Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum eX User manual

User’s Guide
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum
Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Creative Technology Ltd. No part of this manual may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, for any purpose without the written permission of
Creative Technology Ltd. The software described in this document is furnished under a license agreement and may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of the
license agreement. It is against the law to copy the software on any other medium except as specifically allowed in the license agreement. The licensee may make one copy of
the software for backup purposes.
Copyright © 1998-2002 by Creative Technology Ltd. All rights reserved.
Version 1.2
March 2003
Sound Blaster and Blaster are registered trademarks, and the Sound Blaster Audigy logo, the Sound Blaster PCI logo, EAX ADVANCED HD, Multi-Environment, Environment
Panning, Environment Reflections, Environment Filtering, Environment Morphing, Creative Multi Speaker Surround, Inspire, and Oozic are trademarks of Creative Technology
Ltd. in the United States and/or other countries. E-Mu and SoundFont are registered trademarks of E-mu Systems, Inc.. Cambridge SoundWorks, MicroWorks and PC Works are
registered trademarks, and PC Works FourPointSurround is a trademark of Cambridge SoundWorks, Inc.. Microsoft, MS-DOS, and Windows are registered trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation. Manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratories. "Dolby", "Pro Logic", "MLP Lossless", and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby
Laboratories. Confidential unpublished works. Copyright 1992-1998 Dolby Laboratories. All rights reserved. The FireWire logo is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.. THX
is a registered trademark of THX Ltd.. All other products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
This product is covered by one or more of the following U.S. patents:
4,506,579; 4,699,038; 4,987,600; 5,013,105; 5,072,645; 5,111,727; 5,144,676; 5,170,369; 5,248,845; 5,298,671; 5,303,309; 5,317,104; 5,342,990; 5,430,244; 5,524,074;
5,698,803; 5,698,807; 5,748,747; 5,763,800; 5,790,837.

Important: This User Manual (On CD) has been designed to provide you with complete product knowledge. The following are
instructions on how to make use of this manual effectively by launching applications and help files, as well as accessing relevant web sites,
where applicable, via specially prepared links.
• To launch applications, Help files or to access relevant web sites, click the blue text, or whenever the symbol or appears on the
object or text.
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Note: To access the applications and Help files, you must first install the manual and the applications in your computer. Otherwise, you will receive
error messages. When you click a link to launch a program, a dialog box may appear to inform you that Adobe Acrobat is going to launch the application.
Click the All button to run subsequent applications without the message appearing again. To access linked web sites, your computer must be connected
to the Internet.

Contents

Contents
Introduction
High Definition Digital Audio Entertainment............................................................................. i
What is EAX ADVANCED HD? ............................................................................................... ii
Package Contents........................................................................................................................ iii
System Requirements ................................................................................................................. iii
Getting More Information ........................................................................................................... v
More Help .................................................................................................................................... v
Technical Support ........................................................................................................................ v
Document Conventions ............................................................................................................... v
1 Installing Hardware
What You Need .....................................................................................................................................1-1
Your Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Card...................................................................................................... 1-2
Your Joystick/MIDI Bracket................................................................................................................. 1-5
Your Audigy 2 Drive.............................................................................................................................1-6
Connecting Headphones...........................................................................................................1-8
Connecting Microphones ......................................................................................................... 1-9
Adjusting volume-level of Headphones and Microphone ..................................................................1-9
Using the Audigy 2 Drive control knobs................................................................................. 1-9
Using Creative Surround Mixer.............................................................................................1-10
Using a Remote Control with Your Drive..........................................................................................1-10
Remote Control Functions..................................................................................................................1-11
Installation Steps .................................................................................................................................1-13
Step 1: Prepare your computer...............................................................................................1-13
Step 2: Connect the Audigy 2 Drive cables...........................................................................1-15
Step 3: Install the Audigy 2 Drive..........................................................................................1-16
Step 4: Install the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card ...................................................................1-17
Step 5: Install the Joystick/MIDI bracket ..............................................................................1-18

Step 6: Connect cables to Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card ......................................................1-19
Step 7: Connect to power outlet .............................................................................................1-21
Connecting Related Peripherals .........................................................................................................1-22
Connecting Speaker Systems .............................................................................................................1-24
Connecting External Consumer Devices ...........................................................................................1-25
Positioning Your Speakers..................................................................................................................1-27
2 Installing Software
Installing Drivers and Applications......................................................................................................2-1
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Feature Showcase Demo.............................................................................. 2-2
Uninstalling and Reinstalling the Applications and Device Drivers ..................................................2-2
Reinstalling all Audio Drivers and Applications..................................................................... 2-2
Uninstalling all Audio Drivers and Applications....................................................................2-3
Installing/Uninstalling selected Audio Drivers or Applications............................................. 2-3
Using Creative Software AutoUpdate..................................................................................................2-5
Updating Windows 2000 (Service Pack 3)..........................................................................................2-5
Installing Digital Video Update............................................................................................................2-6
3 Using Audigy 2 Software
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Applications...................................................................................3-1
Demos....................................................................................................................................................3-2
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Getting Started Demo ...................................................................... 3-2
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Feature Showcase Demo ................................................................. 3-2
Introduction to the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 software suite ................................................................3-3
Creative MediaSource Go!....................................................................................................... 3-3
Creative MediaSource Go! Launcher ......................................................................................3-3
Creative MediaSource Player...................................................................................................3-4
“What U hear” multichannel recording ...................................................................................3-4
Creative MediaSource Organizer............................................................................................. 3-4
Creative MediaSource DVD-Audio Player ............................................................................. 3-6
Creative EAX Console .............................................................................................................3-6
Creative Surround Mixer..........................................................................................................3-8

Creative Speaker Settings.........................................................................................................3-8
Creative Speaker Calibrator......................................................................................................3-8
Creative MiniDisc Center.........................................................................................................3-9
Creative SoundFont Bank Manager.........................................................................................3-9
Creative Audio Stream Recorder 2..........................................................................................3-9
Creative Wave Studio..............................................................................................................3-10
Diagnostic and troubleshooting utilities.............................................................................................3-11
Creative Diagnostics ...............................................................................................................3-11
Creative Speaker Settings.......................................................................................................3-11
A General Specifications
Features.................................................................................................................................................A-1
Connectivity.......................................................................................................................................... A-3
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card ..................................................................................................A-3
Audigy 2 Drive......................................................................................................................... A-4
B Troubleshooting and FAQs
Problems Installing Software............................................................................................................... B-1
Problems with Sound ........................................................................................................................... B-2
Problems with File Transfers on Some VIA Chipset Motherboards................................................. B-5
Insufficient SoundFont Cache ............................................................................................................. B-7
Problems with Joystick ........................................................................................................................ B-7
Problems with Multiple Audio Devices.............................................................................................. B-9
Problems with Sound Blaster Live! Series or Sound Blaster PCI512 card..................................... B-10
Resolving I/O Conflicts ..................................................................................................................... B-11
Problems with Encore DVD Player .................................................................................................. B-11
Problems with Software DVD Player ...............................................................................................B-12
Problems with DV driver for Windows 98 SE/2000/Me/XP........................................................... B-12
Problems in Windows XP.................................................................................................................. B-13
Problems with Digital Audio Devices............................................................................................... B-14

Introduction

Introduction i
Introduction
High Definition
Digital Audio
Entertainment
Thank you for purchasing Sound Blaster™Audigy 2™Platinum, the next generation Creative audio
product with exciting new features and enhanced audio processing architecture.
This User Manual (on CD) guides you through the installation and usage of Sound Blaster Audigy 2
Platinum, which consists of the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card, Joystick/MIDI bracket, the Audigy 2 Drive
and an infrared (IR) remote control.
Featuring 24-bit/192 kHz audio playback, Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum delivers high-definition
sound of astounding quality and 24-bit/96 kHz audio recording capability from all Line Ins and SPDIF In.
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum supports surround sound audio on your computer and has output
capabilities for 6.1 Dolby®Digital Surround EX.
As a THX®-Certified product, Sound Blaster Audigy 2 has passed some of the most stringent and rigorous
audio quality and performance tests in existence. THX is renowned in the entertainment industry for its
knowledge and expertise of audio-visual systems, and its certification programs are designed to ensure that
products bearing the THX logo will each deliver an excellent media experience.
The Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card, with its Audigy 2 processor, enables awesome EAX®ADVANCED
HD™technologies for your gaming and music listening experience. The SB1394™/FireWire®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.
Combine Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum with our rich software package for hours of endless fun.
Included in your 3.Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Installation and Applications CD are the latest generation
drivers and software for you to enjoy DVD-Audio entertainment with native MLP (Meridian Lossless
Packing) support, and to create EAX-enhanced MP3 songs, which you can share with your friends over
the Internet.
MLP (Meridian Lossless
Packing), the method of audio
data compression used in DVD-
Audio, reduces file size without
removing any of the information
that was contained in the original
recording. The listening audience
will hear the audio as it was
intended in the original recording.
Other packing methodologies that
remove data as part of the
compression are referred to as
'Lossy Compression'

Introduction ii
What is EAX
ADVANCED HD?
EAX ADVANCED HD brings a new level of performance, power, and flexibility to PC audio. Taking
advantage of the enhanced processing capabilities of the SoundBlaster Audigy 2 processor, EAX
ADVANCED HD delivers a host of new features that achieve high definition audio for gaming and music
enhancement.
The all-new EAX ADVANCED HD Game Audio Library takes in-game audio and acoustic simulation to
a whole new level. These innovative technologies bring tremendous realism and total audio immersion for
PC gaming:
❑New Multi-EnvironmentTM technology renders multiple audio environments in real time.
❑Environment PanningTM makes it easy for gamers to track with three-dimensional precision, the
location and movement of sounds that usually represent enemies or team mates. This gives Sound
Blaster Audigy 2 gamers a better advantage as they are more "attuned" to the game scenario.
❑Environment ReflectionsTM offers localization of early reflections and echoes.
❑Environment FilteringTM accurately simulates the propagation of sound in both open and closed
environments.
❑Environment MorphingTM allows for seamless transition from one environment to the next.
EAX ADVANCED HD Music Technologies also assures sonic superiority.
❑Audio Clean-Up removes unwanted noise in a digital audio file.
❑Time Scaling speeds up and slows down music with no distortion.
❑EAX ADVANCED HD music effects, developed especially for music listening, further enhance
playback of songs.
EAX ADVANCED HD offers dramatically increased 3D audio performance and functionality. Delivering
superior audio fidelity and sophisticated reverb effects, this unsurpassed digital entertainment experience
is available only from the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 family of products.

Introduction iii
Package Contents The following items are included with the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum package:
❑Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card
❑Audigy 2 Drive and IR remote control
❑Joystick/MIDI bracket
❑Internal SB1394/FireWire cable
❑AD_EXT cable
❑Digital CD audio cable
❑Power splitter cable
❑2 Mini-DIN-to-standard-DIN adapters
❑3.5 mm minijack to 1/4" plug adapter
❑4 screws + shunt (for microphone selection)
❑2 AAA batteries for the IR remote control
❑Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Installation and Applications CD
❑Quick Start Leaflet
❑User manual (on CD)
❑Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Feature Showcase Demo CD
❑Warranty (printed or on CD)
❑Technical Support (printed or on CD)
System
Requirements
Sound Blaster Audigy 2
card
❑Genuine Intel®Pentium®II 350 MHz, AMD®K6 450 MHz or faster processor
❑Intel, AMD or 100%-Intel compatible motherboard chipset
❑Windows®98 Second Edition (SE), Windows Millennium Edition (Me), Windows 2000 Service Pack
2 (SP2) or Windows XP
The items listed here may be
different in certain countries.
Use the AD_EXT cable with
the Audigy 2 Drive ONLY. Do
not attempt to use a
conventional IDE cable or any
other cable with the Audigy 2
Drive as that may cause
electrical shorts and permanent
damage to the Audigy 2 card
and Audigy 2 Drive, which will
void the warranty for this
product. Your computer may
potentially be damaged too.

Introduction iv
❑64 MB RAM for Windows 98 SE and Windows Me
128 MB RAM for Windows 2000 SP2 and Windows XP
❑600 MB of free hard disk space
❑Available PCI 2.1 compliant slot for the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card
❑Available adjacent slot for the Joystick/MIDI bracket (optional)
❑Available 5 1/4" PC drive bay
❑Headphones or amplified speakers (available separately)
❑CD-ROM drive installed
SB1394/FireWire
applications, games, DVD
viewing and DVD-Audio
❑Genuine Intel Pentium III 500 MHz or AMD 700 MHz processor for SB1394/FireWire applications
or games
❑SB1394/FireWire: Minimum 128 MB RAM and 1 GB workspace for digital video (DV) capture and
editing. For DV applications, recommended minimum is an Ultra DMA hard disk with 6 GB
workspace (ATA-100, 7,200 rpm type)
❑Games: At least 128 MB RAM, 3D graphics accelerator with at least 8 MB of texture RAM, available
300–500 MB of free hard disk space
❑DVD: At least second generation DVD-ROM drive with these recommended soft-DVD players:
InterVideo’s WinDVD 2000 or CyberLink’s PowerDVD 3.0 or later
❑DVD-Audio: Requires genuine Intel Pentium III or AMD Athlon™ 1 GHz or faster, 256 MB for
Windows 98 SE, Windows Me, Windows 2000 SP3 and Windows XP SP1, and a second generation
DVD-ROM drive 6X or higher.
Internet Multimedia and
Entertainment
Internet Radio: Requires at least a 56 kbps modem and an active Internet connection to run the application.
Other applications may have higher system requirements or may require a microphone. Refer to the
application’s online Help documentation for details.
Minimum 256 MB RAM
recommended for Windows
2000 SP3 and Windows XP/
SP1 users for games and DV
capture and editing.

Introduction v
Getting More
Information
Refer to the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Getting Started Demo and the various online Help files for detailed
information on Creative applications. The Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Feature Showcase Demo gives you an
interactive introduction to Sound Blaster Audigy 2 and demonstrates the card’s capabilities.
More Help View the contents of the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Installation and Applications CD for additional libraries
and other software. Visit the www.soundblaster.com site for the latest Sound Blaster news and products.
The site also includes information on making purchases, technical help, and using the Creative Software
AutoUpdate for automated driver download and installation.
Technical Support Visit www.soundblaster.com/support/faq for general help.
Document
Conventions
The following typographical conventions are used throughout this 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 avoid
situations involving risk.
The warning sign indicates that failure to adhere to directions may result in
bodily harm or life-threatening situations.

1Installing Hardware
This chapter tells you how to install the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum
hardware.

Installing Hardware 1-1
Installing Hardware
What You Need Before you begin installation, be sure that you have these:
In addition, you will also need an
available PCI slot and another
adjacent available slot on your
computer.
Use the AD_EXT cable with
the Audigy 2 Drive ONLY. Do
not attempt to use a
conventional IDE cable or any
other cable with the Audigy 2
Drive as that may cause
electrical shorts and permanent
damage to the Audigy 2 card
and Audigy 2 Drive, which will
void the warranty for this
product. Your computer may
potentially be damaged too.
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card
Joystick/MIDI bracket
Phillips-head screwdriver
(not included)
Digital CD audio cable
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Drive
Internal SB1394/FireWire
cable
AD_EXT cable
Shunt
Screws
Remote
Control

Installing Hardware 1-2
Your Sound
Blaster Audigy 2
Card
Your audio card has these jacks and connectors to enable the attachment of a wide variety of devices:
In Analog mode, the Line Out,
Rear Out and Rear Centre Out
j
acks are used simultaneously for
6.1 channel speaker systems.
Click any circled number in the
diagram for a description of the
item.
Figure 1-1: Jacks, connectors and ports on the
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card.
10
9
8
7
1
11
12
14
3
4
5
2
13
6

Installing Hardware 1-3
Table 1: Description of Jacks, Connectors and Ports.
Number Description
1SB1394/FireWire port (SB1394)
Connects to an IEEE 1394 compatible external device (such as a digital video
camcorder, digital still camera, printer or scanner).
2Line Out 3 jack (LIN_OUT3)
Connects to Front Centre, Subwoofer and Rear Centre Out of powered analog
speakers or an external amplifier for audio output.
3Line Out 2 jack (LIN_OUT2)
Connects to Rear Left/Right Out of powered analog speakers or an external
amplifier for audio output.
4Line Out 1 jack (LIN_OUT1)
Connects to Front Left/Right Out of powered analog speakers or an external
amplifier for audio output. Also supports headphones.
5Microphone In jack (MIC_IN)
Connects to an external microphone for voice input.
6Line In jack (LIN_IN)
Connects to an external device
(such as a cassette, DAT or MiniDisc player).
7Digital Out jack
6-channel or compressed AC-3 SPDIF output for connection to external digital
devices or digital speaker systems.
Click here or on any description in
the table to return to the main
diagram.

Installing Hardware 1-4
8Telephone Answering Device connector (TAD)
Provides a monaural connection from a standard voice modem, and transmits
microphone signals to the modem.
9CD Audio connector (CD_IN)
Connects to the Analog Audio output on a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive using a
CD audio cable.
10 AUX In connector (AUX_IN)
Connects to internal audio sources such as TV Tuner, MPEG, or other similar cards.
11 Internal SB1394/FireWire port
Connects to the SB1394/FireWire connector on the Audigy 2 Drive.
12 CD SPDIF connector (CD_SPDIF)
Connects to the SPDIF (Digital Audio) output (where available) on a CD-ROM or
DVD-ROM drive using the Digital CD audio cable provided.
13 Joystick/MIDI connector (JOYSTICK)
Connects to the Joystick/MIDI cable.
14 Audio Extension connector (AD_EXT)
Connects to the internal Audigy 2 Drive.
Table 1: Description of Jacks, Connectors and Ports.
Number Description
Click here or on any description in
the table to return to the main
diagram.

Installing Hardware 1-5
Your Joystick/
MIDI Bracket
The Joystick/MIDI bracket is used to attach a joystick or MIDI device:
Figure 1-2: Connector on the Joystick/MIDI bracket.
Joystick/MIDI
connector
Connects to a joystick or
a MIDI device.
Rear view of
connector bracket

Installing Hardware 1-6
Your Audigy 2
Drive
The Audigy 2 Drive provides additional connectivity for a number of other devices. The front panel of
your Audigy 2 Drive has these jacks, connectors and controls:
Click any circled number in the
diagram for a description of the
item.
• If your headphones or
microphone uses a 1/8" (3.5
mm) plug, use a
1/8" stereo mini plug to 1/4"
stereo phono plug adapter
(included).
• Set the gain of the Mic In 2
jack to the minimum before
connecting or turning on a
microphone, especially if you
are monitoring the
microphone input with
headphones.
Figure 1-3: Jacks, connectors and controls on the Audigy 2 Drive.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11