Alesis DEQ830 manual Connections, Connecting to the inserts on an instrument amplifier

Connections 2

Connecting to the inserts on an instrument amplifier

Unbalanced I/O

The insert sends on a guitar or bass amp are usually labeled “effects send and return” or “insert send and return.” This allows your instrument to be boosted to line level before the signal is sent to the equalizer, processed, and returned to the power amp.

If you are using a two-piece system, another method would be to insert the DEQ830 between the preamp and the power amp. You should never put the equalizer between the power amp and the speaker, as the high-powered levels created by the power amp will damage the unit.

Connecting to equipment with XLR inputs and outputs

If you are connecting the DEQ830 to a product with XLR balanced inputs and outputs, you will need to convert this signal to a TRS balanced connector. Make sure that pin 2 of the XLR connector is connected to the tip of the TRS adapter, and pin 3 is connected to the sleeve.

Connecting to equipment with ADAT Optical inputs and outputs

The DEQ830 has the capability of receiving and transmitting its audio signal in the digital domain. This is done through a pair of ADAT Optical jacks found on the rear panel. The jacks are labeled ADAT Optical In/Out. Each carries eight channels of audio, so all eight of the DEQ830’s channels are handled by a single cable in each direction.

Using the ADAT Optical jacks to connect to an external device such as the Alesis ADAT HD24 is very easy, because the DEQ830 will automatically switch over to the ADAT Optical inputs when it senses that a valid digital signal is present.

There are three ways to connect the DEQ830 with another digital audio device, as explained on the next page.

Don't use line transformers! Many XLR-to-1/4" adapters sold at electronics stores are NOT adapters, but transformers (and very low quality transformers at that). Don't use these on the output of the DEQ830—they're unnecessary and generally sound awful because they don't have the headroom to handle the DEQ830's output. Get a hard-wired adapter or cable from your professional audio dealer, or make one yourself from components.

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