Alesis DEQ830 User Manual

Remember that a non-primary channel is “mirroring” the settings 

of  the primary channel. When you perform an edit on a non-

primary channel, you aren’t actually editing that channel; you are 

actually changing the primary channe, and the audio for all linked 

channels will be affected by the edit. But whatever settings existed 

on the non-primary channel before it was linked will still be there 

when you unlink it. 

 

To find out which channel is the primary channel in a Link Group, 

press and hold the [LINK] button. The Channel Number LED 

for the primary channel will flash. 

 

 

 

The DEQ830 is capable of  a “light show” that is even more useful 

than it is entertaining. Real Time Analyzer (RTA) mode uses the 

Band Gain LEDs to show you exactly which frequencies are 

present in the audio signal that is passing through the DEQ830. 

This is an extremely useful tool that has been a mainstay of  serious 

sound reinforcement engineers for decades. 

 

To enter RTA mode, simply press the [RTA] button located above 

the [POWER] button. Immediately, the DEQ830 will start giving 

you visual feedback as to what is going on with the instrument or 

mix that is being processed. RTA mode can show you the 

frequencies present in the signal either before or after the signal is 

processed. To select which you want to see, use the [MONITOR 

SELECT] button, located above the [BYPASS] buttons, to toggle 

between Input and Output.  The green LEDs above the button 

will indicate what you are seeing. 

 

If  you press a [CHANNEL SELECT] button while in RTA 

mode, the unit will remain in RTA mode, and the Band Gain 

LEDs will show the audio going through that channel. By 

switching channels while in RTA mode, you will get a better 

picture of  what’s going on with the mix. 

 

To exit Real Time Analyzer mode, simply tap the [RTA] button.. 

 

Using the [VALUE] encoder in RTA mode 

 

The response of  the [VALUE] encoder is determined by the state 

the DEQ830 was in prior to pressing the [RTA] button. It might 

help to think of  RTA mode as a “submode” for whatever mode 

the unit was in before you put it into RTA mode. If  you had 

selected an Edit Group and then entered RTA mode, the Edit 

Group remains active. This is extremely useful, as you can see the 

changes you are making to the sound as you turn the encoder! But 

if  you were in Program mode first, i.e., if  you had simply been 

scrolling through programs before you pressed the [RTA] button, 

then the function of  the [VALUE] encoder at that point was, and 

remains, program selection. So be careful! Turning the [VALUE] 

encoder can cause the DEQ830 to exit RTA mode and select 

another program.