Peavey Electronics Corporation CEQ 280a User manual

Peavey Electronics Corporation 1
Cover for CEQ 280a

CEQ™280a2
Intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated "dangerous voltage" within the product's enclosure
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literature accompanying the product.
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qualified service personnel.
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appliance, read the operating guide for further warnings.
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Contents
1.0 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 5
2.0 FEATURES ................................................................................................................................. 5
3.0 FRONTPANEL .......................................................................................................................... 6
4.0 BACKPANEL ............................................................................................................................ 7
5.0 BASICCONNECTIONS ............................................................................................................ 8
5.1 ConnectingtheCEQ™280atoYourExistingSoundSystem ........................................... 8
5.2 ConnectingforPinkNoise .................................................................................................. 8
5.3 ConnectingtoaMixerEffectsLoop ................................................................................... 9
6.0 BASICOPERATION.................................................................................................................. 9
6.1 SelectingandEditingParameters...................................................................................... 10
6.2 MemoryRe-initialization .................................................................................................... 10
6.3 AdjustingtheViewAngle .................................................................................................. 11
6.4 SubsonicFilter..................................................................................................................... 11
6.5 EQRange............................................................................................................................. 12
6.6 ManualEqualization ........................................................................................................... 12
6.7 LevelAdjustment ................................................................................................................ 13
6.8 Bypass the EQ..................................................................................................................... 13
6.9 Set EQ Flat........................................................................................................................... 13
6.10 StoringEQCurves .............................................................................................................. 13
6.11 RecallingEQCurves........................................................................................................... 14
6.12 RecalltheLastEQ............................................................................................................... 14
6.13 CompareEQCurves........................................................................................................... 15
6.14 AutomaticEqualization ...................................................................................................... 15
6.14a BriefOverview ................................................................................................................ 15
6.14b ToAutoEqualizeYourSoundSystem ......................................................................... 15
6.15 EQDisplaywithRTA .........................................................................................................19
6.16 The Feedback Finder .........................................................................................................20
7.0 ADVANCEDOPERATIONS ................................................................................................... 21
7.1 MicrophoneSelection/Creation ........................................................................................ 21
7.2 CreatingaMicrophoneCurve ........................................................................................... 21
7.3 RoomTargetCurveSelection/Creation............................................................................ 22
7.4 CombiningTwoEQCurvesbyAddition ......................................................................... 23
7.4a Overview.......................................................................................................................... 23
7.4b AddingTwoCurves ........................................................................................................ 24
7.4c Storing .............................................................................................................................. 25
7.4d Recalling........................................................................................................................... 25
7.5 GlobalMIDIfunctions ....................................................................................................... 26
7.5a MIDIOverview................................................................................................................ 26
7.5b FactoryDefaultSettings ................................................................................................. 26
7.5c SettingtheMIDIChannel............................................................................................... 27
7.5d RemoteRecallofStoredEQCurves ............................................................................. 27
7.5e StereoSlave ..................................................................................................................... 27
7.5f Dump EQ CurvestoAnotherCEQ280a...................................................................... 28
7.5g DumpEQ Curvestoa MIDIStorageDevice ............................................................... 29
7.5h LoadingEQCurves ......................................................................................................... 30

CEQ™280a4
7.5i MIDISend/ReceiveFilter ............................................................................................... 31
7.5j MIDIThru ........................................................................................................................ 31
7.5k ChangingMIDIControllerAssignments ....................................................................... 32
7.5l SettingtheMIDISwitches .............................................................................................. 32
7.6 TheSecurityLock ............................................................................................................... 33
7.7 UserAccess ......................................................................................................................... 34
8.0 USINGTHECEQ280aWITHTHECEQ™280Ra................................................................ 34
9.0 MIDIIMPLEMENTATION ...................................................................................................... 35
10.0 SYSTEMEXCLUSIVE .............................................................................................................. 36
11.0 RECOMMENDEDCONNECTIONS ....................................................................................... 39
12.0 FLOWCHART .......................................................................................................................... 40
13.0 SPECIFICATIONS.................................................................................................................... 41

Peavey Electronics Corporation 5
1.0 INTRODUCTION
ThankyouforpurchasingthePeaveyCEQ™280a.ThenewCEQ280a,1⁄3octavegraphicequalizer,movesintothe
nextgenerationofsoundreinforcementproductswithfeaturesthatexpanduponthecapabilitiesofthecritically
acclaimed,MIDIprogrammablePeaveyCEQ™280Ra.
TheCEQ280astillmakesiteasyforanyonetoequalizeasoundsystemwith1⁄3octaveprecision.Thebuilt-inReal-
TimeAnalyzerandpinknoisesourcelettheCEQ280aquicklyandautomaticallyequalizeasoundsystemtoastored
“target”frequencyresponsecurve.Thefeedbackfindercanthenbeusedtofindandremovetheremainingfeedback
problems.
Whenusedasahouseequalizerforaband,theCEQ280aofferssignificantadvantages.Onceabandhasestablished
its“sound”(housefrequencyresponsecurve),theCEQ280acanautomaticallyadjustitselftoobtainthatsoundin
each new venue, and the CEQ 280a has enough storage locations for the busiest band.
Whenusedin a studio setting,theCEQ280aallowsmany curves tobestoredandcomparedto find the perfect
EQ.And,becausetheCEQ280achangesquietlyfromonecurvetothenext,EQcurvescanbechangedinthemiddle
of a song.
Whenchangingaguitareffectorkeyboardvoice,aMIDIprogramchangecommandsenttotheCEQ280awillrecall
acorrespondingEQcurve,anobviousadvantageinliveinstrumentapplications.Forsequencedsongs,program
changes can be written into the sequence to change the EQ settings.
Whenusedinpermanentinstallations,theCEQ280anotonlymakessetupabreeze,butitssecuritylockwillprotect
thesettingfrom“accidentalchanges.”
2.0 FEATURES
☛28-BandGraphicEqualizer
☛ConstantEQFilterson1⁄3OctaveISOCenters
☛Real-TimeAnalyzer
☛AutomaticRoomEqualization
☛Built-inPinkNoiseSource
☛Easy-to-Read40x2CharacterDisplay
☛NonvolatileStorageof128EQCurves
☛NondestructiveEQCurveAddition
☛EQ Curve Compare: ±12 dB in 1 dB steps; ±6 dB in 0.5 dB steps
☛CombinationXLR-1⁄4″PhoneInputConnectors
☛Electronically-BalancedInputsandOutputs
☛SoftwareSecurityLock
☛FeedbackFinder
☛MIDIControllable
☛MIDICompatiblewiththeOriginalPeaveyCEQ™28/CEQ™28R
☛RelayFront-PanelandPower-OffBypass
☛Switchable40HzSubsonicFilter
☛SingleI.U.StandardRackSpace

CEQ™280a6
3.0 FRONT PANEL
1. EQ
AccessmanualEqualizationfunctionsincluding:EQadjustment,EQcurvecompare,setEQflat,addacurve,
andEQcurvewithRTAdisplayoftheEQoutputsignal.
2 . RTA
Accesstomicinput,Real-TimeAnalyzer,andautoequalizationfunctionsincluding:RTAdisplay,micinputlevel
adjustment,microphonecompensationcurveselection,microphonecurvecreation,roomresponse“target”
curveselection,roomresponse“target”curvecreation,anddiscreteandcontinuousautoequalization.Toget
to all of these functions, you need to press the RTA button twice.
3. Bypass
Togglesbetweenequalizeractiveorhardwarebypassofinputtooutput.
4. Global
Thisprovidesaccessto:EQrange,subsonicfilter,viewangle,CEQ280Racontrol,securitylockaccessstatus,
andMIDIfunctions.
5. Store
StorageandnamingofEQcurves.
6. Recall
Accesstorecallofstoredcurves.
7. Cursor Buttons (Up, Down, Left and Right)
Theleftandrightarrowbuttonsmovethecursorwithinthecurrentdisplaytoselectaparameterforviewing
orchange. Theup and down arrow buttons changethe selected parameteras indicatedby the blinking“ *”
or“_”cursor.
8. Soft Buttons
Thefunction ofthese buttons isdefined inthe left sideof thedisplay.
9. Display Window
40-characterby2-lineLiquidCrystalDisplay(LCD)withvariableviewangleadjustmentforeasyvisibility.

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4.0 BACK PANEL
1. IEC Line Cord Socket
ConnecttheremovableAClinecordheretoapplypowertotheCEQ280a.Damagetotheunitmayresultif
improperlinevoltageisused(seelinevoltagemarkingonunit).
2. MIDIOut
Thisisastandard,5-pinDINjackusedforsendingMIDIdatafromtheCEQ280atoreceivingunit(s).Thisjack
canalsoechoincomingMIDIdatareceivedattheMIDIInjack.Thismeansthereceivingunit(s)willreceive
anexactcopyofthedatatheCEQ280areceived.ThisisanoptionthatmaybeturnedoffandonintheMIDI
section of the Global menus.
3. MIDIIn
Thisisastandard,5-pinDINjackusedforreceivingMIDIdatafromthesendingunit.
4. Noise Source Output
Pinknoiseoutputforroomanalysis.Unbalancedwithatip-sleeve(Mono)plugorbalancedwithatip-ring-
sleeve(Stereo)plug.
5. EQ Output 1⁄4″Phone
Unbalancedwithatip-sleeve(Mono)plugorbalancedwithatip-ring-sleeve(Stereo)plug.TheXLRand1⁄4″
jacksarewiredinParallel.
6. EQOutputXLR
Balancedequalizeroutput.TheXLRand1⁄4″jacksarewiredinparallel.
7. EQ Input
ThisisthemainequalizerinputfortheCEQ280aandcanbeconnectedbalancedorunbalancedusingeither
XLRtypeconnectorsor1⁄4″phoneplugs.
8. RTA Microphone or Line-Level Input
TheXLRtypemicinputprovides12voltstophantompowertherecommendedAVR™-1microphone.The1⁄4″
phonelineinputcanbeusedbalancedwitha tip-ring-sleeve (Stereo) plug or unbalancedwithatip-sleeve
(Mono)plug.

CEQ™280a8
5.0 BASIC CONNECTIONS
ThissectionshowssomepossibleconfigurationsfortheCEQ280a.
5.1 Connecting the CEQ 280a to Your Existing Sound System
ThisdiagramshowshowtoconnecttheCEQ280aandyoursoundsystemtogether.
5.2 Connecting for Pink Noise
ThefollowingdiagramshowshowtoconnecttheCEQ280aintoyoursoundsystemtousethepinknoisesource
forequalization.

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5.3 Connecting to a Mixer Effects Loop
This diagram shows how to connect the CEQ 280a to the effects loop of a recording console.
6.0 BASIC OPERATION
WhentheCEQ280aisfirstturnedon,thefollowingdisplayisbrieflyshown:
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CEQ 280a Battery OK
Afterabrief pause the screenwillchangetotheEQ display.
OPT ⁄ ⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄ 0dB
DSPL‡ ‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡ 16K
-
Note: TheEQdisplayisthemaindisplayfortheCEQ280a.PressingtheEQbuttonorrepeatedlypressingthe“EXIT”
softbuttonwillalwaysreturnyoutothisdisplay.

CEQ™280a10
Thissectioncoversthefollowingareas:
• Parameterselectionandadjustment(arrowbuttonsandsoftbuttons)
• View-angleadjustment
• Manualequalization
• StoringEQcurves
• RecallingEQcurves
• Automaticequalization
• Feedbackfinder
Note: ThissectionshouldprovidealltheinformationnecessarytousetheCEQ280ainmostsetups.However,
greater depth into this units’ functions can be found in the Advanced Operations section.
6.1 Selecting and Editing Parameters
ThismanualtakestheapproachthatthebestwaytolearnhowtooperatetheCEQ280aisthroughexample.The
following section will show you how to adjust the view angle, and in the process you will learn how to select
parametersandhowtochangetheirsettings.
Thisbasicprocessisthesameformostparameters you need to select and/orchange.
1. The left and right arrow buttons will always move you between parameters while....
2. ...the up and down arrow buttons will always change the value of the selected parameter.
3. Throughoutthismanualyouwillseereferencesto“softbuttons.”Thesearethetwobuttonslocatedimmediately
totheleft of the display.Thefunctionofthesetwo buttons willbedefinedwithinthedisplay.
Note: Thecurrentlyselectedparameterisindicatedbyeithera“*”or“_”symbol.The“*”willappearalongside
aselectedparameterwhilethe “_”willappearundertheparameter (oritsvalue).
6.2 Memory Re-initialization
Re-initializationofmemoryreturnstheCEQ280atoitsoriginalfactorysettings.ThisoperationalsoclearstheEQ
curvestoragememorycausingallstoredcurvestobelost.Ifyouhavecurvesyouwishtosave,theycanbedumped
viaMIDItoastoragedevicesuchasthe PeaveyMIDIStreamer™ortoanotherCEQ280a.
Tore-initializememory:
1. DisconnectpowerfromtheCEQ280a.
2. PressandholdtheEQandGLOBALbuttons.
3. ReapplypowertotheCEQ280a.Thefollowingdisplaywillappear:
Memory has been Initialized
to Factory Settings

Peavey Electronics Corporation 11
6.3 Adjusting the View Angle
TheCEQ280aisequippedwitha40-characterby2-lineLCDwithanadjustable-viewangleforeasyvisibility.To
adjusttheviewangle:
1. PresstheGLOBALbutton.Youshouldseethefollowingdisplay:
NEXT *ASSIGN MIDI CHANNEL MIDI CNTRLR
EXIT MIDI SW MIDI SND/RCV MIDI SYS-EX
2. Ifthe“*”isnotalongsidetheword“ASSIGN,”usethearrowbuttonstomoveituntilitis.Then,pressthesoft
buttontotheleftoftheword“NEXT.”Thiswillallowyoutoadjusttheparametersfoundinthismenu.
UNLOCKED LOCAL REM#1 RANGE 12dB
EXIT SUB OFF FB-FIND OFF *VIEW ANGLE 7
3. Usingtheleftorrightarrowbutton,movethe“*”untilitisalongsidethewords“VIEWANGLE.”Thenumber
totherightofthewords“VIEWANGLE”isthecurrentsetting.
4. Use the up and down arrow buttons to adjust the view angle. The view angle has eight adjustment
settings(0-7).
5. Whenyouhavefinishedadjustingtheviewangle,pressthe“EXIT”softbuttontoreturntotheGlobalselection
page.Pressingthe“EXIT”softbuttonasecondtimewillreturnyoutotheEQdisplay.Youcanalsopressthe
EQ button to get to the EQ page.
6.4 Subsonic Filter
Mostsoundreinforcementspeakersystemsdonothaveausableresponsebelow40Hz.Amplifyingsignalsbelow
thisfrequencywastesamplifierpowerandrisksdamagetothespeakersystem.TheCEQ280ahasabuilt-in,40Hz,
low-cut filter that reduces the amplitude of these signals. The subsonic filter is generally left on for most sound
reinforcementapplications.
Tochangethe subsonic filter:
1. PresstheGLOBALbuttonandselect“ASSIGN.”
2. Move the cursor next to “SUB” and use the up and down arrow buttons to turn the filter ON or OFF.
UNLOCKED REMOTE REM#2 RANGE 12dB
EXIT *SUB OFF FB-FIND OFF VIEW ANGLE 7
WhenthesubsonicfilterisON,the32Hzand40HzbandsareremovedfromtheEQdisplay.Thispreventsthese
bandsfrombeingboostedandalsoindicateswhetherthefilterisONor OFF.
OPT ⁄ ⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄ 0dB
DSPL‡ ‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡ 16K
-
Subsonic Off

CEQ™280a12
OPT ⁄ ⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄ 0dB
DSPL‡ ‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡ 16K
-
Subsonic On
6.5 EQ Range
The CEQ 280a EQ can be set up to operate in ±6 dB or ±12 dB mode. In the ±6 dB mode the EQ adjustment is
made in 0.5 dB steps; in the ±12 dB mode the EQ adjustment is made in 1 dB steps.
To change the EQ range:
1. PresstheGLOBALbutton.
NEXT *ASSIGN MIDI CHANNEL MIDI CNTRLR
EXIT MIDI SW MIDI SND/RCV MIDI SYS-EX
2. Ifnecessary, use theleft or right arrow buttontopositionthecursoralongsidetheword“ASSIGN.”
3. Pressthe“NEXT”softbutton.
UNLOCKED REMOTE REM#2 *RANGE 12dB
EXIT SUB OFF FB-FIND OFF VIEW ANGLE 7
4. Use the up or down arrow button to toggle between “6 dB” and “12 dB.”
6.6 Manual Equalization
FromthemainEQdisplayitispossible,andsometimesevendesirable,tomanuallyadjusttheequalizer.Thefollowing
is how the main EQ display looks when the equalizer is set to flat.
OPT ⁄ ⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄ 0dB
DSPL‡ ‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡ 16K
-
Tochangethesettings:
1. Usingtheleftandrightarrowbuttons,movethecursoruntilitispositionedunderthefrequency(orthelevel)
youwanttochange.Thefrequencyoftheselectedbandanditsboostorcutsettingisshownattherightside
ofthedisplay.
2. Using the up and down arrow buttons, change the boost or cut of the selected band.
3. Repeatsteps1and2untilallthechangesaremadeandyour system hasthesounddesired.Then,storethe
EQcurveyoucreated.
Note: Double bars in the display indicate that the frequency band selected is set to 0 dB.

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6.7 Level Adjustment
ThelevelcontrolisavailableineachoftheEQdisplaysallowingthesignalgainthroughtheCEQ280atobeadjusted
±12dB.ThiscontrolisusedtoreturntheCEQ280atounitygainaftertheequalizerhasbeen adjusted.Toadjust
the level, move the cursor all the way to the left of the EQ display.
OPT ⁄ ⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄ 0dB
DSPL‡ ‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡ LEVEL
-
ThegoalistoadjustthelevelofthesignalpassingthroughtheCEQ280asoitisthesamewhentheCEQ280aEQ
is bypassed or in use.
6.8 Bypass the EQ
TheBYPASSbuttonactivatesarelaythatdirectlyconnectstheinputandoutputjackstoprovideacompletebypass
oftheCEQ280aequalizer.Whenbypassed,“EQUALIZERBYPASSED”appearsinthedisplay.TheCEQ280acan
stillbeadjustedbypressinganyofthefunctionbuttons.Afterabout20seconds,the“EQUALIZERBYPASSED”display
willreturnifabuttonisnotpressed.
6.9 Set EQ Flat
Sometimesyoumay want tosettheCEQ280a’s EQ flat.Todothis:
1. FromthemainEQdisplay,pressthe“DSPL”softbuttonuntilthefollowingdisplayappears:
FLAT Set Equalizer Flat?
DSPL
2. Pressingthe“FLAT”softbuttoncausesthefollowingdisplaytoappear:
YES Set Equalizer FLAT
NO ARE YOU SURE?
3. Pressthe“YES”softbuttontocompletetheoperation.IfauniqueunstoredEQcurveislostbysettingtheEQ
flat,thecurvecan stillberestoredbyrecallingcurve129.Thisisconsideredthe“lastEQ”andisavailable
untilanotherEQcurvereplacesit.
6.10 Storing EQ Curves
Thereare128availableprogramlocationstostoreyourEQcurves.
To store an EQ curve:
1.PresstheSTOREbutton.Youshouldseethefollowingdisplay:
STORE PROGRAM *001
EXIT NAME....

CEQ™280a14
2. Select the Program location (001-128) where the curve created is to be saved.
3. Usingtheleftorrightarrowbutton,movethecursoralongside“NAME.....” Usetheupanddownarrowbuttons
tochangethecharactersand formtheprogramname.Aprogramnamemay beuptoeightcharacters.
STORE PROGRAM *001
EXIT KillerEQ
4. Pressthe“STORE”softbutton.Youshouldbrieflyseethefollowingdisplay:
STORE COMPLETE
TheCEQ280awillthenreturnthemainEQdisplay.
6.11 Recalling EQ Curves
RecallingEQcurvesiseasy.
To recall a curve:
1. PresstheRECALLbutton.Youshouldseethefollowingdisplay:
RECALL: PROGRAM *001 ADD ---
EXIT NAME....
2. Use the up and down arrow buttons to select the program number to recall.
3. Pressthe“RECALL”softbutton.Thefollowingdisplaywillappearbriefly:
RECALL COMPLETE
TheCEQ280awillstayontheRecalldisplayuntilthe“EXIT”softbuttonoranothersystembuttonispressed.
Note: Itispossibletoaddasecondcurvetotheoneselectedtogetthecombinedresponseofthecurves.Fordetailed
informationseesection7.4.
Itisalsopossibletorecalla“flat”curve.Simplyselectanunusedpresetandpressthe“RECALL”softbutton.The
128programpresetsareinitializedasflatcurvesatthefactory.Recallinga“flat”curveviaMIDIisaneasywayto
providea“MIDIBypass.”
6.12 Recall the Last EQ
Wheneveracurvethathasnotbeensavedisabouttobedestroyed,thatcurveisautomaticallystoredascurve129
“last EQ.” The recall function can then be used to restore curve 129. It is best to recall and save this curve as
soon as possible because curve 129 will be overwritten the next time this situation arises.

Peavey Electronics Corporation 15
6.13 Compare EQ Curves
It is possible to compare two EQ curves to see which might best serve your needs. To do this:
1. PresstheEQbutton(ifnotalreadyonthemainEQdisplayscreen)toreturntothemainEQdisplayscreen.
2. Pressthe“OPT”softbutton.
3. On the screenthatcomesup, press the“NEXT”softbutton. This takesyoutothe compare screen.
NEXT COMPARE CURRENT SETTING TO:
EXIT *PROGRAM 003 NAME....
4. ThisscreenallowsyoutocomparethecurrentEQsettingtoapreviouslystoredsetting.Todothis,presseither
the upor down arrow button until theprogram number/nameyou want tocompare thecurrent setting to
isdisplayed.
5. Pressthe“NEXT”softbutton.ThiswillshowtheEQcurveoftheprogramnumberyouselected.Pressingthe
softbuttonalongsidetheprogramnumberwillswitchtothecurrentEQcurvesetting.Youcanswitchback
andforthbycontinuingtopressthetopsoftbutton.
Itisalsopossible toadjustthecurrentEQsettingswhenthecurrentEQisdisplayed.
6.14 Automatic Equalization
6.14a Brief Overview
TheCEQ280aprovidesyouwithabuilt-inReal-TimeAnalyzer(RTA)anda built-in pink noise sourceforauto
equalizationofyourroom.Byusingthebuilt-inpinknoisesource,thefrequencyresponseofthesoundsystemcan
be determined. Since pink noise has an equal loudness in each of the 1⁄3octave bands, a flat frequency response
shouldshowintheRTAdisplayasastraightline.
Becausehighfrequencysoundisattenuatedmorebyairthanlowsandmids,weseldomwanttoequalizeasound-
reinforcementsystemflat.Wegenerallywantagentle,highfrequencyrolloffinthesystemresponse,whenmeasured
inthemiddle of theseatingarea.
6.14b To Auto Equalize Your Sound System
(Warning:Thisproceduretakeslongertodescribethanittakestodo.Afterthefirstcoupleoftimes,youwillbea
doing it like a pro.)
1. Turn on thesystemmicsto their normaloperatinglevel.Be sure toavoidfeedback.
2. Connectthepinknoisesource(labeled“NoiseSource”ontherearoftheCEQ280a)toamixerinput.Setthe
EQ flat on that input or if possible turn off the EQ on that channel.
3. ConnectaPeaveyAVR-1microphoneonalongcordtotheRTAmicrophoneinput.
4. Place the microphone one-third to one-half the way back from the speakers near the center of the room at
earlevel.

CEQ™280a16
The “gray area” in each example represents the optimum microphone placement area.
This area should yield the best auto equalization results when used in the following
manner: In each room example, take 3-6 samples in various places within the “gray
area.” For best results, make sure the microphone is placed at ear level. Notice that
the “gray area” remains in or near the center of the room regardless of the room shape.
Speakers Stage
Stage
5. Press the RTAbutton on the CEQ 280a.
LEVEL- --------------------------EQ 0
DSPL ˝ ˜ı˜˜flflflı˜ı˜˜˜ıı˜˜ı˜ı˜flfl˜Â˜MIC 29
6. Turn up the pink noisetoamoderatelisteninglevel.
7. Pressthe“DSPL”softbuttonsothefullheightRTAappears.
⁄¤ ⁄¤⁄⁄⁄ ¤ ⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄¤¤‹¤¤¤¤ -12dB
DSPL⁄ ‡ fl ‡‡‡fi fiflflfl‡‡ flflfiflflMIC 29
8. MovethecursorallthewaytotheleftandadjustthemicvolumesotheRTAshowsactivityinthemiddleof
thedisplay.(Thefrequencybandsfromabout125Hzto1.25kHzshouldbeabouthalfwayuporaround0dB.)
Thissettingisnotcritical,soanywhereclosewilldo.Turnoffthenoisemomentarily.(Ifyouturnoffthenoise
byturningdownthevolume,besuretonotethepositionofthecontrolsoyoucanreturnittothesameplace.)
Now,lookattheRTAdisplay.Ifthedisplayisnotallthewaytothebottom,thepinknoisemustbeincreased
involume sothatthe backgroundnoiseof theroomdoes notaffectthe measurement.
-12dB
DSPL⁄ ⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄MIC 29

Peavey Electronics Corporation 17
9. Turnthepinknoisebackonandpressthe RTAbutton again. The following display will appear:
AUTO RTA PARAMETER:
EXIT *MED DECAY DISPLAY RANGE 24dB
Theparametersinthisdisplaywillbesetautomaticallylater.
10. Pressthe“AUTO”softbuttonandthefollowingdisplaywillappear:
NEXT MIC: *AVR1 INSTR CURVE1 CURVE2
EXIT CURVE3 CURVE4 CURVE5 CREATE
11. Movethecursornextto“AVR1,”ifitisnotalreadythere.
12. Pressthe“NEXT”softbuttonandthefollowingdisplaywillappear:
NEXT AUTO EQ TO: *RM1 RM2 RM3 FLAT
EXIT CURVE1 CURVE2 CURVE3 CREATE
13. Selecteither“RM1”or“RM2”asthetargetresponsecurve.(Thesecurvesaredescribedingreaterdetaillater
inthemanual.)
14. Pressthe“NEXT”softbuttonandthefollowingdisplaywillappear:
NEXT *DISCRETE SAMPLES
EXIT CONTINUOUS SAMPLES
15. Selectdiscretesamples,thenpressthe“NEXT”softbutton.Thefollowingdisplaywillappear:
START DISCRETE SAMPLE 001
EXIT
16. Pressthe“START”softbuttontostarttakingthefirstsample.
Thedisplayshouldnowlooksomethinglikethis:
⁄¤‹⁄ ⁄fifi‡fl›⁄⁄ ⁄‡fi‹⁄‹›fl⁄⁄⁄
EXIT⁄ ‡ ‡›‡ ‡‡¤⁄‹fl‡ ‡ ‡‡‡LEVEL
Forapproximately11⁄4minutestheCEQ280awilladjustitselftotrytogettheRTAdisplayonthescreentolooklike
thetargetresponsecurveyouselected.
Whenithascompletedthesample,thestartsample02displaywillappear.Movethemicrophonetoanotherlocation
intheroomandpressthe“START”softbuttontotakethenextsample.
Aftertakingthreetosixsamples,presstheEQbuttontolookattheresultingEQcurve.Theautoequalizationprocess
isnowcomplete.Thecurveyouseewascreatedbyaveragingthecurvefromeachsample.Beforedoinganything
else, store this curve.

CEQ™280a18
Look at the curve for bands that have a lot of boost. If the lows are boosted quite a bit, you may want to reduce
themsome.(ThedetailedautoEQsectionlaterinthemanualdescribeshowyoucancustomizethetargetresponse
curvetoavoidthisproblem.)
Afterdoingthisafewtimes,youshouldbeabletodoitquitequickly.Thisisbestdonewhentherearefewpeople
around.Pinknoisewillnevermakethe“Top10GreatestHitsList.”
AftercompletingtheDiscretemodesampling,youmaywanttoperformaContinuousmodesampleto“smooth”
yourEQcurve.This stepisnotnecessary,however,amodestimprovement inyourEQcurvemaybeachieved
withtheadditionoftheContinuousmodesample.
Note: IfyoufeelcomfortablewiththeEQcurveyoucreatedfromthediscretesamples,byallmeanskeepitand
move on. It is also important to note that the Continuous mode should not be used as the only method
ofautoequalization.
Havingpressedthe“EXIT”softbuttonattheconclusionoflastdiscretesample,youshouldbeatthefollowingdisplay:
NEXT *DISCRETE SAMPLES
EXIT CONTINUOUS SAMPLES
Tostarttakingcontinuoussamples:
1. Positionthecursoralongside“ContinuousSamples.”
NEXT DISCRETE SAMPLES
EXIT *CONTINUOUS SAMPLES
2. Pressthe“NEXT”softbutton.
START CONTINUOUS SAMPLE
EXIT
3. Pressthe“START”softbuttontobegintakingcontinuoussamples.
STOP -12dB
EXIT⁄ ⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄⁄16kHz
⁄
4. Samplingwillcontinueuntilthe“STOP”softbuttonispressed.
Togetthemostaccuratereadingsitisnecessarytocarrythemicrophonearoundtheroomtogetsamplesfromseveral
locations.Since it isnecessarytohandle the microphone,careshould be takensinceanynoise you makecanbe
pickedupandaveraged in the samplebeingtaken.
Onceyouhavegatheredenoughofasample(approximatelyonetofiveminutes),pressthe“STOP”softbutton
tocompletethesamplingprocess.Oncethe“STOP”softbuttonhasbeenpressedtheCEQ280awilltaketheaverage
EQcurvefromthecontinuoussampleandaverageitwiththediscreteEQcurvecapturedearlier.Itisimportantto
notethattheCEQ280aplacesmuchmoreemphasisonthe“current”EQ(inthiscasethediscretesampletakenearlier)

Peavey Electronics Corporation 19
thanitdoesonthecontinuousEQcurve.ThecontinuousEQcurveistreatedlikeathirdorfourthdiscretecurve.
Thismeansthatitgetsapproximatelyone-fourthtoone-thirdtheconsiderationofthecurrentEQcurve.
6.15 EQ Display with RTA
ThisdisplaypresentsboththecurrentEQsettings(inthetopofthedisplay)andareal-timedisplayoftherelative
leveloftheaudiosignalbeingequalized(inthebottomofthedisplay).Theequalizercanbeviewedandadjusted
whileviewingtheRTA. ThisdisplayworkswellwhenusedwiththeFeedbackFinder(seethenextsection).
Toaccessthisdisplay,pressthe“DSPL”softbuttonwhileinthemainEQdisplay.Ifyoudonotseeanyactivityin
theRTAdisplay,movethecursorallthewaytotheright(pastthe16kHzband);thedisplayshouldlooklikethe
onebelow.Pressingtheuparrowbuttonwillincreasethesensitivity(thereferencelevelinthedisplaywillbecome
morenegative).
50Hz› ›˜››˛›››››››››››››››››››››EQ 0
DSPL ˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝RTA -5
—
(No Activity in RTA)
Note: AlthoughthisdisplaylooksjustlikethedisplayyouseewhentheRTAbuttonispressed,theyaredifferent
anddisplaydifferentinformation.TheRTAinthisdisplayrespondstotheaudiosignalgoingthroughthe
equalizer.TheRTAyouseeinthedisplaywhentheRTAbuttonispressedrepresentsthesignalconnected
totheRTAinput(usuallytheAVR-1samplemic).
50Hz› ›˜››˛›››››››››››››››››››››EQ 0
DSPL ‰ÏÏ˛‰„Ï˛‰„Ï˛˛‰„ÏÏω‰„Ï˛‰„Ï˛˛˛RTA -5
—
(Activity in RTA)
Unless the Feedback Finder is on, the decay rate of the RTA can be set to one of three rates (slow, medium and
fast). (The Feedback Finder always uses fast.)
Note: ChangingthedecayraterequirespressingtheRTAbutton,whichtemporarilybypassestheequalizer.
Press the RTA button twice, the following display will appear. Use the up and down arrow buttons to select the
desiredrate.
AUTO RTA PARAMETER:
EXIT *MED DECAY DISPLAY RANGE 24dB
PresstheEQbuttonand“DSPL”softbuttontoreturntotheEQRTAdisplay.

CEQ™280a20
6.16 The Feedback Finder
TheFeedbackFinderprovidesyouwiththemeanstotrackdownandeliminateanyfeedbackproblems.Withthe
FeedbackFinderturnedon,thecursorwilltrackbandswithapotentialproblem.Youmay,then,manuallyadjust
thecutorboosttooptimize thesystemsperformance.
Toturn theFeedback Finder on:
1. PresstheGLOBALbutton.
NEXT *ASSIGN MIDI CHANNEL MIDI CNTRLR
EXIT MIDI SW MIDI SND/RCV MIDI SYS-EX
2. Pressthe“NEXT”softbutton.
UNLOCKED LOCAL REM#1 RANGE 12dB
EXIT SUB OFF *FB-FIND ON VIEW ANGLE 7
3. Usetheleftandrightarrowbuttonstopositionthecursoralongside“FB-FIND”andpresstheupordownarrow
buttontoturniton.
OncetheFeedback Finder isonandyou have autoequalizedyoursystem:
1. GotoEQRTA(seesection6.15)displayand adjust RTAlevel.
2. Turn up theleveluntil the systemfeedsback, but notloud.
3. The cursor will jump tothatbandwherefeedbackoccurs.
4. Press the down arrow button to drop the level 1 dB.
5. Repeatafewtimes.Youshouldnotneedtoreduceanybandverymuch.Trynottogotofar;itmayadversely
affectsoundquality.
6. Once you aresatisfied,name and savethecurve.
7.0 ADVANCED OPERATIONS
ThissectiondealswiththemoreadvancedusesfortheCEQ280a.Itisnotintendedforeveryoneandisnotnecessary
forsimpleapplicationbut asyoubecomefamiliarwiththeCEQ280a,readingthissectionmayhelpyougetthe
mostfromthisproduct.
7.1 Microphone Selection/Creation
The choice of microphone to use with the CEQ 280a RTA is crucial to proper performance. The recommended
microphoneisthePeaveyAVR-1.Themicisanomnidirectionalcondensermicwithawide,smoothresponse.The
compensationcurveforthismicisstoredintheCEQ280aandisselectedbyplacingthecursornextto“AVR-1”in
theRTAmicselectiondisplay.ItispossibletouseothermicrophoneswiththeCEQ280abyselecting“CREATE”
inthemicselectiondisplaythenenteringitsfrequencyresponse.
What makes a good RTA microphone?
ThecharacteristicsofgoodRTAmicrophonesarethattheyareomnidirectionalwithawide,smoothresponse.Most
directionalmicrophoneshaveseveralcharacteristicsthatmakethempoorchoices.First,directionalmicrophones