News: May 17 - 23, 1999

Sunday, May 23, 1999

DA-9000 Home Theater Review - Mark @ 16:13 EST

AGNHardware has posted a review of Eastern Acoustic's DA-9000 Total Home Theater speaker system. The DA-9000 is a Dolby Surround Pro-Logic System that ships with a Dolby Pro-Logic Amplifier and five speakers plus powered subwoofer.

Sin Sound Fix - Mark @ 16:01 EST

I ripped the follow from Blue's News

Column castigator the theAntiELVIS sends along a fix for Sin sound problems that can result from combining Rage Pro video with Ensonic audio playing Sin. Here's the tip:

If you are a Rage Pro loser like me, using a crappy Ensonic sound card (can you say "Hewlett Packard"?), I've found The Way to get around the hideous sound and poly flash problems with SiN.

A: Get the latest ICD from ATI and install it
B: Uninstall SiN
C: Do a FULL install (c'mon, you can delete those worthless "productivity" apps - Productivity Sucks!)
D: Run the game, and the problems go away!
E: Apply the patches as needed (1.04/1.05)

And the game is a thing of beauty! Except for that awful "Blade is down!" part....

Slave Zero Audio - Mark @ 12:30 EST

Ear on Games has posted a Q&A with W. Scott Snyder, Sound Designer over at Accolade Inc., discussing the audio in their upcoming game Slave Zero. They are also giving away 3 copies of Quantum Rage: Songs for Deathmatch. For more details check out their news section and review of Quantum Rage: Songs for Deathmatch.

Hoontech I/O Features - Mark @ 10:02 EST

The Sound Blaster Live Discussion List has posted information on Hoontech's Digital & Analog I/O Box and on Hoontech's Optical I/O Card both designed for the Sound Blaster Live!

Gamecenter Speaker Roundup - Mark @ 09:55 EST

Gamecenter has posted a big speaker roundup featuring the:

* Altec Lansing ADA880;
* Boston Acoustics MediaTheater;
* Cambridge SoundWorks FPS2000;
* Labtec ATX-5820;
* MidiLand S2/4100;
* Monsoon MM-700; and
* Philips DSS 330.

Saturday, May 22, 1999

New SonicVortex2 Drivers - Mark @ 08:42 EST

Thanks to our buddy Jeff from Tech-Junkie for letting us know that Videologic has released a new SonicVortex2 driver which is based on Aureal's recent 2030 drivers. I am not sure if they have used the same beta drivers or the drivers are now out of beta (the reference drivers on Aureal's web site are still pre-release). You can download them from Videologic's download page or FTP the 10.7 MB files from:

ftp://ftp.videologic.com/PUB/PRODUCTS/SVortex2/Drivers/SV292030.EXE

Creativity Update - Mark @ 00:06 EST

Extreme Audio Reality the designers of Interative Around Sound (IAS) was at Creativity (Creative Labs developer conference/workshop) and has offered the following summary of the ongoings at the workshop:

The first day of Creativity; there is a lot going on in the Creative camp, with much leaning toward the coordination of their hardware performance with the upcoming releases of DirectX7 (this Fall) and DirectX8 (next year). Most of the DirectX "improvements" don't effect us, as we have already developed the same implementations internally.

Most of the topics discussed at Creativity are covered under NDA with Creative, so I think it is in my best interests to summarize the topics rather than to give specific information; I will say that the emphasis Creative is putting on future EAX enhancements resides in the opposite camp than Aureal has adopted -- Creative is leaning (far) away from attaching audio events to the program's geometry, and they had incredibly well-documented arguments to back their position (I should know... it was presented to us more than a couple of times).

Day two (and final) of Creativity. More emphasis (again and again and again) on staying away from using geometry to create physical models to attach to sound reverberation. I think we get the point....

So what did the developers want to see added to the audio control interface? Well, it wasn't DirectMusic (only three people raised their hands for that one); it was real-time telephony (Voice IP). This made my day, since this is exactly the direction we are headed with Shadow Factor and their BattleCom product.

Friday, May 21, 1999

Heretic II: Postmortem - Mark @ 23:26 EST

There is a excellent article by Jake Simpson on the development of Heretic II over at Gamasutra called Heretic II: Postmortem. It takes a look at the features of Heretic II, what what went right, what went wrong and lessons they learned. The artile includes the following mention of pre EP audio under features:

We added quite considerably to the whole sound system, and split sound support off into a separate DLL. The idea was to have three separate DLLs, one for the default Quake II sound system, one for A3D support, and the last for Creative EAX support. We didn’t get to the EAX one completed before the release dates were upon us, but with a lot of help from Micah Mason and Suneil at Aureal, we did get a 1.0 implementation of A3D in there.

Jensen Convergence Review - Mark @ 13:44 EST

Hardware Central has posted a review of the Jensen Convergence speaker set. This is one of Jensen's higher-end two speaker sets. Thanks to AGNHardware for the pointer.

Boston Acoustics BA635 Review - Mark @ 13:38 EST

The Hardware Pros have posted a review of Boston Acoustics' BA635 3-piece speaker set. According the the reviewer, if you need a small set of speakers that still sound great and pump out the bass, you should really take a good look (or should that be listen) at this set.

Turtle Beach @ E3 - Mark @ 07:58 EST

ExtremeHardware posted a report on Turtle Beach's E3 presence covering their two Vortex 2 based cards we described a couple of days ago (Quadzilla and Home Studio) and the upgrade paths avaiable to both Montego 2 (2 speaker) and Quadzilla (4 speaker) owners. Thanks to A3D Central for the pointer.

Talon Features Vortex 2 - Mark @ 07:49 EST

Thanks to Aureal's Skip McIlvaine for pointing us to a PR from Falcon-Northwest that indicates that the Falcon series will feature an Aureal Vortex 3D audio processor. Its the MX300 to be exact. One thing I did note is Falcon-Northwest is a little ahead of the game in listing EAX support for the MX300 as we are still waiting for that feature to be added to the Vortex 2 drivers.

Thursday, May 20, 1999

Wild Metal Country Review - Mark @ 23:28 EST

Avault has posted a review of Wild Metal Country and were really impressed with the audio giving it a perfect 5/5 score! Here is more on what they had to say:

Wild Metal Country supports Aureal A3D, Dolby Pro-Logic and Creative EAX 3D sound, offering some of the most comprehensive 3D sound options I have encountered in any game. The net result is the effects are truly among the very best I have heard in terms of making you feel a part of the combat experience (only Wargasm comes close among combat games). It is hard to describe exactly, but even the smallest pickup has a really satisfying noise associated with it. On my Xitel Storm Platinum card supporting the A3D 2.0 standard, the sound effects made me tremble with excitement, with every explosion rocking not just my computer but the whole room around me. Directional cues provided by this implementation are absolutely invaluable. DMA developed a new proprietary "Dynamic Sample Layering" system for this offering, attaching special sound samples to every object encountered. In addition, the sound incorporates real-time Doppler shifting, allowing you to hear the roar of enemy shots as they zoom past you.

Sennheiser HD580 Headphone Review - Mark @ 22:36 EST

3DGaming has posted a review of the Sennheiser HD580 headphones. According to Chris from 3DGaming, these are some excellent headphones that work great for gaming, DVD, and professional studios. I just want to add that if you don't have a good set of headphones you just don't know what 3D audio glory that your missing.

Linux SBLive! Beta Drivers - Mark @ 10:28 EST

Creative Labs Developer Relations Linux Support page has new version 0.2b Linux drivers for Creative Labs' SBLive! Soundcards. Please note that these drivers are currently not supported by Creative’s support staff. Thanks to Blues News and BetaNews for the pointer.

MidiLand S2/4100 Review - Mark @ 10:26 EST

3DHardware.net has posted a review of MidiLand' s S2/4100 speaker system.

Audio Compression (repost) - Mark @ 10:25 EST

Review zone has posted an extensive article that looks at the different methods of audio compression. I mentioned this a couple of days ago but the link was broken. If you do come across broken links on site we really would appreciate hearing about it.

AGN Hardware Show - Mark @ 01:19 EST

I have not had a chance to check this out myself yet, but it is an E3 report so there is a good chance that there will be some discussion of sound.

Click here to stream the 19/85 kbps show

Click here to download the 19 kbps version

Click here to download the 85 kbps version

Infiltration 1.0 - Mark @ 01:11 EST

Infiltration is a multiplayer conversion for the Unreal engine (which currently supports EAX and A3D 1.x if you avoid the 224 patch and will soon add A3D 2.0 support). It combines the team-play experience of games like Capture the Flag and Team Fortress with the all-out action and strategy of warfare!

Some of the features Infiltration sports are:

* Complete new true-to-life weapon set with handguns, machine guns, and rifles!
* 5 new custom maps ready to be tested to the limits!
* A complete new and original gameplay style that pits one team vs. the other in all out action! Attack or Defend? It's up to you!
* New artifacts and mines add a fresh and unique taste to every game!
* Internet too laggy? No problem! There are intelligent bots that will launch attacks or hunt you down to reclaim the objective!
* A completely new set of skins for every human player model!
* A host of new sound effects, from shotgun blasts to winner finales!

Sin 1.05 - Mark @ 00:57 EST

No audio enhancements but then this title already does A3D 2.0 and EAX. Here is what the patch does do:

General
- An in game camera system has been added similar to the one we were showing
at E3.
- Extensive 3DNOW! optimizations have been made to the renderer
- demos work again

CTF
- ctf_forcejoin now works correctly.
- dropped weapons no longer allow you to carry too much ammo
- the quantum destabilizer is no longer such an unbalanced weapon in CTF.

Videologic Sirocco Review - Mark @ 00:38 EST

If you are in the market for an awesome set of speakers then this is one review you have got to check out. Retailing for around $329 (£200), the Videologic Sirocco 3 system is definately expensive, but our own Simon King says that they are worth every penny!

Wednesday, May 19, 1999

Soyo SY-6IZA Motherboard Review - Mark @ 19:30 EST

3DHardware.Net has posted a review of the Soyo SY-6IZA motherboard. According to the reviewer this board "holds more hardware goodness for 150 bucks than anything decent enough to write about. Holding a Rage 128VR chip for graphics and a Yamaha740 chip for '3D' sound on board, it's really something that could threaten previous favorites such as PowerColor's Dreamcode".

X-Wing Alliance Review - Mark @ 14:11 EST

VoodooExtreme has posted a review of X-Wing Alliance and had the following (and more) to say about the audio:

Another huge part of everything Star Wars is sound. John Williams created one of the most instantly recognizable soundtracks ever for George Lucas, and ever since, it has been repeated whenever possible. Alliance is no exception. Strains of the Imperial March (not to mention the Star Wars theme) permeate the entire game, getting the player pumped even more than they already were. Alliance signals the return of the dynamic music engine to its space combat heraldry - the music changes depending on what you do. No fighting means quiet, pacifying music; insane furballs generate pulse-pounding beats. On top of this layer of aural stimulation is yet another - the sound effects are something Skywalker Sound could be proud of. A TIE Fighter sounds exactly like a TIE Fighter should - as does everything else. And if you have a DS3D-accelerating sound card, you can hear these effects emanating from all around you. If nothing else, these games have always had the best sound. No changes here.

Heretic Fortress - Mark @ 09:31 EST

There’s a really cool looking mod for the A3D 2.0 [and broken EAX :(] supporting Heretic II called Heretic Fortress. It features seven new classes, and a "capture and hold" style of gameplay. Version 1.1 is now available for download in both client (3MB) and server (666K) versions. Thanks to Blue’s News for the pointer.

ESS Maestro3.COMM - Mark @ 09:12 EST

ESS Technology, Inc introduced its Maestro3.COMM(TM) audio-modem combo solution for the notebook market.

The modem (.COMM) portion consists of ESS' 56kbps (V.90) data, fax, HSP SuperLink(TM) modem. The audio portion of the Maestro3.COMM solution consists of the Maestro3. The Maestro3 audio accelerator consists of an audio signal processor featuring full ACPI support, complete DOS legacy compatibility and support for two additional PCI bus masters. It offer’s full DS3D support and accelerates the DirectSound API by digitally mixing up to thirty-two PCM streams of any frequency into a single output. The Maestro3 also features S/PDIF out for digital audio and MIDI, and an EEPROM interface for subsystem vendor identification and proven digital docking support.

Tuesday, May 18, 1999

Soldier of Fortune @ E3 - Mark @ 22:32 EST

Thresh's Firingsquad has put up another E3 summary which includes a 5 page, in-depth preview of what they consider to be the Game of E3 - Raven's Soldier of Fortune. The preview includes hands-on playtesting and information straight from the mouths of Raven developers, as well as a handful of screenshots from what they describe as an eye popping 3D shooter.

We have it from a good source (the designer) that the audio in Soldier of Fortune is going to be awesome. Look for EAX and A3D 2.0 support from this title.

VideoLogic SonicVortex2 Review - Mark @ 18:41 EST

3DGaming has posted their VideoLogic SonicVortex2 Review. It's yet another Aureal Vortex2 based soundcard, but in this case, the reviewers feel that the software bundle is unique and really establishes the SonicVortex2 as a card for the casual musician

Spatializer Audio Internet Initiative - Mark @ 17:39 EST

Spatializer Audio Laboratories, Inc. announced today its Internet Initiative with the formation of spatializer.com(TM), a new business unit to develop and market, through e-commerce channels, Spatializer technology for streaming audio applications over the Internet. Phase one of this initiative is the release of its latest product, Spatializer StreamFX(TM), designed specifically to deliver enhanced audio output from streaming Internet media applications and for Soft DVD players. StreamFX was developed by Spatializer in collaboration with Xing Labs for their XingDVD player and will be available for download at leading audio web sites and portals within the next few weeks.

DVD Audio Decoder - Mark @ 17:27 EST

Targeting the DVD player market with its high-quality programmable audio solutions, Cirrus Logic Inc. today introduced a unique DVD audio decoder chip that enables a new category of ``universal'' DVD players.

The CS49300 is capable of sample rates up to 192 KHz and has full 24-bit output resolution. It also has eight output channels and can support 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1 channel output configurations needed to support Dolby/THX surround EX®, or dual zone home theater systems. The device is also capable of supporting robust bass manager modes in accordance with Dolby Labs system requirements and various end user speaker configurations.

You can check out all the details in their announcement.

Zoran SoftDVD III - Mark @ 17:17 EST

Zoran Corporation announced today the availability of its new, 3rd generation, software DVD player, SoftDVD III(TM). SoftDVD III is now available for use by qualified PC OEMs, graphics card suppliers, DVD ROM drive manufacturers, system integrators and PC game developers. From an Audio perspective, Zoran's latest software, called AutoSense(TM) detects the audio subsystem and configures SoftDVD to match the system's audio capabilities. A single version of SoftDVD III will provide the optimal audio solution, even if the end-user later upgrades the system's audio capabilities from stereo to 4 or more speakers or S/PDIF pass-through for the full 5.1 channel Dolby Digital experience.

Motorhead 3.0 - Mark @ 16:47 EST

I lost this in my in-box from a few weeks ago and I don't remember us posting anything on it so here goes. This is for the A3D 2.0 and EAX support racer Motorhead which we recently reviewed.

You need the original Motorhead CD to install this patch!
You must have the CD in the drive during all play!

This is a completely unsupported release by Digital Illusions.
DON'T BOTHER GREMLIN/FOX WITH ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS!
If you have some good questions you can bother us; mail to:
motorhead_feedback@dice.se

Get the patch from www.motorhead.org

*************************
CHANGES IN p3.0:
*************************

* Works with these versions of Motorhead: European retail, US retail, Logitech bundle, Matrox bundle, Diamond bundle, Sony bundle, CreativeLabs bundle.

* Two new cars released, the "Dominator" andt he "Venom". Now it's time to kill those Serpent times :) Make sure you tell the server admins to allow them on the internet servers too, i.e. set UnlockedCars in the "server.cfg" to 14. Thanks to Drunk_Driver and Trix for the tweeking...

* Fixed a detection problem with the DirectSound3D and Creative Labs EAX sound-systems on some versions of Win95.

* Fixed a workaround for some soundcard-drivers that made Motorhead crash immediately on statup.

* Included the latest addressbook with dedicated Motorhead servers around the world.

* Included the MPlayer multiplayer system so that everyone can enjoy the fun on the US MPlayer servers.

* Included 9 ghost-demos recorded by Drunk_Driver, one of the best Motorhead drivers ever. You can learn a lot by watching and ghost-racing him.

* Included the two cars in carpack1, the "Python Menace" and the "SuperBee".

* Include the latest Motorhead dedicated server for Win32.

* Various minor bug fixes.

Audio Compression - Mark @ 11:23 EST

Review zone has posted an extensive article that looks at the different methods of audio compression.

Turtle Beach Bracket Board - Mark @ 00:07 EST

I grabbed this from the AGN (Pseudo) interview I mentioned a couple posts earlier. Turtle Beach will be offering a breakout board to people who have the Montego 2 - 2 speaker Vortex 2 card for $39. This card will add support for rear speakers plus S/PDIF I/O functionality.

Monday, May 17, 1999

(more) Aureal @ E3 - Mark @ 23:39 EST

Man, we have to get someone from 3DsoundSurge to the big shows! But as it is, we have to depend on the coverage from our friends such as Firing Squad (posted earlier) and Extremehardware, which it the point of this post. ExtremeHardware has posted their summary of Aureal's E3 presence. Some of the juicy bits include mention of there being at least 20-30 new A3D 2.0 games being released soon and many more to come as well as some talk on where the A3D 2.0 SDK is going, etc. etc. etc.

SonicVortex2 Review - Mark @ 23:24 EST

Hardware One has posted a thorough review of VideoLogic's SonicVortex2 which is, as it sounds, based on Aureal's Vortex 2 chipset.

Turtle Beach @ E3 - Mark @ 23:00 EST

The Pseudo Network has posted some RealPlayer E3 coverage including some Turtle Beach coverage thats starts at about 45:30 on the RealPlayer time counter.
There is some fairly informative footage in that segment. They talk about the imminent release of Quadzilla and the Home Studio Vortex 2 cards, as
well as the digital in and out upgrade cards. Thanks to Aureal's Skip McIlvaine for the pointer.

AudioSphere Utility - Frank @ 17:01 EST

AudioSphere lets you control the volume, balance, treble and bass of your PC's audio system.

AudioSphere is much more compact, nicer looking, and easier-to-use than the standard Windows volume control. AudioSphere provides mute and normalize controls, and it allows you to save all of your audio settings in four different pre-set buttons.

Other features of AudioSphere include: a choice of interface colors, a choice of gradient styles (for the volume/balance control), a "stereo reverse" option, an always-on-top option, and a variety of pre-set options. The program runs as a convenient icon in the System Tray area of the taskbar.

AudioSphere Website

Download AudioSphere

Aureal @ E3 - Mark @ 16:59 EST

This is via an E3 Day 1 Report from Thresh's Firing Squad. You can also get right to the a3d details. I have paraphrased portions of Kenn's report below.

Aureal's software plans closely mirror their hardware goals, namely pushing out A3D 2.0 and helping developers to utilize and optimize for it. The next revision of A3D should happen in Q3 1999, and it will be more of a refined, evolutionary step, adding more features and functionality on top of A3D 2.0

The A3D 2.0 API actually serves as the sound engine for the Phantom Menace game, Star Wars: Racer. This gives scalable support from DS3D and A3D 1.x through to A3D 2.0

Week in Review - Mark @ 09:31 EST

As those of you who subscribe to our weekly newsletter already know, we have posted our latest edition of "The Week in Review" which covers from May 10-16. In you want, you can also subscribe, or check out past editions of the Week in Review.

Desktop Theater 5.1 Review @ GameWire - Frank @ 07:26 EST

GameWire has just posted a Review of the Cambridge SoundWorks Desktop Theater 5.1 They gave them a score of 8 out of 10.

News from May 10-16

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