Creative, A Pioneer Always In The Race
Creative’s Soundblaster cards, which came onto the market at the end of the eighties, have become a benchmark in the field of sound cards. Since the first models using the ISA bus, they have come a remarkably long way: the Soundblasters have contributed to establishing a digital audio standard with first 8, then 16 bits for the PC, to the creation of musical instruments using synthesis and wave table synthesis, to the adoption of the MPU401 and General Midi formats, to the creation of downloadable sound fonts, and more recently to the management of multi-channel sound and spatialization effects for games and home cinema.
In March 1993, Creative took over the American company E-Mu, an important brand name making electronic musical instruments and known for its synthesizers and samplers. It will surprise no one to find a processor with E-Mu’s name on it in the Audigy range, nor to hear effects (chorus, time stretch) equal to those of today’s best synthesizers. The processor on the Live! sound card was none other than the famous 10K1 that created E-Mu’s reputation. It was already a surprise to find this DSP on a sound card destined for the general public, when the electronic instruments that use it are so expensive. In fact, an operation like this is feasible because the processor has already largely paid for itself in the field of professional music, and because it is not production that is expensive, but R&D.
For its new range, Creative has simply used its successor, E-Mu’s 10K2. Renamed Audigy for the occasion, it is 32-bit and, as its name indicates, twice as powerful as its predecessor (2000 MIPS). It is capable of modeling, processing, and positioning several sound sources independently in real time, a great advantage for three-dimensional spaces, games, cinema, surround mixing, etc.. Creative has linked this processor to digital-analog and analog-digital converters (DAC & ADC) able to create 24-bit samples at 96 KHz. In practice, it is possible to process the sound in real time using the card in 24 bits at 48KHz. Previously, these specifications had been solely the province of professional soundcards.
Optimal Compatibility
After its Live! series, people wondered what Creative would be able to do to improve its recipe. But the introduction of 24-bit quality, as well as new ultra-rapid, ASIO standard musical drivers and the FireWire interface reawoke the interest in this system, tested by the preceding generation. In fact, these cards will satisfy all types of PC users.
For those interested in games, the Audigy cards offer impeccable reproduction quality together with excellent conversion of digital to analog. In addition, the card is already in a position to cope with games that need more than 16-bit, 44 Khz quality. It manages its 3D sound on six channels, all the current norms, such as 3D and EAX, are supported, and the card goes perfectly with what according to Creative is the sound environment of the future: EAX Advance HD. Audiophiles will also find exactly what they need with the sound capacities of the card and an extensive software package. They will be able to encode to MP3, copy their audio CDs, and even digitize their old vinyl records while removing hiss and crackle.
Videophiles will be able to profit from Dolby Digital sound with their DVDs, because the Audigy card includes 5:1 decoding. And the Audigy will give experienced amateur musicians impressive sound capacity, along with the software they need. What’s more, the use of the ASIO drivers reduces the latency time. The Audigy cards come in three versions in order to suit each user. First up is the Audigy Player / X-Gamer (available for under $100), a new 24-bit PCI card clearly oriented towards multimedia and games. The Player will be the name for Europe, and X-Gamer the name for the U.S.
In its Platinum version (around $200), the Audigy adds the Audigy Drive input/output rack and software that will interest gamers as much as musicians. Finally, the Platinum eX version (priced at $250 among some online vendors) makes it possible to place the rack far from the computer using an external cable two meters in length. As far as software is concerned, the eX version has the excellent musical software, Fruity Loops and Acid, which, combined with Cubasis VST, make a complete outfit for creating music. We tested the Platinum eX version.
Hardware/Software Accessories Sound Blaster Audigy Player / X-Gamer
The Sound Blaster Audigy Player / X-Gamer comes with:
- Sound Blaster Audigy PCI sound card
- Joystick port/separate MIDI
- Audio cable for internal connection of the CD player
- Installation manual
- Easy-to-use complete online manual
Creative software package including:
- Creative Diagnostic 2
- Creative PlayCenter (ver. 3)
- Creative Recorder
- Creative Task Bar
- Creative WaveStudio (ver 4.12)
- Dolby Digital Music Samples
- EAX ADVANCED HD(tm) Gold Mine Demo
- MiniDisc Center (ver. 2)
- Oozic Player
- Vienna SF Studio 2.3
- Sound Blaster Audigy Experience
- Sound Blaster Audigy Quick Start
- “iM Tuner” from iM Networks Inc. (radio via the internet)
- “MixMiester” 3.03 from MixMiester Technology
- “FireNet” 3.03 from Unibrain S.A.
- Storm “Player Edition” from Arturia
- Game “Giants” from Interplay
The X-Gamer package includes also the game Deus Ex.
Hardware/Software Accessories Sound Blaster Audigy Platinum
The Sound Blaster Audigy Platinum comes with:
- Sound Blaster Audigy PCI sound card
- 5 1/4″ Sound Blaster Audigy rack (with infrared sensor)
- Remote control with batteries
- Internal cable SB 1394
- Audio cable for internal connection of the CD reader
- Joystick port/separate MIDI
- Extension feed cable to power the rack
- Ribbon cables going from the Sound Blaster card to the rack
- 1/4 to 3.5 mm adaptor
- Screws for installing the Audigy Drive rack
- Adaptor cable (mini to standard MIDI DIN)
- Installation manual
- Easy-to-use complete online manual
Creative software bundle:
- Creative Diagnostic 2
- Creative PlayCenter (ver. 3)
- Creative Recorder
- Creative Remote Center
- Creative Task Bar
- Dolby Digital Music Samples
- EAX ADVANCED HD(tm) Gold Mine Demo
- MiniDisc Center (ver2)
- Oozic Reactor
- Vienna SF Studio 2.3
- Sound Blaster Audigy Experience
- Sound Blaster Audigy Quick Start
- “iM Tuner” from iM Networks Inc. (radio via the internet)
- “MixMiester” 3.03 from MixMiester Technology
- “FireNet” 2.0 from Unibrain S.A.
- “Storm Platinum Edition” from Arturia
- Suite Steinberg “Cubasis VST Creative Edition) (including WaveLab Lite and ReCycle Lite)
- “SoundFont Collection” from E-Mu
- “Sample Rate Converter” from E-Mu
- “Video Studio” from Ulead 4.0 SE Basic
- Also includes the booklet “Sound Blaster Audigy – The Definitive Music Creation * * Guide” by Paul White
Hardware/Software Accessories Sound Blaster Audigy Platinum eX
Sound Blaster Audigy Platinum eX comes with:
- Sound Blaster Audigy PCI sound card
- Audigy extension cable with MIDI/joystick interface for external placement of the rack
- Sound Blaster Audigy external rack (fitted with an infrared sensor)
- Remote control with batteries
- Internal cable SB 1394
- Extension 15-pin Audigy cable with MIDI/joystick interface
- Internal audio cable to connect the CD player to the sound card
- Extension feeder cable to power the rack
- 1/4 to 3.5 mm Adaptor
- Screws for installing the Audigy Drive rack
- Adaptor cable (mini to standard MIDI DIN)
- Installation manual
- Easy-to-use complete online manual
Creative software bundle:
- Creative Diagnostic 2
- Creative PlayCenter (ver. 3)
- Creative Recorder
- Creative Remote Center
- Creative Task Bar
- Creative WaveStudio (ver. 4.12)
- Dolby Digital Music Samples
- EAX ADVANCED HD(tm) Gold Mine Demo
- MiniDisc Center (ver2)
- Oozic Player or Oozic Reactor
- Vienna SF Studio 2.3
- Sound Blaster Audigy Experience
- Sound Blaster Audigy Quick Start
- “iM Tuner” from iM Networks Inc. (radio via the internet)
- “FireNet” 2.0 from Unibrain S.A.
- “Storm Platinum Edition” from Arturia
- Suite Steinberg “Cubasis VST Creative Edition” (including WaveLab Lite and ReCycle Lite)
- “SoundFont Collection” from E-MU
- “Sample Rate Converter” from E-MU
- “VideoStudio” 4.0 SE Basic from Ulead
- Also including the booklet “Sound Blaster Audigy – The Definitive Music Creation Guide” by Paul White
- “Fruity Loops – Creative Edition” from Image Line
- ACID DJ” from Sonic Foundry
The Connections
There are a host of inputs and outputs to be found just on the PCI card itself. All the audio connections use mini jacks, a question both of space and of tradition. There is a first stereo audio output which provides either a digital multichannel AC3, meant for an external Dolby 5.1 decoder (amp or digital active speakers), or an analog stereo signal, as desired. For musicians, this corresponds to two separate audio outputs, and for clued-up cinephiles to the central channel (speech) and the sub-channel (sub-bass) of a Home Cinema system. Just below this there is a first stereo line level input able to take many devices: tape recorder, radio, external CD player, MiniDisc, etc.. Following this, there is a good quality microphone input that can take dynamic vocal mikes or a guitar pick-up. Then you will find two analog stereo line outputs. The first one can be slightly amplified to take a headset or small, passive multimedia loudspeakers. Finally, at the bottom of the card there is a FireWire connector that can take digital cameras, hard discs and other high-speed devices of the IEEE 1394 norm. The Audigy card alone thus provides six outputs for analog sound and one digital multichannel output.
With the Player / X-Gamer and Platinum versions, it is possible to connect MIDI/joystick via a “bracket” card and a cable. It is also possible to connect three analog audio inputs of the CD-ROM type internally (using Molex connectors), as well as a digital CD input.
For the eX version, you have a supplementary card to which a two-meter cable can be connected to allow the rack provided and the joystick connection to be placed at a distance. There is also a socket for the transfer of FireWire to the rack. But that’s not all: for its functions the little, secondary “bracket” card has an internal ribbon cable, a FireWire connecting cable and an electric power supply suitable for a disc drive. All these connections make fitting and installing the Platinum eX card a little complicated, even with a diagram in front of you. Be careful, particularly with the ribbon cables.
The Connections, Continued
In the Platinum and Platinum eX versions, the Audigy card is accompanied by a 5 1/4 -inch rack. It is intended to be placed either at the front next to the computer’s CD-ROM drive, or externally at a distance from the noise of the central unit and interference from the monitor, which microphones and electric guitars don’t really like.
It is thus connected to the sound card either by an internal ribbon cable, or by using a two-meter cable, which allows the musician or singer to get nearer to his/her instruments and sound system while having direct control over the recording level and headset volume. Even Home Cinema users will appreciate being able to position the infrared sensor of the rack right opposite the sofa where they have settled down comfortably with the remote control.
This rack, cream in the Platinum version, a sober black in the eX version, provides the equivalent of a mini mixing desk: a digital, coaxial input/output and another optical one, an analog stereo line level input with an RCA cinch and a mic/line-in input for a jack, accompanied by a potentiometer for regulating the volume. A second potentiometer regulates the headset output, which didn’t seem to us to be of phenomenal quality, but will be enough for most uses.
This output can also be used as a line-out that is easily accessible from the front of the computer. A FireWire port and a true MIDI interface (with female plugs) complete this well-designed rack. Some musicians will regret the lack of an XLR microphone input with 48V power feed for studio mikes, but to get a result worthy of a condenser mike it is better to use an external, separate preamplifier.
The Drivers And The Commands
The installation of the drivers and start-up programs is performed without any difficulty. On the other hand, when restarting the computer, you are dazzled by the number of icons and the Creative task bar, which invade your workspace. In Version 3, Creative provides the PlayCenter, which controls the essential functions of the card.
It is used for playing and recording, allows access to the EAX controls and effects just like with a mixer. We would advise you to keep only its shortcut icon. The task bar, which allows the user to preset the effects, is more trouble than it is worth.
The mixing desk is the most important tool to master. On the “small” mixing desk of the sound card, you find the general output of the card, fitted with a treble/bass control. A second menu opens a window where the sound balance is carried out by positioning a ball in a space defined by four points: left speaker, right speaker, front and back. There is a volume control for the Wave/MP3 output and the MIDI output, and two others for the CD Audio and Line In fixed inputs. For the two audio inputs remaining, you have to choose what to listen to from the following list: mic/line2 input of the rack, digital S/PDIF input, auxiliary input, or digital CD input.
In its higher-level section, accessible via the Advanced Mode button, it is possible to choose the listening system connected to the card: stereo listening via 2 speakers, 5.1 listening. A button marked “Settings” even enables you to regulate the volume of the central audio system, the sub, and even to choose the cut-off frequency at which the bass processor comes into play: a welcome tool to correct the presence of an over-intrusive subwoofer. Next to it, the EAX icon, takes you to the simplified effects menu, where you can quickly choose a sound quality for the main sound output.
Test Of Sound Capacities
To keep our results clear and coherent, we limited ourselves to simple tests that would best reflect normal usage. We carried out a series of analog recordings while using the card’s input/output converters to measure realistically the hiss or distortion that could be expected on a normal recording. To take our measurements, we used the Bench The Right Mark Audio Analyzer developed by ixbt.com, which will soon be available in open source. We also carried out two tests with the help of the measuring software Pinguin Audiometer (www.masterpinguin.de). Here are the details of our tests and results.
Bandwidth
The frequency response curve of the card indicates whether it reproduces all the frequencies of the sound spectrum equally well. The test measured from 20 Hz to 20 KHz, the accepted limits of human hearing. Our results show a nice response curve, and although it is not perfect, especially above 16 KHz, it still ought to satisfy most users.
Noise And Interference
The second test dealt with the level of noise and interference, especially measuring the background noise of the card, and indicating the sensitivity of the card to various forms of interference that arise near computers: power supplies, transformers or monitor screens. Here, we found an excellent noise level of -95 dB (A), which means almost absolute silence when playing or recording under normal conditions. If you use the mike preamplifier on input 2 instead of the line-in, you will of course lose quality, take on some hiss, and climb to around -70 dB.
Dynamic Range
In addition to the preceding test, the dynamic range test estimates the level of noise generated in the presence of a sound signal, in this case a sine wave (1Khz at -60dB) at the card input This test gives a true idea of the card’s dynamics during a recording. We achieved 91.7 dB (A), a result that is more than acceptable with a card in this price range.
Total Harmonic Distortion
In the next test, we measured the total harmonic distortion or THD. This is an examination of the audio fidelity of the card during which one notes the appearance of harmonics when a simple, but strong sinus wave (-3dB) is sent into the card. We measured a distortion of 0.006 %, which is minimal and would not be of any account to most users.
Intermodulation / Diaphony
Finally, we examined the intermodulation or diaphony. This test measures the separation between the card’s left and right audio channels: in other words, the highest sound level at which one can hear on one channel before beginning to hear on the other one as well. This test is of particular interest in a multi-channel environment. With a result of -68 dB, it can’t be said that we’re in the top range here, but it seems to us to be certainly good enough for listening at home where the volume of the sound system rarely goes beyond this level.
Ground Noise
To refine our tests, we set about the mixing desk of the Audigy, our only weapon being the Pinguin Audiometer decibel meter. This software is both simple and efficient: it permanently shows the ground noise present at the input of the card. We shifted all the cursors of the sound card to see how the Audigy would react if one chose to record via the line or microphone input, and not always under the best conditions. Here are the results. By only pushing the recording cursor and taking care to lower all the volume controls that serve no purpose, we obtained -78dB on the line-in with the volume cursor halfway. By comparison, the SoundBlaster live! 5.1 reaches this figure with the cursor lower (12%), while the ground noise climbs to -69 dB with volume halfway. With zero gain, and when the mic/line input is used, the Audigy displays a very comfortable -80dB at line level.
But when we attached a dynamic microphone, we had to increase the volume to three quarters before reaching a recording level high enough for a voice. We left the mike connected, and checked the ground noise with this new set-up: the ground noise level had risen to -55dB. In practice, the card’s preamplifier turns out not to be very capable of gradual variations and was thus a little difficult to manage; we also advise you to use a separate preamplifier for serious recording work. If you don’t, use a three-quarter setting to obtain the best dynamic response without creating too much background noise. You should also take care to unselect the “20 dB boost” box on the mixing desk, which doesn’t help matters.
Test Of Sound Capacities Conclusion
In general, all our tests show that the card’s ratio of signal to real noise is worst around 70 dB and best around 89 dB, with the result varying according to the sound source and the sensitivity of the input. The ratio s:n indicated by the manufacturer can only be applied to the output when the card is reading a digital source, which doesn’t at all reflect a typical recording using one of the analog inputs. In practice, we achieved 96 dB here, which is excellent in view of the fact that the theoretical value is seldom reached, whatever the card. To record well, the sensitivity of the input has to be finely tuned using the potentiometer of the mike and the volume cursors on the mixing desk of the Audigy card. We noticed that we had to set the cursor for the recording level at between 20% and 50% to obtain the best results. As always, the most elementary precaution to take is that of watching the sound level before and during the recording. However, we didn’t find any meter on the Creative Surround Mixer with which one could check the input and output levels visually. So you have to use the Windows mixing desk (accessible via the task bar) to control levels. To sum up, the sound qualities of the card are excellent for a multimedia card, and come close to those of a much more expensive professional card.
Using The Card For Games
Creative Labs is taking advantage of the launch of its new soundcards and their power to offer new sound effects for games. But, just as with 3D images, for 3D sound it is necessary for the game to be programmed specifically. Sound is to some extent undergoing a parallel evolution to that of the image, but with a certain delay. Today’s games mostly have 3D sound, but content themselves with positioning the sounds in space. It’s a little like sticking 3D images on bare walls. However, it is already possible to use more sophisticated effects such as obstruction, for example. When 3D sound made its debut in games, Creative had already set up its EAX standard without any difficulty.
Before the arrival of the Audigy car, they were up to version 2. What’s more, Direct X began managing 3D sounds using Direct Sound 3D. Now the third possibility, the A3D, has disappeared, only Direct X and Creative remain. It might have been expected that the EAX would not have lasted the course and that only Direct Sound 3D would survive. But this was not the case. Today’s games for the most part use Direct Sound 3D, but also support EAX, some in version 2.0. It has to be made clear that Creative has also made EAX accessible to other soundcard manufacturers. The new norm will be reserved for Audigy, at least for now. In a way, it’s the EAX 3, renamed Advanced HD.
EAX Advanced HD
Up to now, 3D sound has limited itself mostly to positioning a sound in three dimensions (Direct Sound and EAX 1). In other words, when a monster lifts you up from behind, you really hear it behind you. With EAX 2, you also have occlusion and obstruction effects which take into account any barriers between you and the source of the noise: a wall, a curtain … The sound environment becomes more realistic. This is how Creative outlines this era.
The Advanced HD goes a lot further. Firstly, it is now possible to have four distinct sound environments at once. This means you are able to hear multiple sounds that come at you from different sources. A monster roaring behind a wall will not sound the same to you as the cries of a young virgin being sacrificed at the same time on the altar you can see through the window. In the same way, it is possible to render the modifications made to a sound by its surroundings. A stone wall in a haunted manor doesn’t reflect sound in the same way as a metal partition in a spaceship. It’s also possible to filter the sound according to the environment, to restore an open-air sound to the ocean or a dull sound in a small room. Finally, there are morphing effects to make fluid sound transitions and reverb effects to imitate the resonance of closed spaces. The DSP works well with all these hardware functions. This is how Creative explains the interest of these new functions.
EAX Advanced HD, Continued
The Gold Mine demo that comes with the card gives a glimpse of the possibilities, which are impressive. Now it remains to be seen if the game developers will follow the lead. Programming such sophisticated functions, even with a library that is easy to handle, takes a lot of effort, especially in view of the fact that in the end only one range of soundcards will support these capacities. In addition, the card also allows you to play an active game with 3D sound and a Dolby Digital tape simultaneously with the Open AL library.
Existing Games
We have of course also tested the existing games using Direct Sound or EAX 1 and 2. Alice from Electronic Arts, which uses sounds of all standards, is a good test. The card manages all the norms perfectly on five channels, but the Live 5.1 could do that already. There is, however, one small fly in the ointment. By transposing the 3D sound that in this game was initially intended for four channels in this game onto five satellites, the card distorts the sound normally intended for the central satellite, or the voices in films. The positioning of the sounds at the front is thus more precise with the central voice, and more so when the sound from the rear remains on two channels. In practice, however, it is not a problem, because you concentrate more on the sounds coming from the front. Moreover, there is a new bonus for games or old videos in stereo. This is the inclusion of Creative’s CMSS technology. The Audigy card can transpose any audio source, whether mono or stereo, into three dimensions. Although you do not get realistic positioning, you still have the impression of having the sound all around you, which undeniably enhances the sound experience.
A Bonus FireWire Port
The Audigy sound card also has surprises in store in an area one wouldn’t expect. It provides a FireWire port run by the DSP. In the Player / X-Gamer version it is situated on the card, and with the Platinum and Platinum eX versions it is moved to the rack.
The FireWire or 1394 makes it possible to connect peripherals needing rapid data transfer up to 400 Mb/s using plug & play. Peripherals conforming to this standard are plentiful. To mention just a few examples, there are DV digital cameras, hard discs and external writers; but there are lots of others. As the USB 2 is having trouble getting here, the FireWire is indispensable for all high-consumption peripherals. There is another interesting possibility: you can connect up to 63 PCs in a network. In practice, this function will be used to play in networks of two, three or four computers. In other words, with FireWire’s transfer ratio you won’t have any overloading. Creative offers an optional cable for joining two PCs, and you can easily connect a PC equipped with Audigy to one equipped with standard FireWire. Creative rejects its own FireWire standard, which the manufacturer calls SB 1394, but the compatibility of the port seems good. We tried out a Sony digital camera, the DVRP100, a QPS Que ! Fire 16x writer and a QPS Que ! Drive 20 Go hard disc drive, which uses a Western Digital mechanical base.
We carried out file transfers to test the Audigy processor’s ability to handle the data from the FireWire port. With a FireWire card using the Lucent FW323-04 processor, copying 100 Mb onto the disc took 15 seconds. With the Audigy card, the same operation took 22 seconds. So you can’t expect full output from the FireWire using the Creative system. On the other hand, the sound load on the card did not seem to hinder the output, because the time needed only went up to 24 seconds while listening to music coming from a digital source and accompanied by a Concert Hall effect.
CPU Utilization Rate
The utilization rate of the processor is a major preoccupation of amateur players of First Person Shooters. They especially don’t want the sound reproduction slowing down the game. Modern PCI sound cards are not very demanding in this regard, and the Audigy card confirms this tendency. The measurements are close to those obtained with the old Live ! 5.1, with the Audigy having the slight edge. On our test machine, equipped with an AMD Athlon 1.2 GHz processor, a GeForce Pro 3D card and 128 Mb of RAM DDR, the high-quality sound processing in Quake 3 only slowed down the game by about 3%, or around two frames per second.
More objectively, the reproduction of 32, 16-bit, static voices at 44.1 KHz while using Direct Sound 3D uses 2.3% of the CPU resources as against 2.85% with Live ! 5.1, according to Audio Winbench. The Hercules Fortissimo II card, a benchmark in this area, uses 1.13%. In practice, the Direct Sound 3D sound at the best quality available won’t cost you more than one to three frames per second depending on the game and your configuration. The EAX is a bit more demanding, but this varies widely according to the game: normally, between two to six frames per second. At any rate, if you really want to be right on frame, you can always deactivate the 3D sound or the EAX. To sum up: the Audigy is one of the lowest-consumption sound cards on the market, and when put together with a high-performance system, it won’t adversely affect games performance.
Dolby Digital Decoder
Like the earlier Live ! 5.1, the Audigy sound cards are capable of decoding Dolby Digital 5.1. This operation is done at driver level; there isn’t any smart card hardware for the purpose as in an audio/video amplifier. Creative doesn’t provide software for playing DVD, and we used Win DVD 2000 for our tests. We compared the result with a middle-range Home Cinema system made up of a Denon AVC amplifier and Bose Accoustima speakers. To activate the 5.1 on the Audigy, you have to control the decoding in the mixer and leave the DVD player on AC3 passthrough.
As a an adequate source, we chose the films “Toy Story 2” and “Saving Private Ryan”. The sound positioning is excellent, and the dialogues have been well allocated to the central voice. However, the dynamics of the sounds leaves a little to be desired. It is difficult to express objectively what one feels. If the sounds are positioned well, they don’t cross the room. The movement of a bullet fired from a rifle at the back on the left, and which hits metal at the front on the right can be traced with the Home Cinema installation, while with Audigy you can’t identify the origin or the destination.
This is logical enough, as you can’t expect the same result unless as if you were to use an amplifier costing a thousand bucks, but it’s already pretty good. As for the processor utilization rate, on our test computer the decoding takes about 8% more CPU resources while reading. In practice, this is of no importance because in general, you don’t do anything else while watching a film. For a DVD player without graphics assistance, however, you will need a 500 MHz processor at least.
Shock FX
We were surprised by the quality of the effects. The potential of the E-Mu processor can be seen immediately in the clearness of the modeled rooms, in which the sounds spread with precision and regularity. The reverb gives the voices a majestic sound, while the choruses and the flange do a marvelous job on acoustic and electric guitars. Faced with such beauty, it is a little frustrating not to find a single control on the Creative mixing desk for the effects, especially when there is, paradoxically, an extensive range of other parameters. For the first time on a card designed for general use, it is possible to create one’s own effects while controlling each parameter down to the last detail, which gives all the subtleties needed for sound processing. It is the EAX control panel that gives simultaneous access to the two active effects buses under Windows. At the same time you can use reverberation, a chorus and several other effects at choice: Auto Wah, normalizer, distortion, echo, parametric equalizer, flanger, frequency shifter, pitch shifter, ring modulator, vocal morphing. We ended up putting four different effects in a series, counting reverb and chorus; however, it doesn’t seem possible to allocate them to separate inputs/outputs. After editing the parameters, the dosage of each effect is controlled with the original sound, a function that could perhaps be carried out by a MIDI controller. Working on the sound in the effects editor seems to us absolutely necessary if you want to exploit the real potential of this system. We would remind you that these effects are available in real time via the outputs on the sound card, which makes it possible to break away from effects created by software, which are often of lower quality and always slower than a hardware solution using a processor.
For The Musician
For our tests, we chose the benchmark for music on the computer, the Cubase VST software, which is used by a large number of musicians, and the lite version Cubasis VST that comes with the card. There were several reasons for this choice: the Audigy is the first Creative card equipped with real ASIO music drivers while the Cubase editor has had the ASIO standard from the start. The installation of Cubase is no problem. When first started, it proceeds to automatically check its memory plugs (buffers) and detects the card’s inputs/outputs without difficulty at the same time as conducting recording and playback tests: no loss of synch to be detected in the multimedia drivers. After having been sure to put the new ASIO driver in the ad hoc Cubase file, we restart the software. We call up the audio control page and discover a discouraging latency time of 750 milliseconds: the software is cautiously controlled via the card’s multimedia drivers. What does this figure mean? Quite simply that the card needs three-quarters of a second to react to the least demand, an eternity when it’s a matter of playing a virtual synthesizer or listening to an effect on a voice while it’s being recorded. To approach real time, the Creative E -Mu 10K ASIO driver is what you need. It immediately cuts the card’s response time – the famous “latency” – down to a tenth. A turn around Creative ASIO’s control panel makes fine-tuning possible by reducing the latency to two milliseconds. In practice, you simply have to choose a figure of less than ten milliseconds, which is the point at which the ear begins to hear two separate sounds instead of just one. Make sure you don’t choose too high a tuning, because the reduction in the buffers tires out the computer, as one can see on the Cubase CPU indicator. The installation of Cubasis VST is also no problem. Here are the card’s six live stereo inputs.
The first, (AC97) corresponds to that which is selected on the Audigy mixing desk, the second and the third input to the card’s stereo mixing before and after equalization, the fourth to the digital input, the fifth to the mic/line input on the rack, and the sixth to the auxiliary input, which is mostly for CD-ROM players. Now here is the mixing desk of the Cubasis VST that comes with the card. On the right, you will see the separate output busses and in the middle the buttons that automate the mix.
ASIO And Latency
With the Athlon running at 1.2 GHz in our test, you go from 8% to 12% CPU utilization by reducing the latency from 50 ms to 4 ms, a negligible rise in load on a computer like this. Nevertheless, when we “put the screws on” to 2 ms, our computer started to give off an audible crackling, a sign that the machine didn’t have the time to process the information. We advise you to proceed gradually when reducing the buffers, because any time under ten milliseconds is already pretty good, and any listening advantage will be minimal between 4 ms and 2 ms. On the other hand, you have to keep things in context: shortening the latency helps momentarily to succeed with a take using an effect, or to allow the recording of a virtual instrument without lag. But for the rest of the time, a long latency is preferable for to enable you to accommodate a large number of tracks in a song.
At the same time, we see that in ASIO mode the sampling frequency cuts off at 48 KHz, while the MME drivers gave a choice between 11, 22, 44.1 and 48 KHz. This will not lift the spirits of anyone who has to work at 44.1, the standard frequency of audio CD. Let’s hope that all the frequencies are restored when the driver is upgraded. On the other hand, the 16 and 24-bit recording modes are there and they work. But in fact, the card converts from analog to digital in 24-bit, after where is a 16-bit downmix which is finally restored in 24-bit by the software for the outputfile. So, it is not complete 24-bit recording process but the quality is improved compared to standard 16-bit by the use of the better converter. Nevertheless, one should remember that Cubasis limits recording to 16 bits. To get the very best from the card audio-wise, it will be necessary to change versions or use different recording software.
Sampling
The Audigy is, above all, the first Creative soundcard capable of sampling not only at 16 bits at 44.1 KHz, the format on which audio CD is based, but also at higher definition, with 24 bits at 48 KHz. On paper, the dynamic gain is obvious, because the music is digitized using a much finer grid. But even at 24 bits, the quality of an audio file is always dependent on the recording conditions. In practice, the preamplifiers and the converters have a big effect on the quality of sound above 16 bits, and only a 24-bit recording made under studio conditions will get the best from the format. It is obvious that all applications will very soon change to this format to gain in dynamics. But for the moment, the digital inputs on the Audigy card are the most appropriate use for it, while transferring, for example, high-definition files for digital editing on the computer. On the other hand, a mini disc recording at 24 bits, in the 16-bit compressed format, will not achieve anything; indeed, quite on the contrary, it would be necessary to go through an analog step, which would risk adding hiss. The card’s converters can work precisely at 16 bits and at 24 bits, at a great number of frequencies: 11.025, 22.050, 32, 44.1 and 48 KHz in analog, and up to 96 KHz in digital. Our test with Cubase allowed us to check the two resolutions (16 and 24 bits), as well as the first five frequencies, with the appropriate driver. However, 96 Khz does not appear in the software. On the other hand, sending a 24/96 signal via the S/PDIF input did not produce any result with the drivers at our disposal. Moreover, for 96 KHz, Creative only mentions the possibility of a passthrough.
Cubase recognized three types of driver: ASIO Multimedia, ASIO Direct X Full Duplex, and ASIO Emu 10K. Depending on the driver, the card’s response time varies quite a bit, and settles down in each case with a frequency of 44.1 KHz at 750 ms (three quarters of a second, an eternity) 46 ms (much better, but still a little slow) and from 500 ms to 2 ms with the ASIO driver (but only at 48 KHz). The source selection of the audio clock, which has to be switched to the S/PDIF input to allow the acquisition of a digital signal, is not accessible using Cubase. The only reference we found concerns the digital frequency of the output and is controlled using the “Device Control” window of the Audio HQ.
MIDI Instruments
The General MIDI basic set of instruments loaded by the card amounts to 4 Mb and in fact corresponds to a SoundFont bank of the GM standard type. Suffice it to say that we were not seduced by the realism of its instruments; even if the MIDI pianos, basses and guitars are rather good, the strings and the brass have their difficulties, and the drums and percussion are not on best form. However, you can choose the 8-Mb bank provided which already improves the quality of the instruments a little. Even if the sounds turned out to be inadequate for musical use, one shouldn’t forget that quality SoundFont banks exist, some downloadable for free on the Internet, others for money, and that these are a complete match for professional libraries like Akai. What’s more, Creative provides a collection of SoundFonts with the card. If needed, it is thus possible to make up a palette of sampled instruments of irreproachable quality, which Audigy will read without difficulty. The Vienna software that comes with the card ensures the editing of the sound fonts in all their detail. The Audigy also uses the new SoundFonts 2.1 format, which adds the possibility of sound variation in real time.
Conclusion
The Audigy soundcards retain the versatility that has given the brand its reputation, while coming very close to professional audio cards in audio performance. Audiophiles and videophiles will be satisfied with the performance and the software. Gamers have been well provided for, especially if the developers support Advanced HD in the future. The FireWire port is a very useful supplementary present. For these uses, the Player / X-Gamer version at under a $100 really offers unbeatable quality for the money. If you want access to a mini-studio and the comfort of remote control, the Platinum version at just over $200 will be the right luxury for you. But it is the musician who gains the biggest advantage, especially with the Platinum eX version.
