Creative Sound Blaster User Manual
User’s Guide
Creative Sound Blaster Live!
Creative Audio Software
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 © 1998-2003 Creative Technology Ltd. All rights reserved.
Version 1.5
September 2003
Sound Blaster and Blaster are registered trademarks, and the Sound Blaster Live! logo, the Sound Blaster PCI logo, EAX and Crea ti v e Multi Speak er Surround 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 SoundW orks, Micr oWorks and PC Works are re gistered trademarks , and PC Works Fo urPointSurround is a tr ademark of Cambridge Soun dWorks, Inc..
Microsoft, MS-DOS, and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratories. “Dolby”, “Pro
Logic” and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. Confidential unpublished works. Copyright 1992-1997 Dolby Laboratories. All rights
reserved. 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; 5,0 13,105; 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; 5,7 48,747; 5,763,800; 5,790,837.
Contents
Introduction
System Requirements...................................................................................................ii
Sound Blaster Live! card..................................................................................ii
Games and DVD viewing................................................................................ii
Getting More Information............................................................................................ii
Document Conventions.............................................................................................. iii
1 Installing Hardware
What You Need..................................................................................................................... 1-1
Your Sound Blaster Liv e! Card............................................................................................ 1-2
Step 1: Prepare your computer............................................................................................. 1-3
Step 2: Install the Sound Blaster Live! card.........................................................................1-4
Step 3: Install the CD-ROM/DVD-R OM dri v e................................................................... 1-5
Step 4: Connect to power supply.......................................................................................... 1-6
Enabling CDDA.................................................................................................................... 1-6
Connecting Related Peripherals........................................................................................... 1-8
Connecting Speaker Systems............................................................................................... 1-9
Connecting external consumer electronic devices.............................................................1-10
Positioning Your Speakers.................................................................................................. 1-11
2 Installing Software
Installing Drivers and Applications...................................................................................... 2-1
3 Using Sound Blaster Live!
Creative Software.................................................................................................................. 3-1
Creative Surround Mixer...................................................................................................... 3-2
Creative AudioHQ................................................................................................................3-2
Creative Diagnostics............................................................................................................. 3-3
SoundFont Control....................................................................................................3-3
Creative Ke yboard....................................................................................................3-3
EAX Control............................................................................................................. 3-3
Creative Wave Studio............................................................................................................3-4
Creative PlayCenter.............................................................................................................. 3-4
Creative Recorder.................................................................................................................. 3-4
A General Specifications
Features................................................................................................................................. A-1
PCI Bus Mastering................................................................................................... A-1
EMU10K1................................................................................................................ A-1
Stereo Digitized Voice Channel.............................................................................. A-1
AC ’97 Codec Mixer............................................................................................... A-2
Volume Control........................................................................................................ A-2
Dolby Digital (AC-3) Decoding .............................................................................. A-2
Creative Multi Speaker Surround (CMSS) .............................................................A-2
Connectivity......................................................................................................................... A-3
Audio Inputs............................................................................................................. A-3
Audio Outputs.......................................................................................................... A-3
Interfaces.................................................................................................................. A-3
B Troubleshooting
Problems Installing Software................................................................................................B-1
Sound.....................................................................................................................................B-2
Problems with File Transfers on Some VIA Chipset Motherboards..................................B-5
Insufficient SoundFont Cache..............................................................................................B-6
Joystick..................................................................................................................................B-6
I/O Conflicts..........................................................................................................................B-7
Problems in Windows XP.....................................................................................................B-8
Introduction
Sound Blaster Live! is an audio solution for games, movies, CDs, MP3 music, and Internet
entertainment. With its support for today’s leading audio standard—EAX—Sound Blaster
Live! creates real-life, multi-dimensional sound and multi-textured acoustical environments for
the most realistic 3D audio experience. Its powerful EMU10K1 audio processor delivers audio
at optimum CPU performance with the highest fidelity and absolute clarity. Combine it with a
four- or five-speaker setup and you’ll experience realistic 3D audio, EAX in supported games,
and enjoy your movies with true surround sound.
Introduction i
System Requirements
Sound Blaster Live! card ❑ Genuine Intel
❑ Intel, AMD or 100%-Intel compatible motherboard chipset
❑ Windows 98 Second Edition (SE), Windows Millennium Edition (Me), Windows 2000 or
Windows XP
❑ 64 MB RAM for Windows 98 SE/Me
128 MB RAM for Windows 2000/XP
❑ 600 MB of free hard disk space
❑ Available PCI 2.1 compliant slot for the Sound Blaster Live! card
❑ Headphones or amplified speakers (available separately)
❑ CD-ROM drive installed
®
Pentium® II 350 MHz, AMD® K6 450 MHz or faster class processor
Games and DVD viewing ❑ Genuine Intel Pentium II 350 MHz, MMX or AMD 450 MHz processor/3Dnow!
❑ Games: 128 MB RAM recommended, 3D graphics accelerator with at least 8 MB of texture
RAM, available 300–500 MB of free hard disk space
❑ DVD: A second generation or later DVD-ROM drive with these recommended soft-DVD
players: InterVideo’s WinDVD2000 or CyberLink’s PowerDVD 3.0 or later
Sound Blaster Live! estimates the hard disk space required when you select it during
installation. Other applications may have higher system requirements or may require a
microphone. Refer to the individual application’s online Help for details.
Getting More Information
See the online User’s Guide for MIDI specifications and connector pin assignments, as well as
instructions on using the various applications in your audio package.
Visit http://www.creative.com for the latest drivers, applications and FAQs.
Introduction ii
Document Conventions
This manual uses the following conventions to help you locate and identify the information that
you need.
T able i: Document conventions .
Text Element Use
This notepad icon indicates information that is of particular importance
and should be considered before continuing.
This alarm clock icon indicates that failure to adhere to directions may
result in loss of data or damage to your system.
The warning sign indicates that failure to adhere to directions may result
in bodily harm or life-threatening situations.
Introduction iii
Installing Hardware
1
What You Need
Appearance may differ
depending on model and region
of purchase.
Some connectors shown here
may only be available with
certain cards.
Before you begin installation, be sure that you have these:
Sound Blaster Live! card
*Available with some models of Sound Blaster Live! card.
MPC-to-MPC (4-pin) Analog CD audio cable*
MPC-to-MPC (2-pin)
Digital CD audio cable*
Phillips Screwdriver (not included)
Installing Hardware 1-1
Your Sound Blaster Live! Card
Appearance may differ
depending on model and region
of purchase.
Some connectors shown here
may only be available with
certain cards.
Your audio card has these connectors which allow you to attach other devices:
AUX/CD In connector (AUX_IN)
Connects to internal audio sources such as
TV Tuner, MPEG, or other similar cards.
Telephone Answering Device connector (TAD)
Provides a mono connection from a standard voice
modem, and transmits microphone signals to the
modem.
† Analog/Digital Out connector
6-channel or compressed AC-3
SPDIF output for connection to
external digital devices or digital
speaker systems.
Also supports Center and Subwoofer
(LFE) analog channels for
connection to 5.1 analog speaker
systems.
Line In connector (LIN_IN)
Connects to an external device
(such as a cassette, DAT or MiniDisc
player).
Microphone In connector (MIC_IN)
Connects to an external microphone
for voice input.
Line Out connector (LIN_OUT1)
Connects to powered speak ers or an
external amplifier for audio output.
Supports headphones. In analog
mode, used for 4.1 channel speaker
systems.
Rear Out connector (LIN_OUT2)
Connects to powered speakers or an
external amplifier for audio output. In
analog mode, used for 4.1 channel
speaker systems.
MIDI/Joystick connector
Connects to a joystick or MIDI device,
for example, MIDI keyboard
CD SPDIF connector (CD_SPDIF)
Connects to the SPDIF (Digital Audio)
output (where available) on a CD-ROM or
DVD-ROM drive.
† On some cards, this is the Digital Out
connector, which connects to digital devices
via a Digital Output module (available
separately), or to digital speaker systems
like Creative Inspire™ 5.1 Digital 5700.
Figure 1-1: Connectors on the Sound Blaster Live! card.
Installing Hardware 1-2
Step 1: Prepare your computer
Turn off the main power supply
and disconnect your computer’s
power cord. Systems using an
A TX po wer 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.
Refer to the manufacturer’s
documentation for details.
1. Turn off your computer and all peripheral devices.
2. Touch a metal plate on your computer to ground yourself and to discharge any static
electricity, and then unplug the power cord from the wall outlet.
3. Remove the computer cover.
4. Remove the metal bracket from an unused PCI slot as shown in Figure 1-2.
metal bracket
PCI slot
ISA slot
Figure 1-2: Removing a metal bracket.
Installing Hardware 1-3
Step 2: Install the
Sound Blaster Live!
1. Align the Sound Blaster Live! card with the PCI slot and press the card gently but firmly into
the slot as shown in Figure 1-3.
card
Do not force the audio card into
the slot. Make sure that the gold
connectors on the Sound Blaster
Live! card are 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, or try
the card in a different PCI slot
.
2
Unused brackets
1
PCI slot
ISA slot
Figure 1-3: Aligning the card against the slot.
2. Secure the Sound Blaster Live! card.
Installing Hardware 1-4
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