Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum eX, User Manual

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Page 2: ... 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 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 th...

Page 3: ...Contents ...

Page 4: ...ii 1 Installing Hardware What You Need 1 1 Your Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Card 1 2 Your Joystick MIDI Bracket 1 5 Installation Steps 1 6 Step 1 Prepare your computer 1 6 Step 2 Install the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card 1 7 Step 3 Install the Joystick MIDI bracket 1 8 Step 4 Connect cables to Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card 1 9 Step 5 Connect to power outlet 1 10 Connecting Related Peripherals 1 11 Connecti...

Page 5: ... 3 2 Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Feature Showcase Demo 3 2 SoundFont Showcase 3 3 Introduction to the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 software suite 3 3 Creative MediaSource Go 3 3 Creative MediaSource Go Launcher 3 4 Creative MediaSource Player 3 4 What You Hear multichannel recording 3 5 Creative MediaSource Organizer 3 5 Finding and organizing songs 3 5 Keep your music database up to date 3 5 Transferring so...

Page 6: ...Speaker Settings 3 9 Creative Speaker Calibrator 3 10 Creative MiniDisc Center 3 10 Creative SoundFont Bank Manager 3 10 Creative Audio Stream Recorder 2 3 11 Creative Wave Studio 3 11 Diagnostic and troubleshooting utilities 3 12 Creative Diagnostics 3 12 Creative Speaker Settings 3 12 ...

Page 7: ...Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card A 4 Audio Inputs A 4 Audio Outputs A 4 SB1394 FireWire Interfaces A 4 Interfaces A 5 B Troubleshooting and FAQs Problems Installing Software B 1 Problems with Sound B 2 Problems with File Transfers on Some VIA Chipset Motherboards B 6 Insufficient SoundFont Cache B 7 Problems with Joystick B 8 Problems with Multiple Audio Devices B 9 Problems with Sound Blaster Live Ser...

Page 8: ...vii Problems with DV driver for Windows 98 SE 2000 Me XP B 13 Problems in Windows XP B 14 Problems with Digital Audio Devices B 15 ...

Page 9: ...Introduction ...

Page 10: ...ocessor enables awesome EAX ADVANCED HDTM technologies for your gaming and music listening experience The SB1394TM 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 with our rich software package for hou...

Page 11: ... 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...

Page 12: ...s 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 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 comp...

Page 13: ... 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 Getting More Information Refer to the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Getting Started Demo and the various online Help files for detailed information on Creative a...

Page 14: ...d 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 ...

Page 15: ...1 Installing Hardware This chapter tells you how to install the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 hardware ...

Page 16: ...that you have these In addition you will also need an available PCI slot and another adjacent available slot on your computer Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card Joystick MIDI bracket Phillips head screwdriver not included Digital CD audio cable Available on some models of the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card ...

Page 17: ...ent of a wide variety of devices In Analog mode the Line Out Rear Out and Rear Center Out jacks 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 ...

Page 18: ...ts to Rear Left Right Out of powered analog speakers or an external amplifier for audio output 4 Line 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 5 Microphone In jack MIC_IN Connects to an external microphone for voice input 6 Line In jack LIN_IN Connects to an external device such as a cassette ...

Page 19: ...94 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 upgrade op...

Page 20: ... MIDI bracket is used to attach a joystick or MIDI device Available with some models of the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card 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 ...

Page 21: ... PCI slots as shown in Figure 1 3 Put the screws aside for use later Turn off the main power supply and disconnect your computer s power cord Systems using an ATX power supply unit with soft power off may still be powering the PCI slot This can damage your audio card when it is inserted into the slot Remove any existing audio card or disable the onboard audio chipset For more information see Probl...

Page 22: ...the card with one of the screws you had placed aside earlier Do not force the audio card into the slot Make sure that the gold finger PCI connector on the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card is aligned with the PCI bus connector on the motherboard before you insert the card into the PCI expansion slot If it does not fit properly gently remove it and try again Figure 1 4 Securing the audio card to the expa...

Page 23: ... to the Joystick MIDI connector on the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card as shown in Figure 1 5 You may also connect all the cables to the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card first before securing the card and Joystick MIDI bracket in place Available with some models of the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card Do not force any cable into a connector This can cause permanent damage to your hardware Figure 1 5 Securing th...

Page 24: ... ROM drive to the CD_SPDIF connector on the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card as shown in Figure 1 6 If the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card is connected to both the CD_SPDIF and CD Audio connectors on a CD ROM or DVD ROM drive do not enable the CD Audio and CD Digital options at the same time in Creative Surround Mixer Analog and Digital CD audio cables are not needed when CDDA is used The CD_SPDIF connecto...

Page 25: ...r cover 2 Plug the power cord back into the wall outlet and turn on the computer To connect your Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card to other devices see Connecting Related Peripherals on page 1 11 To install drivers and software refer to Installing Drivers and Applications on page 2 1 ...

Page 26: ...ith 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 Click any circled number in the diagram for a description of the item Line out Sound Blaster A...

Page 27: ...ine Out 3 bottom Connects to analog front rear and rear center inputs of 6 channel speakers for example 6 1 Creative or Cambridge SoundWorks analog speaker systems 5 SB1394 FireWire port Connects to all IEEE 1394 compatible devices such as NOMAD digital audio players DV camcorders digital cameras and WebCams 6 Joystick MIDI bracket Connects to a game pad or MIDI device like BlasterKey 7 AD_EXT Con...

Page 28: ... CD audio cable right 9 CD ROM DVD ROM drive Table 2 Description of Connectors and Devices Number Description Available separately Available on some models of the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card Click here or on any description in the table to return to the main diagram ...

Page 29: ...or example Creative Inspire 6 1 Analog Speakers 4 1 or 5 1 Digital Speaker System by Creative or Cambridge SoundWorks Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card Figure 1 8 Connecting Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card to speaker systems Analog 6 1 channel speaker system A Analog Line and Rear Inputs B Digital DIN C Minijack to DIN cable D 6 1 speaker audio cable E Digital Out jack F Line Out top Rear Out middle Rear Ce...

Page 30: ...d rear center channels Dolby Digital Decoder Amplifier Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card Discrete 6 channel Amplifier Speaker System Additional information for advanced users For connection to Center and Subwoofer channels using a 3 5mm stereo to RCA cable or 3 5 mm stereo Audio Video to RCA cable connect the white RCA jack to the Center input and the red RCA jack to the Subwoofer input Figure 1 9 Conne...

Page 31: ...ble 5 Analog Front Rear and Center Subwoofer Inputs 6 Digital Out jack 7 Line Out 1 top Line Out 2 middle Line Out 3 bottom 8 AD_EXT Connects to Audigy 2 Drive upgrade option 9 3 5 mm stereo to RCA plug for 2 channel output such as Front Left and Right channels 10 3 5 mm stereo Audio Video to RCA plug for Center Subwoofer and Rear Center channels Click here or on any description in the table to re...

Page 32: ...ou have a subwoofer place the unit in a corner of the room for the best bass experience Good loudspeaker placement can enhance your movie enjoyment while careless placement can make good audio systems sound bad For detailed loudspeaker placement tips visit the Dolby Laboratories web site at http www dolby com ht co_br_0110_ListenersGuideE X html Figure 1 10 Recommended speaker positions Listener S...

Page 33: ...2 Installing Software This chapter tells you how to install the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 software ...

Page 34: ... enable your CD ROM drive s auto insert notification feature For more details see Problems Installing Software on page B 1 4 Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation 5 When prompted restart your computer To feel the audio card s awesome gaming music reproduction and home studio capabilities install the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Feature Showcase Demo This demo requires high q...

Page 35: ...de outdated drivers or applications The following instructions tell you how to do so in all Windows operating systems Before you begin close all audio card applications Applications that are still running during the uninstallation will not be removed Reinstalling all Audio Drivers and Applications If you think the audio drivers and applications are corrupted you may want to reinstall all of them T...

Page 36: ...ect the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 entry and then click the Add Remove or Change Remove button 5 In the InstallShield Wizard dialog box click the Remove button and then click the Next button 6 Click the Yes button 7 Restart your computer when prompted To uninstall Creative MediaSource and all its components do the following 1 Click Start Settings Control Panel 2 Double click the Add Remove Programs ic...

Page 37: ... Select the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 entry and then click the Add Remove or Change Remove button 5 In the InstallShield Wizard dialog box click the Modify button and then click the Next button 6 Click the check box of the application that you want to uninstall to clear it If you want to install an application click the application check box to select it 7 Click the Next button If prompted insert the...

Page 38: ...eb site link below to download the Windows 2000 Service Pack 2 to enjoy this support and to fix other issues in the Windows 2000 OS http www microsoft com Updating Windows 98 SE Installing Digital Video Update If you have installed DirectX 8 0 or 8 0a run time install the latest update for this application DirectX 8 1 users do not need the update This update provides PAL support and improved devic...

Page 39: ...3Using Audigy 2 Software Find out how the software accompanying your audio card can be used to control and customize the card s features for best performance ...

Page 40: ...e Showcase Demo SoundFont Showcase Introduction to the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 software suite Creative MediaSource Go Creative MediaSource Go Launcher Creative MediaSource Player Creative MediaSource Organizer Creative MediaSource DVD Audio Player Creative EAX Console Creative Surround Mixer Creative Speaker Calibrator Creative Speaker Settings Creative MiniDisc Center Creative SoundFont Bank Manag...

Page 41: ...2 DVD Audio Playback Learn more about this new high resolution music format and experience the difference when a DVD Audio clip is being played EAX ADVANCED HD technologies Experience complex multi environment audio effects as you navigate through a fascinating virtual 3D world Run this demonstration and experience EAX ADVANCED HD technologies such as Environment Panning Environment Reflection and...

Page 42: ...aSource Go Creative MediaSource Go is a convenient launch pad not only for Creative MediaSource s components but also for your own frequently used applications If you have desktop shortcuts for your favorite applications you can place them in one central location Creative MediaSource Go The Creative MediaSource Go button launches Creative MediaSource Go Launcher Creative MediaSource Go floats on y...

Page 43: ... as Getting Started guides Companion Products allows viewing of information on other Creative products and applications For more information and usage details on Creative MediaSource Go Launcher refer to its online Help Creative MediaSource Player Creative MediaSource Player is the only software you will need for music and multimedia entertainment Unlike other media players Creative MediaSource Pl...

Page 44: ...ache With Creative MediaSource Organizer you can find any recording easily no matter where it is stored on your hard disk or external storage devices The following is a list of tasks you can perform with Creative MediaSource Organizer Finding and organizing songs Creative MediaSource Organizer searches your hard disk to compile a database of songs available called a PC Music Library or PCML Once y...

Page 45: ...B per song To reduce storage on your hard disk you can convert tracks from audio CDs into smaller 4 to 5 MB MP3 files Creative MediaSource Organizer s built in Rip Now module lets you easily extract tracks from audio CDs then convert them to MP3 and WMA formats at high resolution bit rates of 320 Kbps and 160 Kbps respectively To eliminate the need for you to manually type the track information of...

Page 46: ...lications These audio effects take your computer beyond home theater quality immersing you in sound so vivid your imagination can almost see it The effects go beyond today s surround sound and 3D positional audio to actually model an environment by taking into account room size acoustic properties reverb echo and many other effects that create a real world experience EAX Console consists of four s...

Page 47: ...es Users can also vary the music s pitch to suit their vocal range CMSS 3D Simulating Surround Sound Creative MultiSpeaker Surround CMSS 3D makes ordinary two channel Left and Right Stereo sound seem to surround you even through only two speakers For users with 5 1 or 6 1 multichannel speaker systems CMSS can also simulate surround sound from ordinary stereo This is useful for watching DVDs and VC...

Page 48: ...ates in two possible modes Click the Basic Mode or Advanced Mode button to switch between the two modes In Basic mode you can mix sounds from various audio input sources when playing or recording control volume bass and treble In Advanced mode you can control balance and vary the loudness ratio between front rear speakers fader control the relative loudness levels between Front Center Rear Center ...

Page 49: ...dFont Bank Manager You can use Creative SoundFont Bank Manager to easily switch between multiple SoundFont banks for performances This module is optimized to let users quickly audition various presets reset MIDI devices or create modify save various SoundFont banks from your computer s RAM Creative SoundFont Bank Manager also switches the Drum Kit on or off at Midi Channel 10 A virtual keyboard is...

Page 50: ... is designed to overcome this problem by letting you record streaming audio onto your hard disk as standard MP3 or WMA files To use ASR2 select from its predefined list of radio stations to listen to You can click the red Record button to start recording music to your hard disk or use the Schedule feature to program the computer to record streaming music unattended You can also use ASR2 to listen ...

Page 51: ...MIDI or CD Audio playback capability recording function and speaker output For more information and usage details on Creative Diagnostics refer to its online Help Creative Speaker Settings This is the main application to use for managing your speakers and troubleshooting problems related to speaker configurations See Creative Speaker Settings on page 3 9 ...

Page 52: ...A General Specifications This section displays the specifications of your Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card and Joystick MIDI bracket ...

Page 53: ... dynamic range Patented 8 point interpolation that reduces distortion to inaudible levels 64 voice hardware wavetable synthesizer Professional quality digital mixing and equalization High Quality Audio Path Mixes analog sources such as CD Audio Line in Auxiliary TAD and PC speaker Microphone in via AC 97 Codec with internal digital sources Playback of 64 audio channels each at an arbitrary sample ...

Page 54: ...l Rights Management technology Selectable 6 channel SPDIF output to matching digital speaker systems Software switching of SPDIF Input to Output bypass to minimize cable connection hassle Low latency multitrack recording with ASIO support Flexible Mixer Control Software playback control of CD Audio Line In Auxiliary TAD PC speaker Microphone In Wave DirectSound device MIDI device and CD Digital CD...

Page 55: ...s output to subwoofer for small satellite speaker systems Crossover bass frequency 10 200 Hz adjustable to standalone subwoofer units for desired bass level Adjustable Center Rear Center and LFE level control Creative Multi Speaker Surround CMSS Multispeaker technology Upmixes mono or stereo sources to 6 1 channels Professional quality panning and mixing algorithm SB1394 FireWire Compatibility Com...

Page 56: ... via 2 pin Molex connector on card Audio Outputs DIGITAL OUT via 4 pole 3 5 mm minijack on rear bracket Three line level analog outputs via 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 Out SB1394 FireWire Inter faces One 2 x 5 pin Internal SB1394 FireWire connector on card One 6 pin SB1394 FireWi...

Page 57: ...General Specifications A 5 Interfaces AD_EXT 2 x 20 pin header for connection to Audigy 2 Drive JOYSTICK 2 x 8 pin header for connection to the Joystick MIDI connector optional attachment ...

Page 58: ...B Troubleshooting and FAQs This section provides solutions to problems you may encounter during installation or normal use ...

Page 59: ...hortcut menu 1 Double click the My Computer icon on your Windows desktop 2 In the My Computer window right click the CD ROM drive icon 3 On the shortcut menu click AutoPlay and follow the instructions on the screen To enable AutoPlay through Auto Insert Notification 1 Click Start Settings Control Panel 2 In the Control Panel window double click the System icon 3 In the System Properties dialog box...

Page 60: ...fect you select No sound from the headphones Check the following The headphones are connected to the Headphones jack In the Speaker Selection tab of Creative Speaker Settings the Headphones option is selected in the Speaker Headphone Selection box In the Basic tab of Creative Surround Mixer the recording source selected is What U Hear Individual analog recording sources are not displayed in Creati...

Page 61: ...s sign on it No sound from the speakers Check the following You have connected your speakers to your card s output You have selected the correct source in the Source panel Creative Surround Mixer If both the above conditions have been met and you still do not get any sound click the red plus sign above the Volume control and check whether the Digital Output Only check box is selected If it is you ...

Page 62: ...layback For Windows 98 SE i Click Start Settings Control Panel ii In the Control Panel dialog box double click the Multimedia icon iii In the Multimedia Properties dialog box click the CD Music tab iv Click the Enable digital CD audio for this CD ROM device check box to select it v Click the OK button For Windows Me i Click Start Settings Control Panel ii In the Control Panel dialog box double cli...

Page 63: ...ck box to select it Panning a source sometimes turns off its sound This occurs when you are in the Digital Output Only mode and the source s left right balance in a software mixer application other than Creative Surround Mixer for example the Windows Volume Control application is at the opposite end compared to the position to which you have panned the source in the Basic tab of Creative Surround ...

Page 64: ...otherboard manual or In Windows i Click Start Settings Control Panel ii Double click the System icon iii Click the Device Manager or Hardware tab iv Click the Systems devices icon v In the list that appears see if the items highlighted in Figure B 1 appear vi If the items appear remove your computer cover and locate the VIA chipset on your motherboard Take note of the safety precautions on page 1 ...

Page 65: ... SoundFont cache Do the following i Click the Bank button The Configure Bank dialog box appears ii Click the Select Bank drop down button and select a bank index iii Highlight the bank and click the Remove button iv Click the OK button to finish configuring your banks Load smaller SoundFont banks instead or add more RAM to your system Do one of the following In the Configure Bank dialog box of Cre...

Page 66: ...0 5 Click the Properties button 6 In the Properties dialog box If you have an Original Configuration Current check box Clear the check box to disable it If you have a Disable In This Hardware Profile check box Make sure that the check box is selected to disable it 7 Click OK to restart Windows and for the change to take effect When the Gameport Joystick interface is disabled the entry in Device Ma...

Page 67: ...mputer may introduce usability issues Alternatively during the installation of your Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card do the following If your computer detects an installed Sound Blaster Live Series or Sound Blaster PCI512 audio card a message box recommending that you completely uninstall and remove the older audio device will appear Click the Yes button and follow the instructions on the screen to com...

Page 68: ... Sound Blaster Live or Sound Blaster PCI512 applications are not working Other than normal playback and recording functions older audio devices may not work well when Sound Blaster Audigy 2 is installed To solve this problem Uninstall and remove the older card from the computer Otherwise you can choose to disable the Sound Blaster Live or Sound Blaster PCI512 card 1 Click Start Settings Control Pa...

Page 69: ...SE Me If you still do not know which card is causing the conflict remove all cards except the audio card and other essential cards for example disk controller and graphics cards Add each card back until Device Manager indicates that a conflict has occurred To resolve hardware conflicts in Windows 98 SE Me 1 Click Start Settings Control Panel 2 In the Control Panel window double click the System ic...

Page 70: ... Click the Players tab 4 Select the DVD Disc entry and then click the Select Player button 5 In the Players Properties dialog box click the Browse button 6 Locate and select D Program Files Creative PC DVD Encore where D represents your CD ROM drive and double click the entry ctdvdply The Name box now displays the entry ctdvdply 7 Click the OK button twice Problems with Software DVD Player Changin...

Page 71: ...rder driver may not be fully optimized for your DV camcorder To solve this problem 1 Turn on your DV camcorder 2 Insert the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Installation and Applications CD into your CD ROM drive Exit from the welcome screen 3 Using Windows Explorer locate the 1394 folder in the CD ROM and run the DVConnect 240 exe file Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the setup If you are ...

Page 72: ... driver is not submitted or does not qualify for Microsoft certification a warning message similar to the one below appears You may see the message when you install hardware drivers from companies other than Creative If you do you may choose to click the Continue Anyway button Device drivers not signed by Microsoft may be used in Windows XP and need not impair or destabilize your computer Should y...

Page 73: ...Popping noises is heard during playback Check that the DMA feature is selected for all drives To solve this problem For Windows 98 SE and Windows Me 1 Click Start Settings Control Panel 2 In the Control Panel dialog box double click the System icon 3 In the System Properties dialog box click the Device Manager tab 4 Double click the Disk drives icon Your computer drives will appear 5 Double click ...

Page 74: ...ows XP 1 Click Start Settings Control Panel 2 In the Control Panel dialog box double click the System icon 3 In the System Properties dialog box click the Hardware tab 4 Click the Device Manager button 5 Double click the ATA ATAPI IDE Controllers icon Your IDE channels will appear 6 Right click the Primary IDE Channel icon 7 Click Properties 8 In the Properties dialog box click the Advanced Settin...