Creative 2 manual

User’ s Guide Cr eativ e Sound Blaster Audig y 2 Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a comm itment on the part of Creativ e T e chnology Ltd. No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or b y any means, electronic or mech anical, including photocopying and recording, for[...]

Important: This User Manual (On CD) has been designed to provide you with complete product kno wledge. Th e follo wing are instructions on ho w to make use of this manual ef fectiv ely by la unching applications and help files, as we ll as accessing relev ant web sites, where ap plicable, via specially prepared links. • T o launch applications, H[...]

Contents[...]

Contents Intr oduction High Definition Digital Audio Entertainment ........... ...... .......................... ......................... ............ i What is EAX AD V ANCED HD? .............. ......................... ............................. .......................... .... ii Package Contents .. ......................... .................[...]

Uninstalling and Reinstalling the Applications and De vice Dri vers .... ......................... ........................ 2-2 Reinstalling all Audio Driv ers and Applications. ............ .......................... ......................... ........ 2-2 Uninstalling all Audio Dri v ers and Applications ... ... ......................... .........[...]

A General Specifications Features ........... ......................... .......................... ......................... .......................... ......................... .......... A-1 Connectivity ............. ............................................................................. ......................... ................... ......[...]

Intr oduction[...]

Intr oduction i Intr oduction High Definition Digital Audio Enter tainment Thank you for purchasing Sound Blaster Audigy 2, th e n e xt generation Creative audio product with exciting ne w features and enhanced audio processing architecture. This User Manual (on CD) guides you through the in stallation and usage of Sound Blaster Audigy 2. Sound Bla[...]

Intr oduction ii What is EAX AD V ANCED HD? EAX AD V ANCED HD brings a new le vel of performance, po wer , and flexibility to PC audio. T aking advantage of the enhanced processing capabilities of the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 processor, EAX AD V ANCED HD deli vers a host of ne w features that achiev e high definition audio for gaming and music enhanc[...]

Intr oduction iii Package Contents The following items are included with the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 package: ❑ Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card ❑ Joystick/MIDI bracket* ❑ Digital CD audio cable* ❑ Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Installation and Appli cations CD ❑ Quick Start Leaflet* ❑ User Manual (on CD)* ❑ Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Feature Showcase[...]

Intr oduction iv SB1394/Fir eWire a pplica- tions, games or D VD viewing ❑ Genuine Intel Pentium II 3 50 MHz or AMD 450 MHz processor for SB1394/FireWire applications or games ❑ SB1394/FireW ire: Minimum 128 MB RAM for digital vide o (D V) capture and editing reco mmended, Ultra DMA hard disk with 1 G B workspace (A T A- 100, 7,200 rpm type and[...]

Intr oduction v Document Conv entions The following typographical con v entions are used throughout th is manual: The notepad icon indicates information that is of particular importance and should be considered before continuing . The alarm clock designates a caution or warning that can help you a void situations inv olving risk. The warning sign i[...]

1 Installing Har dwar e This chapter tells y ou ho w to install the Sound Blaster Audig y 2 har dwar e.[...]

Installing Har dwar e 1-1 Installing Har dwar e What Y ou Need Before you begin installatio n, be sure that you hav e these: In addition, you will also need an av ailable PC I slot and another adjacent av ailable slot on your computer . Sound Blaster A u digy 2 card Joystic k/MIDI bracket* Phillips-head screwdriv er (not included) Digital CD audio [...]

Installing Har dwar e 1-2 Y our Sound Blaster Audig y 2 Car d Y our audio card has these jacks and connectors to enable the attachment of a wide variety of de vices: In Analog mode, the Line Out, Rear Out and Rear Center Out j acks are used simultane ously for 6.1 channel speaker systems. Click any circled number in the diagram for a description of[...]

Installing Har dwar e 1-3 T able 1: Description of Jac ks, Connectors and P orts. Number Description 1 SB1394/FireWir e port (SB1394/FireWi re) Connects to an IEEE 1394 compatible e xte rnal device (such as a digital video camcorder , digital still camer a, printer or scanner). 2 Line Out 3 jack (LIN_OU T 3) Connects to Front Center , Subwoofer an [...]

Installing Har dwar e 1-4 8 T elephone Answering Device connector (T AD) Provides a monaural connection from a standard voice mode m, and transmits microphone signals to the modem. 9 CD A udio connector (CD_IN) Connects to the Analog Audio output on a CD-ROM or D VD-ROM dri ve using a CD audio cable. 10 A UX In connector (A UX_IN) Connects to inter[...]

Installing Har dwar e 1-5 Y our J o ystick/ MIDI Brack et The Joystick/MIDI brack et* is used to attach a joystick or MIDI device: *A v ailable with some models of the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card. F igur e 1-2: Connector on the J oystick/MIDI brac ket. Joystick/MIDI connector Connects to a jo ystic k o r a MIDI device. Rear view of connector brac k[...]

Installing Har dwar e 1-6 Installation Steps Step 1: Pr epar e your computer 1. T urn off your computer and all peripheral devices. 2. T ouch a metal plate on your compu ter to ground yourself and to discharge any static electricity , an d then unplug the power cord from the wall outlet. 3. Remove the computer co ver . 4. Remove the metal brack ets[...]

Installing Har dwar e 1-7 Step 2: Install the Sound Blaster Audig y 2 car d 1. Align the Soun d Blaster Audigy 2 card with the PCI slot and press the card gently but firmly into the slot as shown in Figure 1-4. 2. Secure the card with one of the scre ws you had placed aside earlier . Do not force the audio card into the slot. Make sure that the gol[...]

Installing Har dwar e 1-8 Step 3: Install the J o ystick/MIDI brack et 1. If you are i nstalling a joystick or MIDI de vice (op tional), secure the Joystick/MIDI brack et* to the slot next to the Sound Blaster Audi gy 2 card with the second scre w . 2. Connect the Joystick/MIDI cable* to the Joystick/MIDI connector on the Sound Blaster Au digy 2 ca[...]

Installing Har dwar e 1-9 Step 4: Connect cables to Sound Blaster Audig y 2 card For analog CD audio output: connect an Analog CD audio cable (av ailable sepa ratly) from the Analog Audio connector on your CD-R OM/D VD-R OM drive to the CD_IN connector on the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card as sho wn in Figure 1-6. For digital CD audio output: connect [...]

Installing Har dwar e 1-10 Step 5: Connect to pow er outlet 1. Replace the computer cov er . 2. Plug the power cord back into the wall outlet, and turn on the computer . T o connect your Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card to ot her de vices, see “Connecting Related Peripherals” on page 1-11. T o install dri vers and softw are, refer to “Installing D[...]

Installing Har dwar e 1-11 Connecting Related P eripherals Sound Blaster Audigy 2 will give you endless hours of listening pleasure. Figure 1-7 shows you ho w to connect related peripherals to your Sound Blaster Audigy 2 to optim ize yo ur enjoyment. Use the AD_EXT cable with the Audigy 2 Driv e ONL Y . Do not attempt to use a con ventional IDE cab[...]

Installing Har dwar e 1-12 T able 2: Description of Connectors and De vices. Number Description 1 Digital Out jack Connects to digital speakers, for e xample, Creati v e Inspire TM 5.1 Digital Speakers and MiniDisc or D A T via minijack-to-DIN cable. 2 Line in Connects to a cassette or CD player , synthesize r , etc. 3 Mic in Connects to a micropho[...]

Installing Har dwar e 1-13 Connecting Speak er Systems If you hav e a 5.1 channel speaker system, you can upmix your stereo sources (such as CD Audio, MP3, WMA, MIDI, and W av e) to 6.1 channels by using Creati v e Multi-Speaker Surr ound (CMSS) technology . T o upmix, you need to en able the CMSS feature in Creati ve EAX console.Refer to the Creat[...]

Installing Har dwar e 1-14 Connecting External Consumer De vices Click any circled number in the diagram for a description of the item. Y ou can use a 4-pole Digital V ideo A/V cable (not included) to connect Line Out 3 to av ailable center , subwoofer and rear center channels. Additional information for a dvanced user s: Fo r connection to Center [...]

Installing Har dwar e 1-15 T able 3: Description of Connectors and Consumer De vices. Number Description 1 Dolby Digita l (A C-3) SPDIF In 2 3.5 mm (mono)-to-RCA cable 3 3.5 mm (stereo)-to-RCA cable 4 3.5 mm (4-pole/stereo)-to-RCA cable 5 Analog Fr ont, Rear and Center/ Subwoofer I nputs 6 Digital Out jack 7 Line Out 1 (top) Line Out 2 (middle) Lin[...]

Installing Har dwar e 1-16 P ositioning Y our Speak ers If you are using six speakers, place them to form a circle around you (as in Figure 1-10) and angled toward you. Make sure that the computer monitor is not blocking th e path of your front speakers. Y ou may want to adjust the relativ e positions of the speakers until you get the audio experie[...]

2 Installing Softwar e This chapter tells y ou how to in stall the Sound Blaster Audig y 2 softwar e .[...]

Installing Softwar e 2-1 Installing Softwar e Installing Driv ers and Applications Y ou need to install device driv ers and applications prior to using your Sound Blaster Audigy 2. T o instal l these dri vers and the selected softwa re applications, use the following instructio ns. The instructions are applicable to all supported W indows operating[...]

Installing Softwar e 2-2 Sound Blaster Audig y 2 F eatur e Showcase Demo 1. Insert the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Feature Showcase Demo CD into your CD-R OM dri v e. If the dri ve supports W indo ws AutoPlay mode, the CD starts running automati cally . If not , you need to enable your CD-ROM dri ve’ s auto-insert notifi cation feature. For more detai[...]

Installing Softwar e 2-3 Uninstalling all Audio Driv ers and Applications For a cleaner installatio n, you may want to uninst all all the audio dri vers and applications before you reinstall them again. T o do so: 1. Click Start -> Settings -> Control Panel . 2. Double-cli c k the Add/Remove Programs icon. 3. Click the Install /Uninstall tab [...]

Installing Softwar e 2-4 8. Restart your comput er when prom pted . T o uninstall a selected component in Creativ e MediaSource, do the following: 1. Click Start -> Settings -> Control Panel . 2. Double-cli c k the Add/Remove Programs icon. 3. Click the Install /Uninstall tab ( or Change or Remove Pr ograms b utton). 4. Select the Creativ e M[...]

3 Using Audig y 2 Softwar e Find out how the softwar e accompan ying y o ur audio car d can be used to contr ol and customize the card’ s featur es f or best performance.[...]

Using A udigy 2 Softwar e 3-1 Using Audig y 2 Softwar e Cr eativ e Sound Blaster Audig y 2 Applications The follo wing software is designed for you to access the basic as well as the adv anced features of your audio card. W e recommend that you fa miliarize yourself with their functions in order to make full use of Sound Blaste r Audigy 2’ s rich[...]

Using A udigy 2 Softwar e 3-2 Demos Three demo packages hav e been included to showcase the basic as well as the ad vanced features of your Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card. W e r ecommend that you play them at least once in order to ha ve a good ov erview of your card’ s features. Sound Blaster Audig y 2 Getting Star ted Demo This is a good starti ng[...]

Using A udigy 2 Softwar e 3-3 SoundF ont Showcase SoundFont Showcase contains a wide and comprehensi ve range of do wnloadable SoundFont demos from companies like Sonic Implants and V oice Crystal. Y ou can also learn how to create and manage your o wn SoundFont banks in here. For more information and usage details on SoundFont Sho wcase, refer to [...]

Using A udigy 2 Softwar e 3-4 ❑ Programs houses shortcuts to Sound Blaster Audigy 2 applications. Y ou can also add your own shortcuts to other applications. ❑ Product S ettings houses shortcuts to specific programs for changing Sound Blast e r Aud igy 2’ s hardware settings. ❑ Product Support contains d iagnostic software, product update i[...]

Using A udigy 2 Softwar e 3-5 cables to the Line Out connectors. Y ou can then captu re surround-sound m o vie/gameplay audio, and ev en audio content enhanced or upmixed with CMSS and E AX effects. F or more information and usage details on Creati ve MediaSource Player and R ecorder , refer to its onlin e Help. Cr eative MediaSour ce Organizer Man[...]

Using A udigy 2 Softwar e 3-6 Extracting and conv erting songs Storing hundreds of songs on your computer can c onsume much hard disk space. W A V files and tracks from audio CDs can take up to 50 MB per song. T o reduce storage on your hard disk, you can conv ert tracks from audio CDs into smaller 4 to 5 MB MP3 f iles. Creati v e MediaSource Organ[...]

Using A udigy 2 Softwar e 3-7 Creativ e EAX Console consists of four sections: A udio Effects , CMSS 3D , A udio Clean-u p , and Time Scaling . Audio Effects: Envir o nmental Sound Pr ocessing In Audio Effects, you can choose ho w you want to enhance all kinds of o rdinary two-channel sounds. ❑ Advanced EQ lets you boost or de-emphasize the low ,[...]

Using A udigy 2 Softwar e 3-8 Note: For a 4/4.1-speaker system, audio for your su bwoofer is processed by the speaker system. Audio Clean-up: Removing noise and distor tion Audio Clean-up allows you to process prerecorded as well as real-time au dio, in order to remov e noise, click sounds and other artifacts. Fo r e xample, when recording music fr[...]

Using A udigy 2 Softwar e 3-9 Cr eative Speak er Calibrator Creati ve Speaker Calibrator ass ists you in optimizin g lou dspeaker settings and positioning to create much better surround sound and gaming sound effects. Cr eative MiniDisc Center Creativ e MiniDisc Center allows you to play back s ongs on CDs or supported audio formats, and record the[...]

Using A udigy 2 Softwar e 3-10 Cr eative Audio Str eam Recor der 2 Normally , to listen to a song on the Internet, you need to do wnload the entire file onto your hard disk first — before you can e ven hear the music. Internet radio statio ns can, howe ver , make it more con v enient for you to enjo y do wnloaded music: the y employ “streaming?[...]

Using A udigy 2 Softwar e 3-11 Diagnostic and tr oubleshooting utilities Cr eative Diagnostics Use Creativ e Diagnostics to quickly test your audio card’ s W av e, MIDI or CD Audio playback capability , recording function and speaker output. For more information and usage details on Creative Diagnostics, refer to its online H elp . Cr eative Spea[...]

A General Specifications This section displa ys the specifications of your Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card and J oystick/MIDI brack et.[...]

General Specif ications A-1 General Specifications This section displays the specifications of your Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card and Joystick/MIDI bracket*. Fe at ure s PCI Bus Mastering ❑ PCI Specification V ersion 2.1 compliant ❑ Bus mastering red uces latenc y and speeds up system perform a nce Audig y Pr ocessor ❑ Advanced hardw are accele[...]

General Specif ications A-2 ❑ 32-bit mixing of all digital sources within Audigy 2’ s Digital Mixer ❑ 24-bit Analog-to-D ig ital con version of analog inputs at 96 kH z sample rate ❑ 24-bit Digital-to -An a log con version of digital so urces at 96 kHz to analog 6.1 speaker output ❑ 24-bit Digital-to -An a log con version of stereo digita[...]

General Specif ications A-3 ❑ Bass redirection: enhances bass output to su bwoof er for small satellite speaker systems ❑ Crossov er bass frequency (10–200 Hz): adjustab le to standalone subwoofer units for desired bass lev el ❑ Adjustable Center , Rear Center and LFE lev el control Cr eative Multi Speak er Surr ound (CMSS) ❑ Multispeaker[...]

General Specif ications A-4 • DIGIT AL OUT : Front, Rear , Center and Subw oofer SPDIF d igital out puts ❑ Three line-lev el analog outputs vi a 3.5 mm minijacks on rear bracket: front, rear , and rear center/ center/subwoofer Line-Outs 1, 2 and 3 ❑ Stereo headphone (32-ohm load) support on Front Line-Ou t SB1394/FireWir e Inter- faces ❑ On[...]

B T r oubleshooting and F A Qs This section pr ovides solutions to pr oblems you ma y encounter during installation or normal use .[...]

T r oubleshooting and F AQs B-1 T r oubleshooting and F A Qs This appendix provides solutions to problems yo u may encounter during installation or normal use. Pr oblems Installing Softwar e The installation does not start auto matically after the Sound Blaster A udigy 2 Installation and Applications CD is inserted. The AutoPlay feature in your W i[...]

T r oubleshooting and F AQs B-2 Pr oblems with Sound There is unexpected excess ive en vironmental sound or effects wh en an audio file is played. The last selected preset is an inappropria te en vironment for the current audio file. T o switch to an appr opriate en vir onment: 1. Click the Audio Effects tab in EAX Cons ole. 2. Click the En able/Di[...]

T r oubleshooting and F AQs B-3 T o recor d an individ ual an alog sour ce: ❑ In the Record panel of the Basic tab in Creati ve Surround Mix er , make sure the recording source selected is Analog Mix (Line/C D/T AD/A ux/PC) . ❑ In the Source panel, mute the analog sources that you do not want to record by clicking the Speaker button to change i[...]

T r oubleshooting and F AQs B-4 No audio output when playing audio CDs or DOS games that require a CD-ROM. T o solve this pr oblem: ❑ Make sure the Analog Audio connecto r on the CD-R OM dri ve and the CD In connector on th e audio card are connected. ❑ Enable digital CD playback: For W indo ws 98 SE i. Clic k Start -> Settings -> Contr o[...]

T r oubleshooting and F AQs B-5 v . Double-click the DVD/CD-R OM dri ves icon. Y our computer driv es will appear . vi. Right-cli ck the disk dri v e icon. A menu will appear . vii. Click Properties . viii.In the Digital CD Play back box of the next dialog box, click the Enab le digital CD a udio f or this CD-R OM dev ice check box to select it. Pa[...]

T r oubleshooting and F AQs B-6 ❑ In W indo ws: i. Clic k Start -> Settings -> Contr ol Panel . ii. Double-cli c k the System icon. iii. Click the Device Manager or Hardwar e tab . i v . Click the Systems devices icon. v . In the list that appears, s ee if the items highlighted in Figure B-1 appear . vi. If the it ems appear, remo ve your c[...]

T r oubleshooting and F AQs B-7 Insufficient SoundFont Cache There is insuff icient memory to load S oundF ont banks. This may occur when a SoundFont-compatible MIDI file is loaded or played while insuf ficient memory has been allocated to Creati ve SoundF ont Bank Manager . T o alloca te mor e SoundF ont cache: 1. Click the Bank button. The Conf i[...]

T r oubleshooting and F AQs B-8 4. Double-cli ck Sound, V ideo And Game Controllers , and then select Creative A udi g y 2 Gamepo rt ( Creati ve Game P ort for W indo ws 2000). 5. Click the Properties button. 6. In the Properties di alog bo x: If you hav e an Original Configuration (Current) check box: • Clear the check box to disable it. If you [...]

T r oubleshooting and F AQs B-9 Pr oblems with Multiple Audio De vices The other installed audio card is not working well. Y ou may have an e xisting audi o de vice installed in yo ur computer . The audio device may be an audio card or an onboard audio chipset. Before you install yo ur Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card, you are advised to completely unin[...]

T r oubleshooting and F A Qs B-10 Pr oblems with Sound Blaster Liv e! Series or Sound Blaster PCI512 card Sound Blaster Li ve! or Sound Bl aster PCI512 applications ar e not workin g. Other than normal pl ayback and recording functions, older audio devices may not work well when Sound Blaster Audigy 2 is installed. T o solve this pr oblem: Uninstal[...]

T r oubleshooting and F A Qs B-11 Resolving I/O Conflicts Conflicts between your audio card and anoth er peripheral device may occur if your card and the other device are set to use the same I/O address. T o resolve I/O conflicts, change the resource settin gs of your audio card or the conflicti ng periph eral device in your system using De vice Ma[...]

T r oubleshooting and F A Qs B-12 6. Locate and select D:Program Fi lesCreati vePC- D V D Encore (where D: represents your CD -R OM driv e) and double-click the entry ctdvdply . The Name box now displays the entry ctdvdply . 7. Click the OK button twice. Pr oblems with Softwar e D VD Pla yer Changing audio configuration (f or example, switching [...]

T r oubleshooting and F A Qs B-13 3. Using W indows Explorer , locate the 1394 folder in the CD-R OM, and run the D VConnect 240.exe f ile. Follo w the instructions on the screen to complete the setup . If you are in W indo ws 98 SE, you may be prompted to insert the Wi ndows 98 SE CD-R OM f irst. Follo w the instructions on the screen to complete [...]

T r oubleshooting and F A Qs B-14 Pr oblems with Digital Audio De vices Intermittent hi ssing or no sound is heard fr om my digital speakers. Make sure you select the sampling rate of the PCM SPDIF output of your Digital Out con nector to match the requirements of the recei ving de vice. Y ou may need to select a lower digital output sampling rate.[...]

T r oubleshooting and F A Qs B-15 11. When prompted to restart your computer , click the Ye s b utton. 12. Repeat steps 4-11 if you hav e other driv es, for example, other hard disk driv es, CD-R OM, CD-R W , and D VD-R OM dri ves. In step 4, double-click the respecti v e driv e icon. For W indows 2000 and W indo ws XP: 1. Click Start -> Setting[...]