sound and a rich, three-dimensional audio experience that captivates an audience. At its core, this product category solves the problem of “sonic plainness.” The delay adds rhythmic complexity and a sense of movement, while the reverb simulates the sound of playing in different physical spaces, from a small room to a vast cathedral. The primary benefits are immense: enhanced musical expression, a more professional and polished sound for recordings and live performances, and the creative inspiration that comes from exploring new sonic textures. Without these effects, a guitar can sound stark and disconnected from the mix.
The ideal customer for a combo pedal like this is someone facing the dual challenge of limited pedalboard space and a constrained budget. It’s perfect for the gigging musician who needs reliable, versatile ambience, the home recording artist seeking to add professional sheen to their tracks, or the intermediate player looking to graduate from their amp’s built-in effects to something with more control. It’s for the player who, like me, wants to “set it and play” without being overwhelmed by endless menus. However, it might not be the right fit for the sound-design purist who requires eight different reverb algorithms or MIDI control over every conceivable delay parameter. For those individuals, separate, high-end dedicated units from brands like Strymon or Eventide might be a better, albeit far more expensive, path.
Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:
- Dimensions & Space: Pedalboard real estate is precious. A 2-in-1 pedal saves significant space compared to two separate units. The SONICAKE Levitate measures 4.88″ x 3.54″, a standard size that should fit comfortably on most boards. Always measure your available space to ensure a good fit, especially if you’re running a crowded setup.
- Capacity/Performance: This is where the pedal’s creative potential lies. For delay, look at the maximum delay time; the Levitate’s 2000ms is extensive and suitable for everything from slapback to long, ambient washes. For reverb, consider the type (Plate, Hall, Spring) and the decay range. The Levitate’s Plate reverb with its “large schedulable Decay” offers significant tonal flexibility, a feature we found incredibly useful during our testing. The inclusion of Tap Tempo is a non-negotiable feature for live players, and we were thrilled to see it implemented so well here.
- Materials & Durability: A pedal is meant to be stepped on. The SONICAKE Levitate Delay Reverb Pedal features a full metal housing that feels solid and road-worthy. Cheaper pedals might use plastic casings that can crack under pressure. We found the knobs and footswitches to be firm and responsive, inspiring confidence that it can withstand the rigors of regular gigging, a sentiment echoed by users who praised its “quality and durability.”
- Ease of Use & Maintenance: The beauty of the Levitate is its straightforward, knob-per-function layout. There are no hidden menus or complex button combinations. This intuitive design means you can dial in great sounds in seconds. Maintenance is minimal, but remember it requires a standard 9V center-negative power supply, which is not included—a common practice in the pedal world but an important point for first-time buyers.
This pedal offers a compelling package, but it exists in a competitive market. Understanding where it fits is key to making the right choice for your sound.
While the SONICAKE Levitate Delay Reverb Pedal is an excellent choice, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition. For a broader look at all the top models, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:
- Digital Delay/Plate Reverb 2 effects in 1 guitar effects pedal
- 4-Mode Delay and 4-Mode Reverb in One delay reverb Pedal
- [2-in-1 Pedal]: The 2-in-1 Revecho pedal seamlessly integrates meticulously chosen delay and reverb effects, offering musicians a powerful combination of tonal possibilities in a single, compact pedal
First Impressions: A Sturdy Box of Ambient Potential
Unboxing the SONICAKE Levitate Delay Reverb Pedal was a minimalist affair, which I appreciate. There’s the pedal itself, securely packed, and a small instruction manual. The first thing that struck me was its weight and construction. The dark metallic chassis feels substantial and durable, not at all like a “cheap” pedal. The seven control knobs (Mix, Time, F.Back for Delay; Mix, Decay, Tone for Reverb; and a global Level knob) have a smooth, firm rotation, allowing for precise adjustments. The two footswitches—one for bypass/trails and the other for tap tempo—have a satisfying, solid click.
Plugging it in, the pedal powered up without issue using a standard 9V power supply. The layout is incredibly intuitive. Having separate controls for each effect is a massive advantage over pedals that force you to share knobs or toggle between modes. Within minutes, I was dialing in everything from a subtle room reverb with a touch of slapback delay to vast, cavernous soundscapes with long, oscillating repeats. It immediately felt like a tool designed for musicians, not engineers, prioritizing speed and creativity over complexity. This is the kind of design that encourages you to just play, and you can see its full feature set and intuitive layout for yourself.
Advantages
- Excellent value combining two high-quality effects in one unit
- Intuitive, easy-to-use controls with separate knobs for each effect
- Essential live performance features like Tap Tempo and Trails function
- Warm, pleasing digital delay with a massive 2000ms maximum time
- Sturdy, full-metal construction built for the road
Limitations
- Power supply is not included
- Some users report a perceived volume drop when used with high-gain distortion
Deep Dive: Deconstructing the Levitate’s Sonic Performance
After our initial positive impressions, we integrated the SONICAKE Levitate Delay Reverb Pedal into multiple rigs—a Fender-style clean platform, a Marshall-style crunch amp, and even directly with a bass guitar and a synthesizer, both in front of the amp and through an effects loop. This is where the pedal truly revealed its character, versatility, and exceptional value.
The Heart of the Ambience: The Delay Engine
The delay side of the Levitate is, frankly, astounding for this price point. The core sound is a clean digital delay, but it has a certain character that avoids the sterile, clinical feel of some older digital units. In fact, we wholeheartedly agree with the user who compared its warmth to the classic Akai Headrush 2; there’s a pleasant smoothness to the repeats that feels almost analog in its decay. The three controls—Time, Feedback (F.Back), and Mix—are all you need. The Time knob sweeps from a tight, metallic slapback to an incredible 2000ms (2 seconds) of delay time. This vast range allows for creating rhythmic patterns or long, evolving pads of sound that hang in the air beautifully.
The Feedback control is highly interactive. Up to about 2 o’clock, it provides a natural decay of repeats. Pushing it further sends the pedal into self-oscillation, creating a swelling wave of sound that can be manipulated in real-time by turning the Time knob, perfect for dramatic swells and experimental textures. But the star of the show for any performing musician is the dedicated Tap Tempo footswitch. Its implementation is flawless. We found it easy to tap in the exact tempo of a song on the fly, and the pedal responded instantly and accurately. This is a feature often missing on budget pedals, and its inclusion here makes the Levitate a genuinely gig-worthy tool. One user noted the Tap Tempo is “what makes it such a versatile tool,” and we couldn’t agree more. The added Trails function (activated by holding the bypass footswitch) is the final professional touch, allowing your reverb and delay tails to decay naturally when you switch the pedal off, preventing jarring, unnatural cuts in your sound.
Crafting Space: The Plate Reverb Engine
While the delay is the workhorse, the reverb is the soul of the SONICAKE Levitate Delay Reverb Pedal. SONICAKE opted for a single, well-voiced Plate reverb algorithm, and it was a brilliant decision. Instead of offering several mediocre reverb types, they focused on one great one. Plate reverb is celebrated for its bright, dense, and smooth character, and the Levitate captures that essence perfectly. The Mix knob allows you to blend in just a hint of space or completely drench your signal in ambience. The Tone knob is a simple but powerful shaping tool, letting you dial out high-end shimmer for a darker, warmer verb or boost it for a more angelic, airy quality.
The real magic, however, lies in the Decay knob. The range on this control is immense. At its lowest setting, it simulates a small, tight room. As you turn it clockwise, the space expands dramatically, culminating in a seemingly endless, cavernous wash of sound. We had great fun combining a long decay with the delay set to self-oscillation to create massive, synth-like pads. We also confirmed a user’s discovery: combining the Levitate’s reverb with an amp’s built-in spring reverb can yield incredible results. By setting our amp’s reverb low and kicking in the Levitate with a long decay, we easily achieved that “Cathedral feel” they described. It’s this ability to create such a wide spectrum of spatial effects that makes this pedal so inspiring to play through. The fact that you can get this level of reverb control at this price is remarkable.
In Practice: Signal Integrity and Real-World Use
A pedal’s extra features are meaningless if it degrades your core tone. The SONICAKE Levitate Delay Reverb Pedal incorporates a “specially designed Buffer Bypass Circuit.” In our testing, with the pedal in bypass mode, we noticed no discernible loss of high-end or change in volume. Our core signal remained clear and pristine. When engaged, the pedal was impressively quiet, with very little background noise or hiss, even with the mix and level knobs cranked up—a point confirmed by a user who called it “crazy quiet.”
We did, however, investigate the claim from one user about a volume drop when used with distortion. We placed the Levitate after several high-gain pedals (a ProCo RAT clone and an Ibanez Tube Screamer). With the pedal’s global Level knob set to 12 o’clock, we did perceive a very slight drop in volume when engaging the effect during a distorted solo. However, this was easily remedied by simply turning the Level knob up to around 1 o’clock, which brought the volume to unity and even allowed for a slight boost if desired. This global level control is a fantastic feature that adds flexibility and addresses this potential issue. Our assessment is that the pedal doesn’t inherently “kill tone,” but like any pedal, it requires proper gain-staging within your specific signal chain to perform optimally. Its versatility extends beyond guitar, too; we found it worked wonderfully with bass, giving us the exact “ambience sound” another user was looking for.
What Other Users Are Saying
After our own extensive testing, we dug into feedback from other musicians to see how their experiences aligned with ours. The sentiment is overwhelmingly positive, especially concerning the pedal’s value and core sound quality. One veteran player with 30 years of experience, who owns the legendary Strymon Timeline, praised the SONICAKE Levitate Delay Reverb Pedal for its simplicity and warm, analog-like delay tone, stating he “underestimated this thing.” Another user happily reported that it replaced his TC Electronic Flashback, a well-respected pedal in its own right, highlighting the Levitate’s ability to manipulate both effects without them overpowering one another.
Of course, no product is perfect. The most common and valid criticism is the lack of an included power supply. As several users pointed out, “It’s comes with, no power supply !” While this is standard practice for most pedal manufacturers to keep costs down, it’s a crucial piece of information for new buyers. The other notable negative point came from a user who experienced a volume drop with distortion. As we detailed above, our testing suggests this is manageable with the Level knob, but it’s a valid observation depending on the user’s specific setup and gain levels. Overall, the consensus is clear: for the price, the sound quality and feature set are exceptionally difficult to beat.
How Does the SONICAKE Levitate Delay Reverb Pedal Compare to Alternatives?
The Levitate is a fantastic 2-in-1, but sometimes a dedicated, single-effect pedal is a better fit. Here’s how it stacks up against some popular alternatives in the market.
1. BOSS RV-6 Reverb Guitar Pedal
- Mono or Stereo Operation
- Expression Pedal Input
- Compact and versatile reverb pedal with rich, expansive soundDial in sophisticated, top-level reverb tones quickly with simple controlsNewly developed studio-grade algorithms powered by cutting-edge...
The BOSS RV-6 is an industry standard for a reason. It’s a reverb-only pedal that offers eight different world-class reverb modes, including classics like Hall, Plate, and Spring, as well as more modern sounds like Shimmer and Dynamic. If your sole focus is having a wide palette of pristine reverb algorithms in a famously indestructible BOSS enclosure, the RV-6 is the superior choice. However, it is significantly more expensive than the Levitate and, crucially, it has no delay function. A player who needs both effects on a budget would find the SONICAKE to be a much better value, while a tone purist who wants the absolute best dedicated reverb might prefer to invest in the BOSS.
2. JOYO JF-08 Digital Delay Pedal
- JOYO Digital Delay guitar effect pedal, features a special filter circuit to closely reproduce the sounds of analog delay. Delay time range: 25ms-600ms.
- Combining this digitally emulated analogue delay with any overdrive or distortion puts you in solo heaven and will make your solo's sound huge and epic.
- True Bypass provide transparent tone to keep the best tone quality, aluminium-alloy housing classic stoving varnish finish, stable and strong.
The JOYO JF-08 is another ultra-affordable pedal, but it focuses exclusively on delay. It aims to replicate a classic analog delay sound with its warm, slightly degraded repeats. Its controls are even simpler than the Levitate’s delay side, with just Time, Repeat, and Level knobs. This is a great choice for a guitarist who already has a reverb they love and just needs to add a simple, no-frills delay to their board. However, it lacks the extended delay time, pristine digital clarity, and the absolutely essential Tap Tempo feature found on the SONICAKE Levitate Delay Reverb Pedal. For any kind of live performance, the Levitate’s feature set gives it a decisive edge.
3. Caline Snake Bite CP-26 Hall Reverb Pedal
- Experience three types of delay: digital, analog, and tape delay modes
- Easily control the delay with adjustable time, repeat, and level settings
- Enjoy high-quality sound with the True Bypass foot switch that ensures a crystal-clear signal
Similar to the JOYO, the Caline Snake Bite is a budget-friendly, single-effect pedal, this time focusing on reverb. It provides a cavernous Hall-style reverb with six different controls for deep sound shaping, including pre-delay and EQ filtering. This makes it a powerful tool for reverb aficionados on a tight budget. If you specifically want a lush Hall reverb and don’t need delay, the Snake Bite is a compelling option. The choice comes down to flavor and function: the Snake Bite offers a different type of reverb (Hall vs. the Levitate’s Plate) and more control over it, but the Levitate offers both a fantastic reverb *and* a feature-packed delay in a single enclosure for a comparable price, making it the more versatile and valuable package overall.
Our Final Verdict on the SONICAKE Levitate Delay Reverb Pedal
After spending significant time with the SONICAKE Levitate Delay Reverb Pedal, we can say with confidence that it dramatically exceeds expectations. This is not just a “good for the price” pedal; it’s a genuinely good pedal, period. It provides two essential, high-quality effects in a rugged, compact, and incredibly intuitive format. The warm, versatile delay with its massive range and tap tempo, combined with the lush and expansive plate reverb, provides a powerful toolkit for crafting beautiful ambient soundscapes.
While the lack of an included power supply is a minor inconvenience and high-gain users may need to adjust the level knob, these points do little to detract from the incredible value on offer. We recommend it without hesitation to any guitarist—from beginner to seasoned pro—who wants to add professional-grade ambience to their pedalboard without spending a fortune or getting lost in complexity. It’s a simple, elegant, and inspiring tool that just works. If you’re ready to elevate your tone with rich, spatial effects, you can check the latest price and availability for the SONICAKE Levitate right here.
Last update on 2025-11-02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API