Creative Sound Blaster Live User Manual

User’s Guide

Creative Sound Blaster Live! Digital Entertainment 5.1

Creative Audio Software

Information in this document i s s ubject to change wi thout notice an d does not represent a commitment on the par t of Creative Technology Ltd. No part of this manual may be r ep rodu ced or tr ansmit ted i n any f orm or b y any m eans , el ectroni c or mech anical , i nclud ing ph ot ocopy i ng and r ec ording , fo r any pu r pose witho ut 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 t he software on an y other medium except as specifically allowed in the license agr eement. The licensee may make one copy of t he s of tware for backup purposes.

Octo be r 2000 Sound Bla s ter and Blaster are registered trademarks, and the Sound Bl as ter Live ! logo, the Sound Blast er PCI logo, EMU10K1, Environment al Audio, Creative

Multi Speak er Surrou nd, and LAVA! are tra demark s of Crea ti v e Technolog y Ltd . in the Uni ted St ates an d/or other count ri es. E-Mu and So undF ont are re gi st ered trademarks of E-mu Systems, Inc.. SoundWorks is a registered trademark, and Micr oWorks, PCW or ks and FourPoi ntSurround are trademarks of Cambridge SoundW ork s, Inc .. Microso ft, MS -DOS, and W indo ws are re gist ered trade marks of Mi crosof t Corporat ion. Man ufac tured under license f rom Dolb y Labora tor ies. Dolby , A C-3, Pro Log ic and the dou bl e-D sym bol are trad emar ks of Dol b y Laborat ori es. © 2000 Dolby L abora to ries . All rig hts res erved. All other products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

This product is c overed by one or more of the fol lowing U.S. patents:

4,506,579; 4,699 ,038; 4,987,600; 5,013,105; 5,072,645; 5,111,727; 5,144,676; 5,170 ,369; 5,248,845; 5,298,671; 5,303,309; 5,317,104; 5,342,990; 5,430 ,244; 5,524,074; 5,698 ,803; 5,698,807; 5,748,747; 5,763,800; 5,790,837.

Creative End-Us er Software License Agreem ent

PLEASE READ THIS DOCUMENT CAREFULLY BEFORE INSTALLING THE SOF TWARE. BY INSTALLING AND USING THE SOFTWARE, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT. IF YOU DO NOT AGRE E TO T HE TERMS OF THIS AG REEMENT, DO NOT INSTAL L OR USE THE SOFTWARE. PROMPTLY RETURN, WITHIN 15 DAYS, THE SOFTWARE, ALL RELATED DOCUMENTATION AND ACCOMPANYING ITEMS TO THE PLACE OF ACQUISITION FOR A FULL REFUND.

This is a legal agreement between you and

Technology Ltd .

This Agreement st ates the terms and co nditions upon which Creative offers to license the software sealed in the disk pac k age toge ther w ith all rela ted documentation and accomp anying items including, but not limited to, the executable programs, drivers, libraries and data file s as s ociated with such programs (collectively, the “Software” ) .

LICENSE

Grant of License

The Software is licensed, not sold, to you for use only under the terms of thi s Agr eement. You own the disk or other media on which the Software is origina ll y or subsequently recorded or fixed; but, as between you and Creative (and, to the extent applicable, its licensors), Creative retains all title to and ownership of the Software and reserves all rights not express ly granted to you .

For Use on a Sin gle Computer

The Software may be used only on a single computer b y a single user at any ti me. You may transfer the machine-readable por tion of the Software f rom one comput er to anot her compu ter , provid ed that (a) the Soft w a r e (including any portion or copy thereof) is erased from the first computer and (b) there is no possibility that the Software will be used on more than one computer at a time.

Stand-Alone Basis

You may use the Software only on a st and-alone basis, such that the Software and the functions it

and its subsidiaries (“Creative”).

Creative

Version 2.4, June 2000

provides are accessible only to persons who are physicall y presen t at the lo catio n of the comp uter on which the Software is loaded. You may not allow the Software or its functions to be accessed remotely, or transmit all or any portion of the Softwar e thr ough an y net wo rk or com muni cat ion line.

The So f t ware is own e d by Cr e a t ive and/o r its licensees and is pr otected by U nited States copyright laws and international treaty provisions. You may not remove the copyright notice from any copy of t he Software or any copy of the written materials, if any, accompanying the Software.

One Archival Cop y

You may make one (1) archival copy of the machine-readable portion of the Software fo r backup purp oses only in s upport of yo ur use o f the Softwar e on a single comput er, provided that you reproduce on the copy all copyright and other proprietary rights notices included on the originals of the Software.

No Merger or Integration

You may not merge any por ti on of the Software into, or in te gra te a ny po rti on of th e So ftw are w ith , any other program, except to the extent expressly permitted by the laws o f the jurisdictio n where you are located. Any portion of the Software merged in to or integra ted with another program , if any, will continue to be subjec t to the term s and condition s of this Agreement, and you must reproduce on the mer ged or integrated p ortion all

Network Version

If you have pur chas ed a “network” version of th e Software, this Agreement applies to the installa tion of the Software on a singl e “file serve r”. It may not be cop ied onto multiple systems. Each “node” connected to the “file server” must also have its o w n license of a “node copy” of the Soft w are, which becomes a license only for that sp ecific “node” .

Transfer of Licen s e

You may tran s f er your license of the S of tware, provid ed that (a) you transfer all portions of the Software or copies thereof, (b) you do not retain any port ion of t he Softwar e or any copy thereo f , and (c) the tran sferee rea ds and agrees to be bo und by the terms and conditions of this Agreement.

Limitat ion s o n Usin g, Copy in g, a nd Mod i fyin g the Software

Except to the extent expr es sly perm it te d by this Agr e ement or by the law s of the juris diction where you acquired the Software, you may not use, copy or modify the Software. Nor may you sub-license any of your rights under this Agreement. You may use the softwa re for your personal use o nly, and not for publ ic pe rfo rmanc e or for the creation of pub lic ly disp laye d videotapes.

10.

Decompiling, Disassembling, or Reverse

Engineering

Y ou acknowl edge that the Soft ware cont ains trad e

secrets an d other proprietary infor m ation of Creativ e and its licensors. Except to the extent expres s ly perm i t t e d by this Agr e e ment or by t h e laws of t he juri sdicti on where you are located, you may not decompile, disasse mble or otherwis e revers e engineer the Software, or engage in any other activities to obta in unde rl yin g infor ma tio n that is not visible to the user in connection with normal use of th e Sof tware.

In particul ar, you agree not for any pur pose to transmit the Software or display the Software's object code on any computer screen or to make any hardcopy memory dumps of the Softwar e's object code. If you believe you re quire informatio n rel a ted to the intero pe ra bility of the Software with other programs, you shall not decompile or disassembl e the Software to obtain such informat ion, and you agree to request such information from Creative at the address listed below. Upon receiving such a request, Creat ive shall determine whether you require such informat io n for a legitim a te purpo se a nd, if so, Creative will provide such info rm atio n to you within a reasonable time and on reasonable conditions. In any event, you wil l notify Creative of any info r m ation de r ived from r eve r s e e ngine er ing or such other activities, and the results thereof will constitute the confidential information of Creative that may be used only in connection with the Software.

For Software With CDDB Features

11. This package includes applications which may contain software from CDDB, Inc.of Berkeley California ("CDDB"). The software from CDDB (the "CDDB Cl ient") enables the applicatio n to do onlin e dis c ident ifi cati on and ob tain musi c-rela ted information, including name, artist, track and title information ("CDDB Data") from online servers

("CDDB Servers") and to perform other functions . Yo u agree that you will use CDDB Data, the CDDB Client and CDDB Servers for your own personal no n-comme rc ial us e onl y . You agree not to assign, copy, transfer or transmit the CDDB Client or any CDDB Data to any third party. YOU AGREE NOT TO USE OR EXPLOIT CDDB DATA, THE CDDB CLIENT,OR CDDB SERVERS,EXCEPT AS EXPRES SLY PERMITTED HEREIN. You agree that your non-exclusiv e license to use the CDDB Data, the CDDB Client and CDDB Servers will terminate if you violate these restrictions. If your license terminat es , you agree to cease any and all use of the CDDB Data, the CDDB Client and CDDB Servers. CDDB reserves all rights in CDDB Data, the CDDB Client and the CDD B Se rvers , inclu d in g all owner s hi p r i g hts. Y o u agree that CDD B, Inc. may enf orc e its rig hts under this Agreement again st you directl y in its own name. The CDDB Client and each item of CDDB Data are licensed to yo u "A S IS." CDDB makes no representations or warranties, express or implied, regarding the accu racy of any CDD B Data fro m in the CDDB Servers. CDDB r es er ves the right to delete data from the CDDB Servers or to change data categories for any caus e that CDDB deems sufficient. No warranty is made that the CDDB Client or CDDB Servers are error-free or that functioning of CDDB Client or CDDB Servers will be uninterrupted. CDDB is not obligated to provide you w ith any ne w enhan ced or add i tional data types or categories that CDDB may chose to provide in the future. CDDB DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES

OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. CDDB does not warrant the results t hat will be obtained by your use of the CDDB Client or any CDDB Server. IN NO CASE WILL CDDB BE LIABLE FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTIAL DAMAGES OR FOR ANY LOST PROFITS, OR LOST REVENUES.

TERMINATION

The license granted to you is effective until terminate d. You may terminate it at any time by returning the Software (inclu ding any portions or copies thereof) to Creative. The license will also terminate automa tic ally without any notice from Creative if you fail to comply with any term or conditi on of this Agreement. You agree upon such terminatio n to return th e Softw ar e (inc lu di ng any porti o n s or co pies th ereof ) t o C r e a t ive. Upon term ination, Cre a t ive may al s o en f orce a ny r ights provid ed by law. The provisions of thi s Ag reement that protect the proprietary rights of Creative will continue in forc e afte r termin a tio n .

LIMITED WARRANTY

Creative warrants, as the sole warranty, that the disks on which the Software is furnished will be free of defects, as set forth in the Warranty Card or printed manual included wit h the Software. No distributor, dealer or an y other entity or person is authorised to expand or alter this warranty or any other provisions of this Agreement. Any representation, other than the warranties set forth in this Agreement, will not bind Creative.

Creati ve does not warrant that the functions contained in the Software w ill meet your requirements or that the operation of the Software will be uninterrupted, error-free or free from malicious code. For purposes of t his paragra ph, “malicious code” means any progr am code designed

to contamin ate other comput er programs or computer data, consume computer resources, modify, destr oy, record, or transmit data, or i n so me other fashion usurp the normal operat ion of the computer, computer s ys tem, or computer network, includi ng viruses, Trojan horses, droppers, worms, logic bombs, and the like.

ABOVE IN THIS AGREEMENT, THE SOFTWARE IS PRO VIDED AS-IS WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTAB ILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. CREATIVE IS NOT OBLIGATED TO PROVIDE ANY UPDATES, UPGRADES OR TECHNICAL SUPPORT FOR THE SOFTWARE.

Further , Cr eati ve sh al l not be l iabl e for t he accu racy of any information provided by Creative or third party technical support personnel, or any damages caused, eith er dir ectly or indi rectly, by acts taken or omission s made b y you as a resul t of suc h tec hnical support.

You assume full responsibility for the selection of the Software to achieve your intended results, and for the installation, use and results obtained from the Software. You also assume the entire risk as it applies to the quality and perfor mance of the Software. Should the Software prove defective, you (and not Creative, or its distributors or dealers) assume the enti r e cost of all necessary ser vi cing, repair or correction.

This warra nty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary fro m country/state to country/state. Some countries/states do not allo w the e xclu sio n of im plie d war ranti es, so the above exclusion may not apply to you. Creative disclaims all warran tie s of any kind if the Softwar e

EXCEPT AS STATED

was customised, repackaged or altered in any way by any third party other t han C reative.

LIMIT ATION OF REMEDIES AND DAMAGES THE ONLY REMEDY FOR BREACH OF WARRANTY WILL BE THAT SET FORTH IN THE WARRANTY CARD OR PRINTED MANUAL INCLUDED WITH THE SOFTWARE. IN NO EVENT WILL CREATIVE OR ITS LICENSORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR FOR ANY LOST PROFITS, LOST SAVINGS, LOST REVENUES OR LOST DATA ARISING FROM OR RELATING TO THE SOFTWARE OR THIS AGRE EMENT, EVEN IF CREATIVE OR ITS LICENSORS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. IN NO EVENT WILL CREATIVE’S LIABILITY OR DAMAGES TO YOU OR ANY OTHER PERSON EVER EXCEED THE AMOUNT PAID BY YOU TO USE THE SOFTWARE, REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF THE CLAIM.

Some countries/states do not allow the limitation or exclusion of l iabi lit y fo r inci dental or c onse quen tia l damages, so th e above limit ation or exclus ion may not apply to you.

PRODUCT RETURNS

If you must ship the software to Creative or an authori s e d Cr e ative dist r ibutor or de a le r , you must prepay ship ping and either in s ure the software or assume all risk of loss or damage in transit.

U.S. GOVERNMENT RESTRICTED RIGHTS

All Softw are and related documentation are provided with restricted rights. Use, duplication or disclosure by the U.S. Government is subject to

restrictions as set forth in subdivision (b)(3)(ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software Clause at 252.227-7013. If you are sublicensing o r using the Soft ware out side of t he United States, you w ill comply with the applicable local laws of your country, U.S. e xport control law, and the English version of this Agreement.

CONTRACTOR/MANUFACTURER

The Contractor/Manufacturer for the Software is:

Creati ve Technology Ltd

31, International Business Park Creative Resource Singapor e 609921

GENERAL

This Agreement is bindin g on you as well as yo ur employees , employers, c ontractors and agents, and on any succes s or s and assignees. Nei ther the Software nor any information derived therefrom may be e xpor ted e xce pt i n a ccord ance w ith th e la ws of the U.S. or other applicable provisions. This Agreement is governed by t he laws of the State of California (except to the extent federal law governs copyrights and federally registered trademarks). This Agreement is the entire agreement between us and superse d es a ny other un de r s tandi n gs or agreements, inc lu ding , but not limited to, advertising, with respect to the Software. If any provision of this Agreement is deemed invalid or unenforceab le by any count ry or governmen t agency having jurisdiction, that particular provision will be deemed modified to the extent necessary to make the prov ision valid and enforceable , and the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.

For questions concernin g this Agreement, please contact Cre a tive at the addr ess stated abo ve. For questions on product or technical matters, contact the Creative technical support cent re nearest you.

ADDENDUM TO THE MICROSOFT SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT (WINDOWS 95)

IMPORTANT:

files (the “Microsoft Software”) pr ovided with this Addendum, you are agreeing to be bound by the follow ing terms . If you do not a gr ee to be bound by these terms, you may not use the Microsoft Software.

The Microsoft Software is provided for the sole purpose of replacing the correspond ing files provid ed with a previously licensed copy of the Microsof t software pr oduct identified above (“ORIGINAL PRODUCT”). Upon installat ion, th e Microsof t Software files become part of the ORIGINAL PRODUCT and are subject to the same warranty and lice n se ter ms and con dit io ns as the ORIGINAL PR ODUCT. If you do not ha ve a valid license to use the ORIGINAL PRODUCT , you may not use the Mi crosoft So ftw are. Any o ther use of the Microsof t Software is prohibit e d.

SPECIAL PROVISIONS APPLICA BLE TO THE EUROPEAN UNION

IF YOU ACQUIRED THE SOFTWARE IN THE EUROPEAN UNION (EU), THE FOLLOWING PROVISIONS ALSO APPLY TO YOU. IF THERE IS ANY INCONSISTENCY BETWEEN THE TERMS OF THE SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT SET OUT EARLIER AND IN THE FOLLOWING PROVISIONS, THE FOLLOWING PROVISIONS SHALL TAKE PRECEDENCE.

DECOMPILATION

You agree not for any purpose to transmit the Software or display the Software’s object code on any computer s c reen or to make any hard copy memory dumps of the S oftware’s object code. I f you believe you require information related to the interopera b ilit y of the Sof twa re with ot her

By using the Microsoft software

programs, you shall not decompile or dis a s s e mble the Software to obtain such information, and you agree to request such information from Creative at the address lis ted earlier. Upon receiving such a request, Creative shall determine whether you require such information for a legitimate purpose and, if so, Creative will provide such information to you within a reasonable time a nd on reasonable conditions.

LIMITED WARRANTY EXCEPT AS STATED EARLIER IN THIS AGREEMENT, AND AS PROVIDED UNDER THE HEADING “STATUTORY RIGHTS”, THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED AS-IS WITHOUT W ARRANT Y OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRES S OR IMPLI ED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY, QUALITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

LIMITATION OF REMEDY AND DAMAGES THE LIMITATIONS OF REMEDIES AND DAMAGES IN THE SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT SHALL NOT APPLY TO PERSONAL INJURY (INCLUDING DEATH) TO ANY PERSON CAUSED BY CREATIVE’S NEGLIGENCE AND ARE SUBJECT TO THE PROVISION SET OUT UNDER THE HEADING “STA T UT ORY RIGHTS”.

STATUTORY RIGHTS

Irish law provides that cer tain conditions an d warrantie s may be im pl ied in contra cts for th e sale of goods and in contracts for the s upply of services. Such conditions and warranties are hereby excluded, to the extent such e xclusio n, in the conte xt of this transaction, is la w f ul under Irish law. Conversely, such conditions and warranties, insofar as they may not be lawfully e xcluded, shall apply.

Accordingl y noth in g in this Agre em e nt shall prejudice an y righ ts tha t you m ay enj o y by vi rtu e of Sections 12, 13, 14 or 15 of the Ir ish Sale of G oods Act 1893 (as am ended).

GENERAL

This Agreem ent is govern ed by the laws of th e Republi c of Ireland. Th e local language version of this agreement shall apply to Software acquired in the EU. This Agreement is the entire agreement between us, and you agree that Creative wil l not have any liability for any untrue stat eme n t or representation made by it, it s agents or anyone els e (whether innocent ly or ne gligent ly) upon which yo u relied upon entering this Agreement, unless such untrue statement or representation was mad e fraudulently.

Safe ty In fo r mati o n

The following sections contain notices for

CAUTION:

by the user in a CSA/TUV/UL certified/listed IBM AT or compatible personal computers in the manufacturer’s defined ope rator access area. Check the equipment operating/installation manual and/or with the equipment manufacturer to verify/confirm if your equi pment is suitable for user- installed applicat ion cards.

Any changes or modifications not expressly approved by the grantee of this device could void the user’s authority to operate the device.

various countries:

This device is intende d to be installed

Modifications

Compliance

This product conf orm s to the fo llowin g Council Directive:

Directive 89/336/EEC, 92/31/EEC (EMC)

❑

Introduction

The All-Round Audio Solution for Internet and Digital Home Entertainment........xi

System Require ment s............ .. ... .... ... .. ... .... ... .. .. ..... ... .. .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. .. ... ..... .. ..xi i

Live!Ware Benef its........................................ .................................................... .........x ii

Getting More Informatio n.......... ...................................... ...................................... ..xiii

Where To Go From Here ........ ............................................. ....................................xiii

Other Recommen dations..... .... ... .. .. ..... ... .. .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. .. ... ..... .. .. ... .... ... .. ... ..xiii

Document Conventions......... ...................................... .............................................xiii

1 Installing Sound Blaster Live! Player 5.1

Your Audi o Card............. .. ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. .. ... ..... .. .. ... .... ... .. ... .... ... .. .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. .....1-2

Installi n g the Card....................................... ..................................................... .....................1-3

Connecting Related Peripherals......................... .... ....... ........ ....... .... ....... ........ .... ....... ........ ..1-4

Enhancing Your Sound Blaster Live! Experience................... ... ..................... .. ... ..............1-5

Playing Games and Musi c, and Watching Movie s........... .. ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. .. ... ..... ..1-5

Watching DVD Movies or Playin g DVD Games........... ........................................1-5

Recording and Content A u th oring............................................ ...............................1-9

Positioning Your Speaker s....... ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. .. ... ..... .. .. ... .... ... .. .. ..... ... .. .. ..... .. ... .. .....1-9

2 Installing Software

Installin g Audio Dr i ve rs and Appl ica tions.......... .. ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. .. ... .... ... .. ... .... ... .. .. ..... ... ..2-1

Using Sound Blaster Live! ........... ... ....................... ... ...........................................................2-2

Uninstall in g the Applications................................. ............................................. .................2-3

Reinstalling the Audi o Drivers...................................... ...................................... .................2-4

Playing Legacy Games... .................................................... ..................................................2-4

3 Using Sound Blaster Live!

Creative Sound Blaster Live ! T our............................ ....... ....... .......... ....... ....... ......... ....... ....3-2

Creative Diagnostic s........... .... ....... ..... ....... ..... ..... ....... ..... ....... ..... .... ....... ..... ....... ..... ....... ......3-2

Creativ e Laun ch er.......... ..... .. .. ... .... ... .. ... .... ... .. .. ..... ... .. .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. .. ... ..... .. .. ... .... ....3-2

Surround Mixer................................................. ... ..................... ... ..................... ....................3-3

Switching betwe en analog an d digita l out put modes.. ..... .. ... .... ... .. .. ..... ... .. .. ..... .. ... .3-4

Enabling Bass Redir e ctio n........ .. .. ... .... ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. .. ... .... ... .. ... .... ... .. .. ....3-5

Enabling Dolb y Digita l (A C- 3) Deco ding... .. .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. .. ... ..... .. .. ..... .. ... .3-5

AudioHQ............ ............................................. .................................................... .................. 3-6

SoundFont Control........... ....... ....... ....... .......... ..... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....... ....3-7

Device Co n trols.. ............................................. ............................................. .............3-9

Creative Keyboa rd............. .......... ....... .......... ......... ....... .......... ......... ....... .......... ......3-10

EAX Contro l...... ............................................. .................................................... ....3-11

AutoEAX.............................. .................................................... ..............................3-12

Wave Studio...... .................................................... .................................................... ...........3-12

Creativ e Pl ayCent er 2...... ... .. .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. .. ... ..... .. .. ... .... ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. .. ..3-13

Creativ e Recor de r...... .. ..... ... .. .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. .. ... ..... .. .. ... .... ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. .. ..3-13

Creativ e LAVA!........... ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. .. ... ..... .. .. ... .... ... .. ... .... ... .. .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. ... .. ....3-14

Creativ e Med iaRi ng Talk............. .. ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. .. ... ..... .. .. ... .... ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. .. ..3-14

Creativ e K eyt ar..... ..... .. ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. .. ... ..... .. .. ... .... ... .. ... .... ... .. .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. ... ......3-15

Creativ e Rhy thman ia... ... .. ... .... ... .. .. ..... ... .. .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. .. ... .... ... .. ... .... ... .. ....3-15

4 To Do This ... Use These Applications

Multimedia P l ayback................. ............................................. ............................................. .4-1

Digital Ente rtainm ent....... ... .. .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. .. ... ..... .. .. ... .... ... .. .. ..... ... .. .. ..... .. ....4-2

Internet Ente rtain ment . ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. .. ... ..... .. .. ... .... ... .. ... .... ... .. .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. ... .. ......4-3

Gaming Ref erence.......... .................................................... ...................................................4-5

General Specifications

Features............. .................................................... .................................................... ............A-1

Connectivity........ ................. .. .. ... .. ... .. .. ... .. .. ... .. ... .. .. ... .. .. ... .. ... .. .. ... .. .. ... .. .. ... .. ... .. .. ... .. .. ... ......A-3

Sound Blaster Liv e! c ard....................................................................... .. ................A-3

SB Emulation in MS-DOS/ Windows 95/98/ME

Background.............. .. ... .. .. ..... ................... ................... .. ... .. ... .. .. ... .. .. ................... ..... ............B-1

Understanding the Installatio n Program............ ..................................... .............................B-2

The AUTOEXEC.BAT File Settin g s.......................................... .............................B-2

The CONFIG.SYS File Settings............................................. .................................B-3

System Resour ce Setti ngs. ... .... ... .. ... .... ... .. .. ..... ... .. .. ..... .. ... ..... .. .. ... .... ... .. .. ..... ... .. .. ..... .. ... .. .....B-3

Input/Output (I/O) Add r esses........................................ ...........................................B-3

Interrupt Request (IRQ) Line......... ............................................. .............................B-4

Direct Memo r y Access (DMA) Ch annel............ ...................................... ..............B-4

Envir onm ent Variables...... ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. .. ... ..... .. .. ... .... ... .. ... .... ... .. .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. ... ..B-5

CTSYN Envi ronm ent Variable......... ..... .. .. ... .... ... .. ... .... ... .. .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. ... ..B-5

BLASTER Environment Variable.... .................................................... ...................B-5

Determinin g Resources. ...................................... ............................................. .....................B-6

Selecting the Bes t Audio Options in a Game........ ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. .. ... .... ... .. ... .... ... .. ..... .. ... ..B-7

Music Opti o ns................................. ...................................... ....................................B-7

Digital Audio Options.................. ...................................... ......................................B-7

MS-DOS Mode Utilit ies.................. .............................. ............................... ........................B-8

SBECFG.EXE........................................ .................................................... ..............B-8

SBEMIXER.EXE.............................. .................................................... ...................B-8

SBESET.EXE.......... ............................................. ....................................................B-9

SBEGO.EXE........................................................ ................................................. B-10

Troubleshooting

Problems Inst alli ng Soft wa re....... ... .. .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. .. ... .... ... .. ... .... ... .. .. ..... ... ..C-1

Problems W ith So und.............. ... .. ... .... ... .. .. ..... ... .. .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. ... .... ... .. .. ..... ... .. .. ..... .. ... .. .....C-2

Problem with Surround Mixer.................... ........ ......... ....... ....... ....... ....... .......... ....... ....... .....C-4

Insufficient SoundFont Cache.................. ................................. ... ................ ................. .......C-5

Problems W ith J oys tick...... .. .. ... .... ... .. ... .... ... .. .. ..... ... .. ..... .. .. ... ..... .. .. ... .... ... .. .. ..... ... .. .. ..... .. ...C-5

Resolving I / O Co n flicts................. .............................................. ........................................ C-7

Problems in W ind o ws NT 4.0............ ... .. ..... .. .. ... ..... .. .. ... .... ... .. ... .... ... .. ..... .. .. ... ..... .. .. ... .... ...C-7

Problems w ith Encore DVD Pla y er.......... ............................................. .............................C-8

Introduction

The All-Round Audio Solution for Internet and Digital Home Entertainment

Sound Blaster Live! P layer 5.1 is t he top audio solu tion for you r games, movi es, CDs, MP3 songs and other Internet entertainment. With its suppor t for today’s leading audio standard—EAX— Sound Blaster Live! Player 5.1 cre ates real-life, mult i-dimensional sound and multi-textured acoustical environments for t he most realistic 3D audio experienc e. Its powerful E MU10K1 audio processor delivers audio at optimum CPU performance with the highest fidelity and absolute clarity. Combine it with a four- or fi ve-speaker setup and you’ll experience realistic 3D audio, EAX in supported games, and enjoy your movies with true surround sound. The Live!Ware upgrade program will keep your Sound Blaster Live! card up to date with continual upgrades supporting future technologies, functionality, and features.

If you wish to c reate your o wn music or audio cont ent in the future, you r Sound Bla ster Li ve! car d also offer s you many upgrade options whic h will allow you to connect multiple digital and analog devices simultane ously , including keyboards and other music gear, as well as optical c onnection to MiniDisc and DAT recorders.

System Requirements

For Creative software, your card requires at least :

Genuine Intel

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Pentium® class pro cessor: 166 MHz for Windows 95/98 or Windows Millennium Edition, 200 MHz for Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000 Intel or 100% compatible motherboard chipset

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Windows 95, 98 or Millennium Edition, Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000

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16 MB RAM for Windows 95/98 or Millennium Edition (32 MB RAM recommended),

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32 MB RAM for Windows NT 4.0, 64 MB RAM for Windows 2000 160 MB of free hard disk space

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Open half-length PCI 2.1 compliant slot

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Headphones or amplified speakers (available separately)

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CD-ROM drive required for software installation

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Sound Blaster Live! Player 5.1 gives you an estimate of the hard disk space required when you select it on the installat ion screen. Includ ed applica tions may need highe r system require ments or microphone for basi c functionalities. Refer to the documentation for indi vidual applicat ions for details.

Live!Ware Benefits

xii

Your Investment Is Protected

as you have less of a likelihood of finding your audio card obsolete short ly after purchasing it. Th rough Live!W are , new features and appl ications are always made available for you to experience the latest tec hnology and to extend the life of your card.

The Value and Experience Increases Over Time

as Live!Ware continues to deliver new capabilit ies and enhanc ement s. Each upgra de will “rejuvenate” your audio card, allo wing you to experience new functionality. It is as if your audio card is “reborn”.

Y our Hardware Is Up T o Date

because th e latest Live! W are upgra des are on ly a downl oad away . When new standards and capa bilities emerge, your hardware is ready for it—just download the functions and your hardware becomes up-to-date!

Getting More Information

Where To Go From Here ...

Other Recommendations

See the online instructions on using the various applications in your audio package.

For hardware and software ins ta llation instructions , refer to Chapters 1 and 2.

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To learn about the bundled applica tions, refer to Chapters 3 and 4.

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Vi ew the cont ents of th e Demo CD for addit ional demonstra tions, l ibraries a nd other softwa re.

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Visit the

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User’s Guide

www.soundblaster.com

for MIDI specificat ions and connector pin assignm ents, as well as

site for more information, content and Live!Ware updates.

Document Conventions

The following typographical convent ions are used throughout this document:

bold

italic

UPPERCASE Directory name, f ile name, or acronym.

Text that must be entered exact ly as it appears. Title of a book or a place holder, which represents the information you must

provide.

The notepad icon indicates informat ion that is of particular importance and should be consider ed be fore continuing.

The alarm clock designates a caution or warni ng that can help you av oid situations involving ri sk.

xiii

Installing Sound Blaster Live! Player 5.1

This chapter is organised as follows:

Your Audio Ca rd

❑

Inst al li n g th e Card

❑

Connecting Rel ated Peripherals

❑

Enhancing Your Sound Blaster Liv e! Ex perience

❑

Positioning Your Speakers

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Installing Sound Blas ter Live! Player 5.1 1-1

Your Audio Card

C ( p

o d A a a

Your audio card has these jacks and connectors which allow you to attach other devices:

A jack is a one-hole connecting interface whereas a connector consists of many pins. Som e connectors here may not be av ailable on your card. Refer to the online

User’s Guide,

“Hardware Info rmation”, for details on connector pin assignments.

Line Out and Rear Out jacks can be used si multaneously to powe r

4.1 channel speake r systems. In addition, the Analog/D igital Out

ack can be used to power the

Centre and Subwoofer (LFE) for

5.1 channel speake r systems.

CD Audio connector

Connects to the Analog Audio output on a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive using a CD audio cable.

Telephone Answering Device connector

Provides a mono connection from a standard voice modem, and transmits microphone signals to the modem.

nalog/Digital Out jack

6-channel or compressed AC-3 SPDIF

utput for connection to external digital evices or digital speaker systems.

lso supports Centre and Subwoofer nalog channels for connection to 5.1 nalog speaker systems.

Line In jack

onnects to an external device

such as a cassette, DAT, or MiniD

layer

Microphone In jack

Connects to an external microphone

or voice input.

Line Out jack

Connects to powered speakers or an external amplifier for audio output. Also supports headphones.

Rear Out jack

Connects to powered speakers or an external amplifier for audio output.

isc

AUX connector

Connects to internal audio sources such as TV T uner, MPEG, or other similar cards

Joystick/MIDI connector

Connects to a joystick or a MIDI device. You can buy an optional MIDI kit that allows you to plug in the joystick and MIDI device simultaneously.

CD SPDIF connector

Connects to the SPDIF (Digital Audio) output (where available) on a CD-ROM o r DVD-ROM drive

Audio Extension (Digital I/O) connector

Connects to the Digital I/O card or Live! Drive.

Warning: This is not an IDE inter face. Do

not

connect to your

IDE devi ces.

1-2 Installing Sound Blas ter Live! Play er 5.1

Figure 1-1: Jacks and c onnectors on the Sound Blaster Live! card.

Installing the Card

Figure 1-2: Sec u r ing the au di o c ard to the

PCI expansion slot.

Unused brackets

ii. Fas ten t he card

to the slot with a screw.

i. Gently press the

audio card into the slot.

PCI slot

ISA slot

Do not force the audio card into the slot. If it does not fit properly, gently remove it and try again

1. Switch off your sys tem and all peripheral devices.

2. Touch a metal plate on your system to ground yourself and to discharge any static electricity, and then unplug the power cord from the wall outlet.

3. Remove the cover from your system.

4. Remove the metal plate from one unused PCI expansion slot in your system and put the screw aside, to be used later.

5. Align the Sound Blaster Live! card with the vacant PCI expans ion slot. Press the card gently and evenly into the slot as show n in Figure 1-2. Ensure that the card is seated firmly inside the

PCI expansion slot.

6. Secure th e ca r d to th e ex pa n s io n slo t wi th a screw.

7. Replace the cover onto your syst em .

8. Plug the power cord ba ck into the wa ll outlet, and swit ch on th e system.

Installing Sound Blas ter Live! Player 5.1 1-3

Connecting Related Peripherals

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If you are playing games in Windows 95/98 MS-DOS mode (pure DOS mode), you must:

• Make sure the CD In connect or and the Analog Audio connector of the CD-ROM or PC-DVD dri ve are connected.

• In addition, if you get distorted audio, do not connect the CD SPDIF connector to the Digital Audio connector of the CD-ROM or PC-DVD drive.

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If you connect to the Digi tal Audio and Analog Audio connectors of the same CDROM or PC-DVD driv e, do not unmute CD Audio and CD Digital at the same time in Surround Mixer.

Analog Mode (default): Connects to Centre and Subwoofer channels. Digital Mode: Connects to digital speakers*, MiniDisc or DAT via minijack-to-DIN cable. For instructions on how to switch between digital and analog modes, see “Switching between analog and digital output modes” on page 3-4.

Cassette and CD player,

Line-out

Synthesiser, etc.

Microphone

Connects to analog front and rear inputs of FourPointSurround speakers

* e.g., Playworks DTT3500 Digital speakers

CD-ROM drive

MPC-toMPC (4-pin) audio cable

Line In Mic In

Line Out

Rear Out

Joystick/MIDI

Sound Blaster Live! card

GamePad

Figure 1-3: Connecting other devices.

PC-DVD drive

MPC-to-MPC (2-pin) audio cable

Connects to Live! Drive IR. See “Enhancing Your Sound Blaster Live! Experience” for more details.

1-4 Installing Sound Blas ter Live! Play er 5.1

Enhancing Your Sound Blaster Live! Experience

The Sound Blaster Live! card alone wil l mo st undoubtedly give you endless hours of lis tening pleasure. To further enhance your SB Live! experience, there are several upgrade options (available separa tely). The following information and diagrams on the next few pages show how you can connect these options to your SB Live! card.

Playing Games and Music, and Watching Movies

Watching DVD Movies or Playing DVD Games

With F ourPoi ntSur round Di gital spea kers from Camb ridge Soun dWorks, you can experie nce

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crystal cle ar gam ing sequ ences or mus ic fr om the Digi tal DI N connecti on. If you want an e ven more immersive surround experie nce while watching movies, get the Playworks DTT3500

5.1 Digital speak ers. A minijack-to-DIN cable is bundled with the speaker set for this connection.

Alternatively, you can also connect an analog 5.1 channel speaker system (such as the

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DeskTop Theater 5.1 DTT2200 speakers from Cambridge SoundWorks) or even your 6channel home th eatre sp eaker sy stem. B esides the Front and Rear outputs , the SB Live! card has an Analog/Digital Out jack which allows you to connect to your Centre & Subwoofer channels. For instructi ons on how to sw itch between th e analog and digit al modes of the Dig ital/Anal og jack, s ee “Switching between analog and digital output modes” on page 3-4

To watch DVD movies on your PC, why not get Creative’s PC-DVD kit which comes with a

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PC-DVD drive and Encore MPEG2 decoder card? You can c onnect your Encore Dxr2, Dxr3 or MPEG2 decoder card to an extern al Dolby Digital (AC-3) decoder such as the DeskTop Theater speaker systems . In this case, disconnect the audio ca rd’s Aux In connector from the decod er card’s Audio Out connector. However, if an external Dolby Digital (AC-3) decoder speak er system is no t available, th is conne ction is necessary.

* Information continues on page 1-9.

Installing Sound Blas ter Live! Player 5.1 1-5

Playing Games and Music, and Watching Movies

with 4.1 or 5.1 Digital Speaker Systems

FourPointSurround or DeskTop Theater Digital Speakers

Analog Line and Rear Inputs

Digital DIN

Playing Game s and Watching Movies

with an Analog 5.1 channel speaker system*

5.1 Channel Analog Speaker System*

* e.g., DTT2200 Speak er System from Cambridge SoundWorks

Analog Front, Rear and Centre/ Sub Inputs

Minijack-to-DIN cable

Triple stereo audio cable

Analog/Digital Out jack

Sound Blaster Live! card

Watching DVD Movies or Playing DVD Games

with Creative PC-DVD and DeskTop Theater 5.1 Digital Speaker System

RCA cable

Connect for do wnmix audio only w hen a Dolby Digital (AC-3) decoder speaker system is not available.

Dolby Digital (AC-3) SPDIF Out jack

MPEG2 decoder card

Dolby Digital (AC-3) SPDIF In

DeskT op Theater 5.1 Digi tal Speaker System

Digital DIN

Connects to the Optical Digital I/O card or Live! Drive (see next page).

1-6 Installing Sound Blas ter Live! Play er 5.1

Figure 1-4 : Connecting peripherals to t he Sound Blaster Live! car d.

Connecting to External Consumer Elecronic Devices:

Dolby Digital Decoder/Amplifier

3.5mm(mono)to-RCA cable

Analog/Digital Out jack

Dolby Digital Decoder/Amplifier

Connecting to Exte rnal Consumer Electronic Devices:

Discrete 6-channel Amplifier

Dolby Digital (AC-3) SPDIF In

Analog Front, Rear and Centre/ Sub Inputs

3 sets of 3.5 mm (stereo)-to-RCA cable

Sound Blaster Live! Player 5.1 card

Connects to the Optical Digital I/O card or Live! Drive (see page 1-8).

Installing Sound Blas ter Live! Player 5.1 1-7

Recording and Content Authoring

with Optical Digital I/O card and Digital I/O Module

Recording and Content Authoring

with Live! Drive IR

SPDIF (RCA) In Out

SPDIF In (RCA)

Optical Input

MiniDisc Recorder

Optical Input

To Digit al Speaker System**

MIDI d evices (e.g., MIDI keyboard)

**e.g., FourPointSurround or DeskTop Theater 5.1 Digital Speaker Systems*

Digital device ( e.g., DAT)

Optical Output

Recording to or from an external digital device supporting RCA SPDIF input/output

Digital I/O Module

2nd analog Line In for an additional recording device

SPDIF (RCA) In Out

Digital device ( e.g., DAT)

MiniDisc

AUX input from an analog sou rce (e.g., CD player, tape deck)

Live! Drive IR

Line In 2

Digital In/Out

Digital DIN

MIDI In MIDI Out

Connects to SB Live! card

Headphones

Microphone / Line In

Optical Digital I/O card

FourPointSurround and Desktop Theater 5.1 speak er s ys tems, Digital I/O

Note:

via MiniDIN-tostandard DIN adapter ( pr ovided)

MIDI d evices (e.g., MIDI keyboard)

Module, D i g ital I/O card, Live! Drive IR and cables are available separately.

To Digital Speaker System**

Digital DIN

Metal bracket

Connects to SB Live! card

1-8 Installing Sound Blas ter Live! Play er 5.1

+ 46 hidden pages

Creative Sound Blaster Live User Manual

User’s Guide

Contents

Introduction

The All-Round Audio Solution for Internet and Digital Home Entertainment

System Requirements

Live!Ware Benefits

Getting More Information

Where To Go From Here ...

Other Recommendations

Document Conventions

Installing Sound Blaster Live! Player 5.1

Your Audio Card

Installing the Card

Connecting Related Peripherals

Enhancing Your Sound Blaster Live! Experience

Playing Games and Music, and Watching Movies

Watching DVD Movies or Playing DVD Games