Creative Sound Blaster Audigy Platinum User manual

How to use this manual
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy Platinum
Creative Audio Software
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issues are also found in the same folder.

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Contents
Introduction
Welcome to high-definition digital audio entertainment ....................... ix
What is EAX ADVANCED HD? ............................................................ x
CreativeWare .................................................................................. xi
In Your Package ............................................................................. xi
System Requirements ......................................................................xii
Sound Blaster Audigy card and Audigy Drive...............................xii
SB1394 applications, games and DVD viewing ............................xii
Getting More Information................................................................ xiii
More Help ..................................................................................... xiii
Technical Support .......................................................................... xiii
Document Conventions................................................................... xiii
1 About the Sound Blaster Audigy Card and Audigy Drive
What You Need...................................................................................... 1-1
Your Sound Blaster Audigy Card ..............................................................1-2
Your Joystick/MIDI Bracket ..................................................................... 1-3
Your Audigy Drive .................................................................................. 1-4
Connecting Headphones ................................................................ 1-5
Connecting Microphones ................................................................ 1-5
Adjusting Headphones Volume and Microphone Gain.................................. 1-6
Using the Audigy Drive control knobs .............................................. 1-6
Using Creative Surround Mixer ....................................................... 1-7
Using a Remote Control with Your Computer ............................................. 1-7
2 Installing Hardware
Installation Steps ................................................................................... 2-1
Step 1: Prepare your computer ...................................................... 2-1
Step 2: Connect the Audigy Drive cables ......................................... 2-3
Step 3: Install the Audigy Drive...................................................... 2-4

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Step 4: Install the Sound Blaster Audigy card .................................. 2-5
Step 5: Install the Joystick/MIDI bracket (optional) .......................... 2-6
Step 6: Connect cables to Sound Blaster Audigy card........................ 2-7
Step 7: Connect to power supply .................................................... 2-9
Connecting Related Peripherals.............................................................. 2-10
Connecting Speaker Systems ................................................................ 2-12
Connecting to External Consumer Devices .............................................. 2-13
Positioning Your Speakers ..................................................................... 2-14
3 Installing Software
Installing Drivers and Applications............................................................ 3-1
Installing Ulead VideoStudio Application .......................................... 3-1
Windows 98 Second Edition ....................................................3-2
Windows Me ......................................................................... 3-2
Windows 2000 ...................................................................... 3-3
Uninstalling the Applications and Device Drivers ........................................ 3-4
Reinstalling the Device Drivers ................................................................3-4
Updating Windows 2000 (Service Pack 2) ................................................. 3-5
Updating Windows 98 SE ........................................................................ 3-5
AC-3 SPDIF output........................................................................ 3-5
1394 storage supplement .............................................................. 3-5
Installing Digital Video Update ................................................................. 3-6
4 Sound Blaster Audigy Applications
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy Applications............................................... 4-1
Third Party Sound Blaster Audigy Applications ........................................... 4-2
Creative Taskbar.................................................................................... 4-2
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy Online Quick Start ...................................... 4-2
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy Experience ................................................4-3
EAX Advanced HD Gold Mine Experience................................................... 4-3
Creative Diagnostics............................................................................... 4-3

iv
Creative Surround Mixer ......................................................................... 4-3
Creative AudioHQ................................................................................... 4-4
SoundFont Control ........................................................................ 4-4
Device Controls ............................................................................ 4-5
Creative Keyboard ........................................................................ 4-5
MIDI Input............................................................................ 4-5
EAX Control.................................................................................. 4-5
Creative WaveStudio .............................................................................. 4-6
Creative PlayCenter................................................................................ 4-6
Creative Recorder .................................................................................. 4-6
Creative Oozic Reactor............................................................................ 4-7
Vienna SoundFont Studio........................................................................ 4-7
Creative MiniDisc Center ......................................................................... 4-8
Creative RemoteCenter........................................................................... 4-9
SoundFont Showcase ............................................................................. 4-9
Creative Restore Defaults........................................................................ 4-9
Steinberg’s Audio Applications ............................................................... 4-10
Cubasis VST (for Creative)........................................................... 4-10
WaveLab Lite ............................................................................. 4-10
ReCycle Lite ............................................................................... 4-10
MixMeister........................................................................................... 4-11
Ulead VideoStudio Version 4.0 SE Basic .................................................. 4-11
FireNet ............................................................................................... 4-11
5 Using Applications
Multimedia Playback ............................................................................... 5-1
Watching DVDs ............................................................................ 5-1
Playing MP3 or WMA files............................................................... 5-1
Playing back Wave and CD Audio files ............................................. 5-2
Playing MIDI files.......................................................................... 5-2
Creating non-General-MIDI-compliant files ...................................... 5-2

v
Digital Entertainment.............................................................................. 5-2
Watching surround movies............................................................. 5-2
Compiling personal albums ............................................................ 5-2
Content Creation.................................................................................... 5-3
Organizing SoundFont banks.......................................................... 5-3
Applying voice effects.................................................................... 5-3
Recording sound and effects .......................................................... 5-3
Capturing and editing videos .......................................................... 5-3
Advanced Content Creation ..................................................................... 5-4
Recording multi-tracks with ASIO ................................................... 5-4
Creating music ............................................................................. 5-4
Recording and transcribing music ................................................... 5-4
Recording and editing musical instruments ...................................... 5-4
Recording digital audio ................................................................... 5-5
Creating multiple effects ................................................................ 5-5
Creating and playing back SoundFonts ............................................ 5-5
Internet Entertainment ........................................................................... 5-5
Experiencing music with visual entertainment .................................. 5-5
Encoding CD songs to MP3 format .................................................. 5-5
Downloading and playing MP3 songs ............................................... 5-6
Playing MP3 songs with EAX........................................................... 5-6
Mixing MP3 songs ......................................................................... 5-6
Gaming Reference.................................................................................. 5-6
Enjoying EAX support.................................................................... 5-6
Enjoying DirectSound3D support .................................................... 5-6
Enjoying A3D 1.0 support .............................................................. 5-6
Enjoying DOS games..................................................................... 5-7
Enjoying audio presets in games .................................................... 5-7
Customizing environments for non-3D games .................................. 5-7

vi
Appendixes
A General Specifications
Features ...............................................................................................A-1
PCI Bus Mastering .................................................................A-1
Audigy Processor ...................................................................A-1
High Quality Audio Path..........................................................A-1
Professional Digital Audio Processing........................................A-2
Flexible Mixer Control.............................................................A-2
Dolby Digital (AC-3) Decoding.................................................A-2
Creative Multi Speaker SurroundTM (CMSSTM) .........................A-3
SB1394TM Compatibility.........................................................A-3
Connectivity ..........................................................................................A-4
Sound Blaster Audigy card ............................................................. A-4
Audio Inputs .........................................................................A-4
Audio Outputs .......................................................................A-4
SB1394 Interfaces .................................................................A-5
Interfaces .............................................................................A-5
Audigy Drive ................................................................................ A-5
Audio/Video Inputs and Outputs On Front Panel........................A-5
Interfaces .............................................................................A-6
B SB Emulation in MS-DOS/Windows 98 SE
Background...........................................................................................B-1
Installing MS-DOS Drivers.......................................................................B-1
Opening MS-DOS ...................................................................................B-1
Understanding the Installation Program ....................................................B-2
AUTOEXEC.BAT File Settings .......................................................... B-2
CONFIG.SYS File Settings .............................................................. B-3
System Resource Settings.......................................................................B-3
Input/Output (I/O) Addresses ........................................................ B-4

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Interrupt Request (IRQ) Line.......................................................... B-4
Direct Memory Access (DMA) Channel............................................. B-5
Environment Variables............................................................................B-5
CTSYN Environment Variable.......................................................... B-5
BLASTER Environment Variable ...................................................... B-5
Determining Resources...........................................................................B-6
Selecting the Best Audio Options in a Game ..............................................B-7
Music Options............................................................................... B-8
Digital Audio Options..................................................................... B-8
MS-DOS Mode Utilities............................................................................B-8
SBECFG.EXE ................................................................................ B-8
SBEMIXER.EXE ............................................................................. B-9
SBESET.EXE............................................................................... B-10
SBEGO.EXE................................................................................ B-11
C Troubleshooting
Problems Installing Software ...................................................................C-1
Problems with Sound..............................................................................C-2
Insufficient SoundFont Cache ..................................................................C-5
Problems With Joystick ...........................................................................C-5
Problems with Multiple Audio Devices .......................................................C-6
Problems with Sound Blaster Live! Series or Sound Blaster PCI512 card .......C-7
Resolving I/O Conflicts............................................................................C-8
Problems in Windows NT 4.0 ...................................................................C-9
Problems with Encore DVD Player .......................................................... C-10
Problems with Software DVD Player ....................................................... C-10
Problems with DV driver for Windows 98 SE/2000/Me .............................. C-11
Index

Introduction

Introduction ix
Introduction
Welcome to high-
definition digital
audio entertainment
Thank you for purchasing Sound Blaster Audigy Platinum, which consists of the
Sound Blaster Audigy card, the Audigy Drive and the IR remote control. It is the
most complete high-definition digital audio entertainment solution that you will ever
come across.
With the onboard 24-bit Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) and Digital-to-Analog
Converter (DAC), Sound Blaster Audigy Platinum delivers high-definition sound of
astounding quality with 96 kHz SPDIF support. The Sound Blaster Audigy card, with
its Audigy processor, is four times as powerful as its nearest competitor. This enables
awesome EAX ADVANCED HDTM technologies for your games and music listening
experience.
The Audigy Drive is designed for your convenience. On its front panel, you can plug
in your microphone and headphones, and adjust the gain/volume. The Audigy Drive
also provides Creative SB1394, MIDI, and digital connectors for your audio/video
recording and content authoring purposes. The SB1394 port provides easy high-
speed connectivity to NOMAD portable digital audio players, external
CD-RW drives and other IEEE 1394 compatible devices like DV Camcorders,
printers, scanners and digital still cameras.
In addition, the Audigy Drive can be used with an IR remote control. The infrared
receiver on the Audigy Drive lets you control your computer and perform tasks (such
as playing audio CDs and video CDs) up to a distance of four meters.
Combine Sound Blaster Audigy Platinum with a rich software bundle and you get
endless hours of fun. Included in your Sound Blaster Audigy Installation CD are
exciting applications that allow you to create EAX-enhanced MP3 songs, and instant
interactive Oozic music videos, which you can share with your friends over the
Internet.