Creative SB1358, SB1356, SB1354, SB1350 QUICK START GUIDE

Introduction

Congratulations on your purchase of Creative’s latest audio revolution, Sound Blaster® Recon3D PCIe! With cutting edge technology from the leaders in PC audio, Sound Blaster Recon3D PCIe will give you years of reliable entertainment on your PCI Express (PCIe

This User's Guide contains software installation and usage infor mation for your audio card.

System Requirements

Minimum Requirements

❑ Intel® CoreTM2 Duo or AMD® processor equ ivale n t (C oreTM2 2.0 GHz, AMD processor equivalent

or faster recommended)

❑ Intel or AMD compatible motherboard ❑ Microsoft

❑ 1 GB RAM ❑ >600 MB of free hard disk space ❑ Available PCI Express slot* ❑ CD or DVD drive for software installation ❑ High quality headphones or powered amplified speakers (available separ a tely)

Additional Requirements (where applicable)

Windows® 7 64-bit, Windows 7 32-bit

) enabled personal computer.

DVD-Video

❑ 6x or faster DVD drive ❑ DVD player software such as InterVideo

recommended) installed

❑ 5.1 speakers for optimal listening experience

Notes

• *Some motherboards reserve the PCI Express x16 slots for video cards only. Use a x1 or x4 slot instead. For more information, consult the documentation of your motherboard.

• Other applications may have higher system requirements. For more information, consult the documentation of your application.

WinDVD® or CyberLink® PowerDVD® (latest version

Introduction 1

More Help

For the latest news and products fo r Sound Blaster, visit www.soundblaster.com. The site also includes information on making purchases, technical help, and the latest driver updates.

Using Creative Software AutoUpdate

Locating, downloading, and installing updates for your Creative products is no w simpler and faster with the web-based Creative Software AutoUpdate system.

When you connect to Creative Software AutoUpdate via the Internet, the web site will analyze your computer system to determine what operating system (OS), language, and Creative products are installed in your system.

After the online analysis, you will be able to selec t from a list of only the mos t relev ant softwar e and driver updates. The files will then be ret rieved and installed on your system for you.

To learn more about Creative Software AutoUpdate, visit www.soundblaster.com/support.

Notes

• First-time users of Cre ative Software Au toUpdate may be pr ompted to authori ze the do wnload of a browser component required for system inspection. Ensure that the content is signed by Creative Labs, Inc., then click the Yes button.

• Ensure that all your Creative products are connected and installed on the same comp uter running Creative Software AutoUpdate.

Introduction 2

About Your Hardware

For instructions on instal ling your Sound Blaster Recon3D PCIe, and any additional accessories, consult the Quick Start leaflet.

To learn more about your product, consult the following sections:

❑ Your Sound Blaster Recon3D PCIe Audio Card ❑ Your Sound Blaster I/O Drive*

Notes

• *Available for selec ted models of your audio device in some regions.

• Actual products may differ slightly from those shown in this ch apter.

Your Sound Blaster Recon3D PCIe Audio Card

Your Sound Blaster Recon3D PCIe audio card has the jacks and connectors below to enable the attachment of a wide variety of devices.

About Your Hardware 3

SB1350:

SB1354

SB1356:

About Your Hardware 4

SB1358:

Jack or Connector Description

1. Optical S/PDIF In jack

Optical S/PDIF Out

2. jack

Connects to playback devices with optical connectors (for example, Digital Audio T ape players, MiniDisc players or DVD players).

Connects to recording devices with optical connectors (for exampl e, Digital Audio Tape recorders, MiniDisc recorders or external hard disk recorders).

3. Line Out 3 jac k

4. Line Out 2 jac k

5. Line Out 1 jac k

6. Headphone jack

Line In/Microphone In

7. jack

Front Panel Header

8. Audio connector

Creative proprietary

9. AND_EXT connector

10.

Creative proprietary DID_EXT connector

Connects to the Front Center and Subwoofer inputs on powered analog speakers or an A/V receiver.

Connects to the Rear Left and Rear Right inputs on powered analog speakers or an A/V receiver.

Connects to the Front Left and Front Right inputs on powered analog speakers or an A/V receiver.

Connects to stereo headphones with a 3.50 mm (1/ 8-inch) plug.

Connects to line-level sources (for example, MP3 players) or microphones with a 3.50 mm (1/8-inch) plug.

Connects to one end of the Intel Front Panel Audio cable (available separately). See F r ont Panel Header Audio Connector for specifications.

Connects to one en d of the analog cable. Con nect the other end to the

on the Sound Blaster I/O D rive

AND_EXT connector

Connects to one end of the digital cable. Connect the other end to the DID_EXT connector on

the Sound Blaster I/O Drive

About Your Hardware 5

Your Sound Blaster I/O Drive*

Your Sound Blaster I/O Drive connects with your Sound Blaster Recon3D Fatal1ty Champion audio card, and provides additional connectivity for a number of other devices.

Front:

Back:

5 6 7 8432

11109

About Your Hardware 6

Jack, Connector,

Knob or Button

Description

1. Auxiliary Line In jacks

THX Trustudio Pro LE D

2. button

3. Headphones but ton Turns on the headphone as output device.

4. Speakers button Turns on the speakers as output device.

5. Master Volume knob

6. Headphone jack

7. Microphone In jack

8. Microphone Volume knob

Creative prop r ietary

9. AND_EXT connector

Connects to playback devices using an RCA cable.

Indicates the current mode T HX T rustudio mode.

Controls the volume output on your headphone or headset. Turn the knob clockwise to increase the volume and anti-clockwise to decrease the volume.

Connects to stereo h eadpho nes wi th a 3.50 mm (1/8-inch) plug or the headphone plug of your headset.

Connects to microphones with a 3.50 mm (1/8inch) plug or the microphone plug of your headset.

Controls the microphone gain. Turn the knob clockwise to increase the microphone gain and anti-clockwise to decrease the microphone gain.

Connects to one end of the analog cable. Connect the other end to the

AND_EXT connector on the Sound Blaster Recon3D Fatal1 ty Champion audio ca rd

10.

11.

Creative prop r ietary AUX_EXT connector

Creative prop r ietary DID_EXT connector

Connects to the au xiliary cable on the 5

drive bay adapter.

Connects to one end of the digital cable. Connect the other end to the

DID_EXT connector on the Sound Blaster Recon3D Fatal1 ty Champion audio ca rd

¼-inch

Notes

• *Available for selec ted models of your audio device in some regions.

• Yo ur Sound Blas ter I/O Driv e comes attached to a 5¼-inc h drive bay adapter. For instructions on removing the drive bay adapter and installing into a 3½-inch drive bay, consult your Quick Start leaflet.

• Not compatible with the PCI Sound Blaster series of audio cards.

About Your Hardware 7

Installing and Uninstalling Software

To take full advantage of your Sound Blaster Recon3D PCIe audio card, you need to install device drivers and applications. At times, you may also need to uninstall some or all of the device drivers and applications to correct problems , change configurations, or to upgrade outdated drivers or applications. To learn how to do so in all supported Windows operating systems, consult the following sections:

❑ Installing Drivers and Applications ❑ Uninstalling Drivers and Applications

Installing Drivers and Applications

Ensure that your audio card is installed before proceeding. For instructions on installing yo ur audi o card, c onsult yo ur Quic k Start leaflet.

After you have installed your audio card, turn on your computer. Windows automatically detects your audio card and searches for device drivers.

For Windows 7

1. Insert the Installation CD into your CD or DVD drive. Your CD should start automatically. If it does not, follow the steps below: i. Click Start ii. Right-click the CD or DVD drive icon, and then click

2. To complete the installation, follow the instructions on the screen.

3. When prompted, restart your computer.

Computer.

Open AutoPlay.

Uninstalling Drivers and Applications

Before you begin, close all running audio applications. Applications that are still running duri ng uni nstalla tion wi ll no t be re moved.

For Windows 7

1. Click Start Control Panel Uninstall a program.

2. Select the

3. Click the Uninstall button. If the

4. Click the Yes button.

5. When prompted, restart your computer.

After you have completed the steps abo ve, you can inst all the original or updated devic e drivers and applications for Sound Blaster Recon3D PCIe. F or instruc tions on installing the software, consult Installing Drivers and Applications.

Sound Blaster Recon3D PCIe entry.

User Account Control dialog box appears, click the Continue button.

Installing and Uninstalling Software 7

Connecting Speakers and Headphones

The connectors and associated components shown here may be different from that of your speaker system. Consult the documentation of your speak er system to identify s imilar input conn ectors. You can upmix your stereo sources (for example, CD Audio, MP3, WMA, MIDI, and Wave) to enjoy multichannel sound on your speakers or headphones .

To learn how to connect different t ypes of s peak er s yste ms to you r audio c ard, c onsult th e fol lowin g sections:

❑ Connecting Analog Speaker Systems ❑ Connecting Digital Speaker Systems ❑ Connecting Home Theat e r Syste m s ❑ Connecting Headphones and Headsets

For tips on how to arrange your speakers, consult Positioning Your Speakers. For a list of supported Creative speaker systems or interactive help on speaker connectivity, visit

www.soundblaster.com. Notes

• Actual products may differ slightly from those shown in this ch apter.

• Select the correct speaker setup or headphone option in Sound Blaster Recon3D PCIe Control Panel, to get the best experience. For more information, ref er to their respective online Help.

• The cables shown in this c hapter may be bundled with yo ur peripher al or are a v ailable separ ately from www.creative.com.

• For more information on the Creative peripherals mentioned in this chapter, visit

www.creative.com.

Connecting Speakers and He a dp h on es 8

Positioning Your Speakers

Good speaker placement is crucial t o getting optimal performance from your audio system and achieving an en h a nc ed l is t en i ng experience. Bel o w ar e ou r rec om m e n dat i o n for 5.1 channel speakers.

For detailed speaker placement tips, consult the documentation of your speaker system.

For 5.1 channel speakers:

2 4

Speaker componen t

1. Subwoofer

2. Front Left

3. Front Center

4. Front Right

5. Rear Right

6. Rear Left

Connecting Speakers and Headphones 9

Connecting Analog Speaker Systems

Your audio card supports analog speaker systems of up to 5.1 channels. To learn more about connecting different channel speaker systems, consult the following sections:

❑ 2.1 channel analog speakers ❑ 5.1 channel analog speakers

2.1 channel analog speakers

audio

inputs

audio inputs

speakers

Jack, Connector or Cable

1. Line Out 1 jack

2. 2 channel audio cable (available separately)

3. Audio In put jack

Connecting Speakers and Headphones 10

5.1 channel analog speakers

6 57

audio

inputs

front rear center/

front

speakers

center

speaker

rear

speakers

audio inputs

front rear center/

subwoofer

Jack, Connector or Cable

1. Line Out 3 jack

2. Line Out 2 jack

3. Line Out 1 jack

4. 5.1 channel audio cable (available separately)

5. Center/Subwoofer (Audio Input) jack

6. Front (Audio Input) jack

7. Rear (Audio Input) jack

Connecting Speakers and Headphones 11

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