Real-Time Analyzer (RTA)

The RTA has been the primary tool for live sound system tuning since the 1970s. Classic hardware RTAs like the Klark Teknik DN6000 and Goldline TEF-20 used analog filter banks with LED bar displays. Modern software RTAs compute octave-band levels from FFT data, combining the visual familiarity of the bar-graph display with the precision and flexibility of digital processing. An RTA typically displays 1/1 octave (10 bands) or 1/3 octave (31 bands) from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Each bar represents the total energy within that frequency band. Because band bandwidth increases with frequency (proportional bandwidth), the display inherently smooths the spectrum in a way that matches human frequency perception. This makes RTAs intuitive for identifying broad spectral balance issues. The standard RTA workflow for live sound: play pink noise through the system, observe the RTA display at the measurement microphone, and adjust graphic or parametric EQ until the response matches the target curve. Pink noise is used because it has equal energy per octave, producing a flat display on a properly calibrated RTA. White noise would show a +3 dB/octave upward slope. RTAs have limitations. Because they use broad frequency bands, they cannot identify narrow-band problems like feedback frequencies, comb filtering, or speaker resonances. They also provide no phase information. A system can have a flat RTA response but severe phase problems at crossover points that degrade transient performance and intelligibility. For this reason, modern practice combines RTA monitoring with dual-channel transfer function measurement. SonaVyx provides both FFT and RTA views simultaneously. The RTA mode overlays octave-band bars on the fine-resolution FFT spectrum, giving the best of both worlds: broad spectral trends and fine detail in a single display.