News:  March 6-12, 2000

Sunday, March 12, 2000

Descent3 CP v1.02 - Mark @ 14:16 EST

A new version of Camelot Systems' Descent 3 Control Panel has been released, bringing this utility up to version 1.02. Descent 3 Control Panel allows you to edit nearly everything related to data in the A3D 2.0 with wavetracing and DS3D with EAX 2.0 supporting Descent 3. You can use it to edit Texture, Generic, Weapons, Doors,Sounds and Ships data. The file containing all this is named a table file, and it is one of the most important files in Descent 3. You can create your own, to add new values, or you can just edit the one shipped with Descent 3, named "table.gam". If it sounds interesting, you can download the 358 KB zip file.
News Source: Voodoo Extreme

More X-Box Coverage - Mark @ 13:27 EST

I guess I will give in to X-Box hype and post some more coverage but I am wondering if I am alone in not being excited about this product being announced in March 2000? Its not that the specs are not impressive, as they are. Its the ship date of some time next year that cools my enthusiasm especially given the tendency for such dates to slip. Anyway, if you are looking for more on the X-Box, Thresh's Firing Squad has done a thorough 8 page analysis of the X-Box. Here's a snip:

One of the aspects Gates stressed during is presentation is that Microsoft is aiming for movie quality video and audio in DirectX 8 and X-Box. The specs show that they're pretty serious about this. 64 simultaneous audio channels, 3D positional audio (through DirectX), and Dolby AC3 audio encoding are all on the checklist.

MP3/DeCSS/Software Piracy Solution to be Unveiled at SXSW 2000 - Mark @ 12:24 EST

PlayApp.com, a newly formed Dallas company will be unveiling this week at the SXSW 2000 Film/Interactive/Music Tradeshow in Austin, TX, its patented solution to the widespread problem of MP3, DeCSS, and software piracy occurring on the Internet. PlayApp.com will be demonstrating their protected software, known as PlayApps, in the form of book, music, and video PlayApps. Their protected software can also be in the form of business, games, streaming, etc. PlayApps. Since PlayApps are programs, artists developing PlayApps can choose among the best technologies available to put into them, be it MPEG-1/MPEG-2/QuickTime/etc. video, MP3/RA/WM/etc. audio, and GIF/JPEG/PNG/etc. pictures. For lots more details you can check out the full announcement.

Wave Arts Announces WaveSurround DX Plug-in - Mark @ 12:18 EST

Wave Arts, Inc. announced the release of WaveSurround DX, a state-of-the-art stereo enhancement and reverb plug-in for DirectX compatible applications.

"WaveSurround DX marks our foray into the high end plug-in market and is the first of several plug-ins that we will be marketing that feature our leading edge audio technology", according to Bill Gardner, president of Wave Arts. "We have extended the functionality of our popular WaveSurround for Winamp plug-in to enable DirectX audio applications to enhance their tracks with WaveSurround and Wave Arts' high quality reverb algorithm".

Even more X-Box audio details - Mikael @ 05:45 EST

Gamespy posted a 2-page article about what they found out on the X-Box and had the following bit about the audio

Audio Channels: 64
3D Audio Support: Yes
Midi/DLS2 support: Yes
AC3 encoded game audio: Yes

Athlon and the Dxr2 will never work together - Mikael @ 05:40 EST

If you have a Dxr2 card and intend to buy an Athlon or already bought it the following post from Susan Hartson (Creative Labs) titled "Official Statement from Creative Labs regarding the Athlon Processor and the Dxr2 Decoder Card" should be of interest

Creative's Dxr2 decoder board was developed, released to the marketplace and
discontinued prior to the introduction of AMD's Athlon processor.

Unfortunately the Dxr2 decoder board has been found not to function properly in systems with this particular processor. To help accommodate our customers, we would like to offer you the opportunity to acquire Creative's new software based DVD solution at no charge that will facilitate movie playback on your system.

Alternatively, if you would prefer a hardware based solution you may wish to consider purchasing a Dxr3 Decoder Board. For more information regarding the Dxr3 decoder please visit
http://www.americas.creative.com/pc-dvd/dxr3-decoder/

To qualify for a free copy of Creative's SoftDVD CD, please send each of the following items to the address below:

1. Original front cover of your Dxr2 installation manual
2. Serial number of your Dxr2 card (your serial number is located on a white sticker found on the back of your Dxr2 board)
3. Proof of purchase of an Athlon processor or Athlon system (i.e. copy of your original sales receipt).

Submit all of these items along with your name, complete shipping address, telephone number and e-mail address to:

Creative Labs SoftDVD Offer
P.O. Box 1452
Stillwater, OK 74076

Important Notes: At this time Creative's SoftDVD will only function in Windows 95 or 98. Please keep copies of the materials submitted; originals become the property of Creative Labs and will not be returned. Please allow 4 weeks for delivery. This offer is only available to Dxr2 owners who reside in North, South and Central America.

If you are not located in North, Sound or Central America, please contact the technical support nearest you regarding this offer and its availability in your area.

Best Data CABO MP3 Player review - Mikael @ 03:49 EST

Anandtech has posted a review of Best Data's MP3 Player, Cabo. Cabo comes with 64MB, parallel port connection and features voice recording and an equalizer but according to this review the sound quality (the decoder) performs below average with the best quality at 112 kbps.

Demystifying the DVD formats - Mikael @ 03:48 EST

If you want to learn a bit more about the different DVD formats both discs (DVD-R, DVD+RW) and what you store (e.g. DVD-audio) you should check out 3DWorkshop.net's article titled DVD-What?! Demystifying the DVD formats. The DVD-audio bit is a bit lacking since it doesn't mention the sample rate can be up to 192 kHz and 24 bits. I could also add that I don't agree with his conclusions that DVD-RW and DVD-R will make it big, I don't think it's likely they will drop fast enough in price to be interesting for consumers.
News Source: Anandtech

Saturday, March 11, 2000

DVD Genie Updated Again (3.33) - Mark @ 18:14 EST

Yet another version of this little tool that allows you to tweak your DVD player has been released. The difference from yesterday's release (3.32) is it fixes a bug which now should allow DVD Genie to work with PowerDVD v2.55 under Windows 2000/NT4. You can download it from Tweakfiles and check out the list of new features/bug fixes at the Inmatrix site.

Sound Control Plus 1.50 (Beta) - Frank @ 16:15 EST

Sound Control Plus is a freeware replacement Windows Sound Mixer applet which together with most of the features of the standard Windows mixer it also allows you to add hot keys to adjust any combination of your sound mixer volumes. Support to control Winamp with a series of hot keys and an On Screen Display is also included. Supports Windows 95 / 98 / NT4 / 2000 and Millennium-Me.

A list of MAJOR changes since the last version follows:

Added - New interface, hot key code, complete rewrite
Added - NT4, 2000, Millenium-Me (all untested) compatibility
Added - Choose multiple mixers you wish to control/hot key
Added - Outlined Text, Position and Song Name to On Screen Display
Added - Typeface, Style, Colour and Size to On Screen Display
Added - Full support for large font users
Added - On Screen Display announcement when song name changes
Added - Configurable % increase/decrease
Added - Start Play / Stop / Jump / Forward / Rewind Winamp hot keys
Added - Tray icon indication of Master Mute
Added - Install / Uninstall support
Added - Load at startup option

Homepage - http://www.reallyeffectivesoftware.co.uk

Download - http://www.reallyeffectivesoftware.freeserve.co.uk/download/scp150.exe
File Size - 517KB

Dolby Pro Logic Sound In More N64 Titles - Frank @ 14:53 EST

The Dolby Labs booth at the Game Developers Conference seem to have a number of future Nintendo64 games to support Dolby Pro Logic Sound. Among some are Perfect Dark, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Banjo-Tooie, Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, and Dinosoaur Planet.
News Source: IGN64

EH at the GDC..... - Mark @ 13:13 EST

Our buddies over at Extreme Hardware have posted a short blurb on the Game Developers Conference covering their visit with Aureal and ESS. Nothing new but they make some interesting observations and they confirm that Aureal's speakers have been delayed a few months. That should really read a few more months since they were originally supposed to ship last fall. Check it out on their front page.
News Source: Vortex of Sound

Sennheiser HD-490 Live Review - Mark @ 09:17 EST

Combat Sim has posted a review of Sennheiser's HD-490 Live headphones. Here is a snip from the review:

After trying literally dozens of headphones from various manufacturers I settled on the Sennheiser HD 490 Live. As you will read, I believe these to be the best headphones for less than $100 that I have ever heard. For this price they are not audiophile quality but they are very good. For the audiophiles, I would suggest the HD 580 or the HD 600 that will cost you easily in excess of $300. At a hefty 300 ohms impedance don't expect to drive these without a decent amplifier.

System Shock 2 for $19.95! - Mark @ 09:03 EST

Do you have this title yet? System Shock 2 has some of the best sound effects you will find in a game and makes great use of A3D 1.x and DS3D with EAX. You can pick it up online from Gamestop for only $19.95! You can also grab the 39 MB demo from 3Dfiles.

Rogue Spear: Urban Operations has gone gold - Mark @ 08:53 EST

You can grab this expansion pack to the DS3D with EAX 2.0 supporting Rouge Spear online from Gamestop for only $29.99. The linked page will also give you lots more details on the expansion pack.
News Source: Gone Gold

Microsoft Allegiance Gone Gold. - Mark @ 08:48 EST

Gone Gold reports that Microsoft Allegiance has gone gold. Allegiance, the MSN Gaming Zone space-combat game combines the challenges of tactical squadron-based combat, intense one-on-one space dogfights, and amazing graphical and sound effects (via DS3D) into a space-action experience. You can preorder Microsoft Allegiance online from Gamestop for only $34.99 and you will receive 16 Microsoft Allegiance Collector Cards as well as a coupon that allows you to play an extra month on the Microsoft Gaming Zone's Allegiance Zone free. This is in addition to the initial month free on the Zone that customers qualify for with proof of purchase of Microsoft Allegiance.

More X-Box audio news - Mikael @ 08:13 EST

Gamecenter has posted a report on the X-Box where they have this little bit on the audio

Sound will be handled by a 64-voice, I3DL2 audio processor.

Counter-Strike Beta 6 - Mikael @ 07:04 EST

A new version of this popular mod/add-on to Half-Life has been released. You can download it from 3dfiles where you will also find a list of new features.

X-Gamer review - Mikael @ 07:02 EST

Gamelinks has posted a review of Creative's Soundblaster Live X-Gamer. When it comes to differences to the old SB Live!Value the only major difference include the new digital outjack. The other differences mention in the review is just driver changes or in case of the digital CD-in not a new feature since the old Live had that connection as well. The review also missed the A2D drivers that will allow you to play Quake3 with 3D sound but as you may know it's not working that well. Could be worth mentioning I have a different impression of the Live's 3D sound as you can find out by reading our X-Gamer review and our Unreal Tournament scores are very different.
News Source: AGN Hardware

Friday, March 10, 2000

DVD Genie 3.32 - Mikael @ 20:37 EST

Yet another version of this little tool that allows you to tweak your DVD player has been released. No major news but you can check out the list of new features/bug fixes here.

Will Nvidia make the 3-D audio processor for X-Box? - Mikael @ 20:19 EST

I'm not sure but in Nvidia's X-Box press release they mention "NVIDIA will design a custom Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) and Multimedia and Communications Processor (MCP) chipset for the X-Box". Now the feature list mentioned "Custom 3-D audio processor" and multimedia could refer to other things than audio like DVD but I think it's more likely they will use the CPU for that since it's unlikely much if any other processing has to be done when you watch DVD movies on the X-Box. If anyone knows for sure who will make the "Custom 3-D audio processor" let me know.

Now it's not really that interesting who will make the chip it's more interesting what 3D audio technology it will use and what output it will support (headphones, 2-speakers, 4-speakers etc). I think it's likely it will be the 3D software engine that's part of DirectX but now accelerated in hardware but hopefully it will be something better or perhaps the X-box will allow games to use another 3D sound engine if they wish.

Songs for Deathmatch 2 Review - Mark @ 20:01 EST

Damage Gaming has posted a review of Songs for Deathmatch 2 and describe it as twelve tracks of electronic mayhem, with pounding drums and some excellent guitar work that rivals that of any other kind of electronic music they have heard in a while.
News Source: AGN3D

Imperial March Rage MP3 - Mark @ 07:49 EST

Lucas Arts has released a track from Star Warsr: Force Commander, a game that supports A3D and apparently DS3D with EAX. The track by John Williams is called Imperial March Rage and you can grab it from their downloads page. You can order Force Commander from Gamestop for $38 and if you pre-order it from Gamestop now it will include a FREE Soundtrack CD and a mini-strategy guide while supplies last.
News Source: Voodoo Extreme

SRS Labs and Microsoft team up - Mikael @ 07:24 EST

SRS Labs today announced that Microsoft has made an equity investment in SRS Labs, Inc. In addition, the companies have entered into a strategic technology and marketing alliance. This alliance gives Microsoft access to SRS Labs' full complement of advanced audio and voice technologies, including the highly acclaimed WOW(TM) audio enhancement, voice intelligibility and surround sound. SRS Labs mentions that they will "be able to complement Microsoft's strategy in the areas of Internet audio, telephony, gaming, as well as traditional audio and video applications."

SRS Labs 3D audio technology are mostly used as virtual surround sound like in Spectrum Research Theater 2000 Virtual Surround Processor that we reviewed last year but it's certainly possible that MS could use it for games using 3D sound, like use it as their 3D sound engine in DirectX and/or in the X-Box.

Microsoft Unveils Plans for X-Box - Mikael @ 06:28 EST

Bill Gates will announce today at the annual Game Developers Conference that Microsoft is entering the video game world with the introduction of a future-generation dedicated video game console, currently code-named X-Box. Not much specific details in the press release beyond that it will use DirectX (big surprise), a chip from Nvidia and will launch next year. On the X-Box site they have the following interesting feature list

1. 600 MHz x86 compatible CPU Custom 3-D NVIDIA graphics processor
   
2. 64 MB of RAM (unified memory architecture)
   
3. Custom 3-D audio processor
   
4. 8GB hard drive
   
5. 4X DVD drive with movie playback
   
6. Four game controller ports
   
7. Expansion port
   
8. Proprietary A/V connector
   
9. 100 MBps Ethernet

Thursday, March 09, 2000

A3D Screen Saver! - Mark @ 21:14 EST

Aureal A3D Central is reporting that an OpenGL beta screen saver with A3D support entitled, "OtherWorld" is now available. You can get it right from the source, being M.A.N. Graphics.

Win a Maxi Sound Fortissimo - Mark @ 21:02 EST

Do you want to win a Maxi Sound Fortissimo PCI sound card from the folks over at Guillemot? Then all you have to do is watch the latest edition of the AGN Hardware Show. Speaking of contests, don't forget that our friends over at Vortex of Sound are holding a big one all month!

Game PC Audio Card Guide - Mark @ 20:52 EST

Game PC has posted an Audio Card Guide that unfortunately has quite a few errors. The API and Chip Set section in particular has major errors in almost every description. Here are just a few examples - Aureal uses HRTFs in 4 speaker mode and not just 2 speaker and headphone mode as they indicate, Sensaura and QSound are not APIs, DS3D is not written to 4 speakers, Sensaura's technology supports EAX 2.0, there is no QSound chip and the Trident chips don't support a 4DWave API (no such thing!), they support DS3D with EAX and translate A3D 1.x to DS3D). In fact the entire article illustrates a lack of understanding of audio APIs with related errors through out. Moving along, I completely disagree with their statement that Creative and Aureal products tend to have the most solid drivers. Our testing of multiple sound cards has found very solid drivers in a variety of products using Sensaura's and QSound's technology as well as Creative's and Aureal's products. Lastly, given that you are reading our news, I expect you would also disagree with their conclusion that the audio market is not nearly as exciting as the video market!
News Source: Anandtech

MidiLand Introduces ADS-2000 - Mark @ 19:11 EST

MidiLand today officially announced the ADS-2000, an all-purpose, multi-function Audio Digital Control Station that gives users 5.1 surround sound decoding along with a LCD display and remote control which allows easy access to the function controls of the ADS-2000. This station allows refinement of the sound output through functions such as independent volume controls for each channel. The specs for MidiLand's S4-8200 which uses this decoder mention power, test, mute and enter as some of the controls on the ADS-2000 along with mode. All modes are clearly indicated on the large LCD screen. No detail yet on the various modes but some logical assumptions would be Dolby Digital, bypass, Prologic, Music along with speaker configuration. The station includes digital S/PDIF inputs for COAXIAL and OPTICAL cables. Furthermore, there are G9 and Phone jack outputs for the six separate channels. A 12V DC adapter is included. The ADS-2000 will be available at a MSRP of $149.99.

Do MP3 encoders sound different? - Mikael @ 10:45 EST

That's the title of an article at Ars Technica where they test the Fraunhofer, Xing, Blade and LAME encoders at various bit rates. The article/review has both listening tests and graphs to you show the difference between the encoders and different bit rates.
News Source: 3DAI

Nerf Arena Blast 1.2 patch - Mikael @ 10:00 EST

A patch to bring the Nerf Arena retail version 1.0 or 1.1 to 1.2 has just been released. No idea what's new but you can grab the patch from 3dfiles. The game uses the Unreal engine and I know that at one point did support 3D sound but it's not on Creative's or Aureal's list at the moment so possible it now uses the 224 Unreal code that broke A3D and EAX or 225 that broke just A3D. Could of course also use the UT code in which case it would support A3D 2.0 and EAX. You can buy it for $20 from Gamestop where you as usual can also find some info about the game.

Creative Launches Eagle at Game Developers Conference - Mark @ 07:45 EST

Creative Labs has announced its EAGLE 3D audio modeling tool is now being freely distributed to enhance and promote EAX (Environmental Audio Extensions) implementation in future game titles. According to Creative, EAGLE is a powerful, yet simple to use tool, that gives sound designers complete control over Environmental Audio effects used in their applications thus allowing the effects to be rendered in real-time by cards supporting EAX including of course Creative's own Sound Blaster Live! line. The announcement notes that EAGLE will offer a comprehensive set of tools, which will allow the sound designer to easily create a variety of different audio data sets, or models. These models include: unique environments which simulate reflection and reverberation properties of a room; source property sets which provide initialization parameters for sounds such as distance attenuation and sound cones; and obstacle behavior models that simulate the effects of sound moving through, and around, doors, boxes, windows or other virtual objects. In addition, EAGLE aids the sound designer in creating these models by providing interactive 3D graphical representations as well as real-time auditioning of multiple data sets. For lots more on EAGLE you can check out today's announcement as well as a page that we have put together with all the info that we have on EAGLE (based on info to be provided at GDC).

Soundcard round-up in French - Mikael @ 02:40 EST

Hardware-Fr has posted a comparison of 3 sound cards, SB Live1024, Fortissimo (uses the YMF744 chip) and the Vortex 2 based Outrageous 3D Sound. The reviews are in French so unless you speak that language you probably won't get much out of the comparison beyond the benchmarks. You can of course use Babelfish but don't expect a perfect translation. In addition to this review they also articles about EAX, A3D and Sensaura.

New Open-Source, Cross-Platform 3D-Audio library - Mikael @ 02:23 EST

Loki Entertainment Software, the leading publisher of commercial games for the Linux operating system, Wednesday announced a multi-company project to create and distribute OpenAL, an open-source, cross-platform 3D-Audio library. Prior to OpenAL, there was no standard way to implement 3D-Audio for Linux. Because the proprietary audio libraries for Mac and Windows are not compatible with Linux, Loki decided to create an audio API that would be both cross-platform and open-source. The press release mentions that Creative Technology helped Loki in their effort and that Creative plans to release Linux drivers that will work with OpenAL, and which natively support the advanced 3D-Audio effects which OpenAL enables. In addition, Creative is evaluating MacOS and Windows implementations of the OpenAL standard.

The first game that will use OpenAL will be the Linux version of Activision's Heavy Gear II, which is expected to be released later this month. You can check out the press release for more details and the new OpenAL site where you will learn that it's the I3DL1 and I3DL2 standards this new API uses.

Wednesday, March 08, 2000

Teamsound v.3.0 Released - Mark @ 22:44 EST

TeamSound is a voice conferencing program for game players that provides clear sound quality, text-to-speech synthesis for coordinating actions on the battlefield and a robust command and control system for listening on multiple channels, talking across channels and much more. Features added since the first release include support for games like BattleZone 2, Rogue Spear and Half-Life. It also now includes a NT service for dedicated operation and due to the overwhelming response is now located on its own website, www.teamsound.com
News Source: Voodoo Extreme

Creative shares soar to new record high - Mark @ 22:25 EST

According to a Reuters story on Yahoo, Creative Technology shares surged another eight percent to a new record high of S$51.30 on Wednesday, extending Tuesday's gains on optimism over its sound card innovations and Internet investments. An interesting bit in the story is J.M. Sassoon analyst Gregory Yap said enthusiasm for Creative shares could also be due to huge demand for Sony's new Playstation2, for which Creative is launching a surround sound system.

Die Hard Trilogy 2:Viva Las Vegas In Stores - Mark @ 22:11 EST

According to Avault, the A3D 2.0 supporting Die Hard Trilogy 2 is now in stores. You can order it online for only $29.95 from Gamestop where you will also find more information about the game.

SQ2500 Review - Mark @ 22:05 EST

System Logic has posted a review of Aureal's SQ2500 sound card. Their historical overview is wrong as the A3D API came before that Vortex sound card and the original Monster Sound and subsequent M80 and MX200 cards all used chips other than the Vortex1. It was some time later that Aureal launched the Vortex1. As the review noted, the Live was launched a few months prior to the Vortex 2. Also worth noting that while the SQ1500 and 2500 are Aureal's first retail cards, Aureal made Vortex1 and 2 cards for partners long before the launch of their own retail line. Moving along, the CODEC has nothing to do with the cards wavetable support and there is no on board sample set, with system memory used across the PCI bus. Its again worth noting that most Minidisc players use an optical input and not the COAX input as suggested in the review and all Vortex 2 cards offer 32, 44.1 and 48 kHz digital output rates. Finally, they note that enabling A3D in games causes a CPU hit. That's not quite true. A3D 2.0/3.0 with wavetracing causes a CPU hit because of the reflections calculations done on the host. Without reflections, enabling A3D is pretty well painless. Overall they come to a very positive impression as do we in our own (pre reverb / EAX driver) review of the SQ2500.

SB Live Enhances Top of the Line HP Pavilion Home PC - Mark @ 21:23 EST

Creative today announced that it will provide Hewlett-Packard Company with the Creative Sound Blasterr Live!(TM) and the 3D Blasterr Annihilator(TM) Pro with DDR memory for the HP Pavilion 1G PC. For more details check out the press release.

Altec Lansing ATP3 Review - Mark @ 21:19 EST

The Tech Zone has posted a review of Altec Lansing's ATP3 3 piece speaker system. This futuristic looking system sports an unusual satellite design with two tweeters in the upper part of each satellite and a 3" driver facing downward in the base of each satellite. Overall, I think the reviewer makes too much of the impact of having separate tweeter and midrange drivers in each satellite on game audio quality (the main benefit should be music) and seems far too positive in the commentary for a $99 system, but its well worth the read if you are looking for a new three piece system.
News Source: Anandtech

Microsoft Previews Next Version of DirectX at GDC 2000 - Mark @ 21:03 EST

This week at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) Microsoft will preview for software developers the next version of its powerful game-development DirectXr application programming interface (API). According to Ted Hase, group program manager for DirectX at Microsoft the next generation of DirectX will enable developers to create applications with real-time voice communication; complex musical scores; rich, ambient sound; and real-time and photo-realistic graphics. Hase goes on to note that ``the most significant advances will be seen in our advanced audio DirectMusicr API and the DirectPlayr networking API.'' The next version of DirectX will include substantial improvement in DirectX audio technologies. In response to developer feedback, the DirectSoundr and DirectMusic APIs have been combined to create a new unified audio architecture combining the best of both APIs. According to Chanel Summers, audio technical evangelist for DirectX at Microsoft, ``DirectX audio will enable developers, composers and sound designers to deliver motion-picture-quality interactive music and sound effects in games,'' Summers also notes that ``the next generation of DirectMusic provides real-time services and processing typically used by recording industry professionals.'' The DirectMusic synthesizer will be upgraded to support DownLoadable Sounds Level 2 (DLS2), a powerful next-generation technology for music and sound generation. Prerecorded music can be utilized interactively, providing the ultimate combination of sound quality and real-time response to game action. All good new for sound fans! For lots more details on other aspects of the next version of Direct X check out the full announcement.

ProMedia v2-400 Speaker Review - Mark @ 20:34 EST

GamePC has posted a review of the ProMedia v2-400 speaker system. As per the usual a few comments (quite a few actually!). First off, its important to note that watts RMS is not an indication of speaker loudness. You can see this in our Sirocco Crossfire review where the lower wattage Crossfire is just as loud. The GamePC reviewer also notes that the ProMedias "unlike other high quality speaker sets, they don't emit a "buzzing" sound when not playing audio". I have no idea what they are talking about here as I know of NO high quality speaker set that puts out a buzzing noise when not playing audio and in fact if you read our ProMedia review you will know that at least with the high gain amplifier that our unit shipped with, hiss while the system is at rest was for some people the one kink in the ProMedia armour. The reviewer also quite confused about the ProMedia's THX certification as you can see:

Of course, one of the major selling points of this system is that it's the first computer audio speaker set that's been granted the "THX capable" label, meaning that's certified by Lucasfilms for playing THX enabled movies/games. Since there aren't a whole lot of movies, or games that use THX right now, it was kind of hard to test. Even being granted the title of being THX certified is an incredible task of it's own, it truly says these are movie-quality speakers. From what we know, one of the only games to support THX is EA's Ultima Acsension, although we didn't test it, (we bet it sounds real nice though!)

The review continues with more erroneous statements about the ProMedias support for Dolby Digital, Dolby Prologic and Dolby Surround and a phantom center channel! Yes the ProMedias play sound when plugged into a decoder such as a Dolby Digital unit but so does any other 4.1 or 5.1 speaker system plugged into the unit. The phantom center channel they attribute to the ProMedia is again courtesy of a software or hardware AC3/DTS decoder and absolutely nothing to do with the ProMedia. Bottom line, its all in the decoder and there is NO decoder in the ProMedias. One thing we agree on with this review is the ProMedia is a fantastic speaker system thats in an elite group along with Videologic's Crossfire and probably Boston Acoustics BA4800 and Altec Lansings ADA885 (the latter two we have not tested). For lots more on these high end multimedia systems you can check out our ProMedia Review and Sirocco Crossfire review.
News Source: AGNHardware

Boston Acoustics BA4800 Review - Mark @ 13:17 EST

Electronics Review Zone has posted a review of Boston Acoustics' new BA4800 quad speaker system. The review does a lot of comparisons to the BA Media Theater system which is great if you are familiar with that system. One thing of note is despite what you will read in this review, many other systems in fact do have power and volume controls in handy locations (i.e. not on the subwoofer). While there are a few other comments I could make they are not critical so I will leave it at they come to the same positive conclusion as the other BA4800 reviews I have seen to date. For even more impressions check out the forum link below and other posts in our forum and look for our own review sometime this month (the system is supposed to arrive this week)
News Source: 3DSS Forum

Cambridge Soundworks DTT2500 Review - Mark @ 07:59 EST

Penstar Systems has posted a review of Cambridge Soundworks DTT2500 Digital DeskTop Theater 5.1. One thing to note is I thought that newer DTT2500 boxes will ship with the mini-jack to DIN cable to allow a connection between the new SB Live! cards but I need to confirm that with Creative. A couple other points of note are I did not find that using the DIN connection made any difference with respect to reduced amplifier distortion at higher levels and unlike this reviewer, I do get distortion at higher volumes. Overall I also think that the DTT2500 is an very good system, not one thats at the top of the class in any one aspect, but one that puts all the pieces together like no one before them. For more details you can check out our own review.

Dreamland will support Aureal A3D 2.0 - Mikael @ 07:25 EST

Dreamland developed by Mythos Games that Bethesda Softworks will publish has just been added to Aureal's A3D list. According to Aureal it will support A3D 2.0 when it ships late this year. You can check out Bethesda Softworks press release for some details about the game
News Source: Aureal A3D Central

Croc 2 is shipping - Mikael @ 07:14 EST

Fox Interactive yesterday announced that it has shipped Croc 2 for the PC to retail stores in US. It will support DS3D with EAX and according to Creative's EAX list the demo which you can grab from Fox supports EAX. You can pick up the copy of this inexpensive game ($20) from Gamestop where you can also read a description of it.
News Source: Avault

Dolby Brings 5.1-Channel Surround Sound to Qantas Airlines - Mikael @ 07:12 EST

Dolby announced yesterday that Dolby Headphone technology is now available to Qantas Airlines passengers. Qantas General Manager In-flight Services, Paul Miller, said, ``The new Dolby hi-tech headphone surround sound system, supplied to Qantas by Australian-based Lake Technology Ltd., will be available to passengers on the airline's Boeing 747-400 aircraft through the normal headsets provided in-flight. You can check out the press release for more details.

Creative Ships Industry's First Internet-Centric MP3 Keyboard - Mikael @ 07:11 EST

Creative Technology yesterday announced that the BlasterKey MP3 Keyboard will now be available online and at major music retailers. This first-ever Internet-centric MP3 keyboard has generated strong interest and excitement among music dealers, and garnered several rave reviews since it was first showcased at the Winter NAMM 2000 show in early February. You can check out the press release for more details.

FreeDiskSpace.com Provides MP3 Fans 300 MB Storage - Mikael @ 07:10 EST

FreeDiskSpace.com announces 300MB of storage space open to all MP3 fans. While other sites offer only between 25 and 100MB and ask you to pay or refer friends to receive more, FreeDiskSpace.com offers 300MB just for registering with the site. In addition, MP3 fans can surf all the different MP3 sites and save tracks, files or audio clips directly into their FreeDiskSpace account with just one click by using FreeDiskSpace's new WebClipper feature. Doubt the music industry like these sites. You can find more details in the press release for more details.

QSound Labs Licenses its QHD Technology To Earjam.com - Mikael @ 07:09 EST

QSound Labs has announced that Earjam.com, a leading developer of software and services for the Internet music market, has licensed QSound's QHD(tm) technology for their new Earjam IMP (Internet Music Player) Deluxe software. This enhanced product integrates QSound's latest technology - QHD: High Definition Audio for the Internet. The Earjam IMP - Deluxe will be available in March as a $29.00 upgrade to Earjam customers. QHD was designed specifically to enhance and improve Internet audio. It is a powerful suite of audio tools that includes several innovative QSound technologies: QXpander(TM) a proven 3D stereo sound field enhancement technology QVerb(TM) immersive room effects QBass(TM) restores low frequency energy QSizzle(TM) synthesizes and restores high-frequency. You can find more details in the press release for more details.

Tuesday, March 07, 2000

DS-XG YMF-724 Drivers and a FF8 Fix - Mark @ 23:56 EST

Not sure if we mentioned any of this back in February so we will mention it again. Yamaha has released both WF192XG and WF192D driver versions 1.040 for Windows95/98. Also the NT driver for WF192XG is now up to version 3.028, and for WF192D it is now version 3.128. If you have installed the latest version of the WaveForce 192 Drivers and found that Final Fantasy VIII has stopped working, then you need to download this 2K patch. You can grab the new drivers from the Waveforce site.

Yamaha also has updated generic drivers for other cards/motherboards that use the YMF-724 chip. The Win95 version is the same as the ones at the Waveforce site but the NT version is 4.00.1235 but not sure if its actually any different than the ones at the Waveforce site.
News Source: Voodoo Extreme

Creative Labs PC-DVD RAM 5.2GB SCSI-2 Review - Mark @ 19:30 EST

CNet Computers.com has reviewed the Creative Labs PC-DVD RAM 5.2GB SCSI-2 drive and were not very impressed with the drives speed and as such award it with only a 6/10. For more details check out the review.
News Source: AGNHardware

Marty O'Donnell - Total Audio Interview - Mark @ 19:16 EST

Fragmusic has posted their second installment of Ten Questions" in the form of an interview with Marty O'Donnell. Marty and his partner, Mike Salvatori make up Total Audio - the company responsible for the music from Myst, Riven, Myth, Myst II and soon HALO! Here's a taste:

Q: Has the rapid advance of technology of the past decade had a great affect on how you work?

A: Absolutely, and since we1ve started doing games even more so. It1s definitely the "bleeding edge" and sometimes it1s pretty painful. Last year our studio burned to the ground and we had to rebuild with all new equipment. That meant making some choices between what we were comfortable working with and getting the latest and greatest toys. We probably went with too many new toys. At this point we are doing totally digital, hard disk based recording. Being able to produce in 5.1 Surround Sound is a kick!

SQ2500 Review - Mark @ 13:31 EST

Game Links has posted a review of Aureal's SQ2500 sound card. The review notes (but does not publish) that WinBench CPU usage is much lower on the SQ2500 than other Vortex 2 cards. That's in fact not the case and any differences would be a result of driver changes and directx (Dx7 default is to only do basic stereo panning when the number of hardware sound steams is exceeded) changes and not because of the revised chip. Any performance gains you will see in the new chip will be in games that support wavetracing as correctly illustrated in their review. Its also worth noting that the 3D audio on the SQ2500 is the same quality as what you will get from any other Vortex 2 board. The bottom line is they, like us, come to a positive conclusion on the SQ2500. You can check out our own review for additional details. Both this new review and our own review were done prior to Aureal's release of their EAX supporting 2048 drivers.
News Source: Blue's News

BA4800 Reader Review - Mark @ 12:53 EST

We are still awaiting our BA4800s for review but in the mean time you can check out a short reader review posted in our forum thanks to GTaudiophile.

AVB Sonix S-2000 Flat Panel Speaker Review - Mark @ 12:42 EST

System Logic has posted what is in my view, an overly positive review of the Sonix S-2000 Flat Panel speaker system. For some context I would offer that if you limit your testing to just flat panel systems in the $100 or lower price range then the S-2000 is up at the top but when you introduce similarly priced cone based systems into the picture you can get better overall systems. As I see it, the main reasons for going with the S-2000 are you like the looks and/or you like the wider sound stage they offer compared to most cone based systems. For more on why I feel that way you can check out our own review of the S-2000.
News Source: AGN Hardware

ExtremeDVD will use MusicMatch Jukebox - Mikael @ 06:33 EST

MusicMatch and NetTV yesterday announced a partnership in which the award-winning MusicMatch Jukebox(TM) will be integrated with NetTV's ExtremeDVD digital home entertainment system. Music enthusiasts will be able to acquire, organize, record and play digital music in a traditional home entertainment environment. NetTV will begin bundling MusicMatch Jukebox with the ExtremeDVD product line starting in June of 2000. You can check out the press release for more details.

MusicMatch 5.0 offers up to 320 kbps MP3 encoding for FREE! - Mikael @ 06:32 EST

MusicMatch yesterday announced the release of MusicMatch Jukebox 5.0, which is the first personal jukebox software to offer music consumers free unlimited CD-quality MP3 recording -- a feature offered by other jukebox software providers for a cost of $30. Previous version of MusicMatch has just offered up to 96 kbps for free. Additional key features in MusicMatch Jukebox 5.0 include a powerful new music recommendation and search engine based on proprietary MusicMatch technology and integrated CD-R support for users to create custom audio and data CDs containing up to 150 MP3 and WMA tracks.

With CD-quality encoding in the free version of MusicMatch Jukebox, MusicMatch has packed its $29.99 Plus version with 20 percent faster MP3 encoding, music library and CD jewel case insert printing, advanced equalizer features, and the maximum CD burning speed -- up to 8x. You can check out the press release for more details what differs the free and $30 version.

It will be interesting to see if Creative will offer an upgrade of their Digital Audio Center (DAC) that is a customized version of Music Match. If not it's really a poor choice compared to Music Match 5.0 except MP3+ and Platinum that comes bundled with the full version of DAC, based on Music Match 4.0 so a bit out of date.

Speaking of bundling MusicMatch, Pine yesterday announced that they will bundle Music Match 5.0 with all their soundcards and MP3 players. I guess it's the free version that will be bundled in most if not all cases.

Pocket Digital Audio review - Mikael @ 06:15 EST

Music4Free.com has posted a review of Dynamic Naked Audio's portable MP3 player, Pocket Digital Audio. According to this review the Pocket Digital Audio is the smallest MP3 player available. Here's a bit from the intro

DNA has multiple options for which PDA you would like to purchase. I received the "All in one Package" which is basically the starter kit (which comes with the PDA, 16 mb MMC, MMC reader/writer, and PC connection cable). You can also buy the following separately: the PDA by itself, the PDA 4-mu.com model (same as the PDA but with a clear case and different logo on the case), MMC cards, an MMC reader/writer, the cable for the MMC reader/writer, and even the si-con (physically like a PDA but comes with pre-recorded MMC cards).

Guillemot Maxi Sound Fortissimo review - Mikael @ 05:44 EST

Gamecenter has slapped up a page with their impression of Guillemot's Maxi Sound Fortissimo. The review is based on old drivers so they missed that the card now supports I3DL2 and EAX 2.0. They also list the old bundle and not the new that includes PowerDVD. They mention that Sensaura is an api which isn't correct. They also miss that Unreal Tournament supports DS3D so you will get 3D sound using the Fortissimo and they of course completely missed that there is something called A2D files that will give you 3D sound in Quake3. There is no mention of the quality of the 3D sound or reverb beyond you are better off with a Vortex2 or Live but not sure that's because they found 3D sound and reverb to be lacking or if it was because of no A3D 2.0 and EAX 2.0 support. If you read the review you will find a few bits info that is actually accurate. If you want to get a better idea about this card check out our review.

News Source: Anandtech

Hardware DVD vs. Software DVD - Mikael @ 05:43 EST

Cole3D has posted an article where they compare image quality and CPU usage using a Hardware DVD decoder (Hollywood Plus) and a Software DVD decoder (PowerDVD 2.0 using Viper II which uses 3rd generation Motion Compensation technology). They didn't find image quality to be much different and if anything the software one was best. They later got some e-mail from Sigma Design that pointed out that TV quality will be much better using the Hollywood Plus and that the Hollywood Plus will use the DVD resolution 720x480 which most video cards doesn't support. According to the reviewer the Viper II supports 720x480 though. Could add that I think Sigma Designs comment that cards that doesn't have any hardware decoding and/or can't play at 720x480 the image quality is really lacking is huge exaggeration. To say it may not be better than VHS is nothing else than marketing BS. I would guess that just like this review shows most people will find the Software DVD players (especially WinDVD) image quality to be on par with Hollywood Plus on the monitor if not better.

The hardware decoder of course had less CPU usage. I have to say both numbers of CPU usage is much more than I get with a Dxr3 so I wonder if they had DMA mode enabled.
News Source: Anandtech

Star Wars: Force Commander has gone gold - Mikael @ 04:12 EST

Lucas Arts has just announced that Star Wars: Force Commander has gone gold and be in stores March 20. The game isn't on Creative's EAX list yet but according to Vortex of Sound it will support A3D 1.X and DS3D with EAX.

You can pre-order it from Gamestop for $38 and if you pre-order it from Gamestop now it will include a FREE Soundtrack CD and a mini-strategy guide. Not sure if other places offer that as well.

Week in Review - Mikael @ 02:43 EST

We have posted our latest edition of the 3D Audio Week in Review covering February 28 - March 5. While we did send out the text version last week we forgot to post the HTML version but it's up now so you can now check out the week in review covering February 21 - 27 as well.

This weekly newsletter covers new driver releases, games, patches and demos that support 3D sound including information on any new bugs, bug fixes and other tips. The newsletter now also includes links to all sound related hardware reviews on the web as well as updates on what we did and what we plan to do in the coming week. The 3D Audio Week in Review is a great way for busy people to be right on top of all latest in the PC audio world.

Monday, March 06, 2000

New A3D and A2D Drivers (v3.12) - Mark @ 23:36 EST

Aureal has released new A3D and A2D drivers. According to Vortex of Sound, the new A3D drivers fix a problem with splash screen/sound not appearing and also fix an assertion failure in streaming MP3 files. The A2D drivers fix some reverb oddities on SB Live! sound cards running supported A3D 2.0/3.0 games. For authentic A3D hardware grab the A3D drivers and for the Sound Blaster Live and other not authentic A3D cards grab the A2D drivers to get 3D audio and EAX support from supported A3D 2/3.0 games like Quake 3: Arena.

Quake III Arena Beta 1.16m Patch - Mark @ 20:03 EST

And heres what they say: We anticipate removing the beta tag in the very near future. We have been doing a lot of testing on connection issues, cheat preventions, auto-downloading as well as running a lot of the new mods through it. Things look good, some of the mods heading our way look fantastic! This also contains a CTF version of Q3Tourney6 which is tons of fun for 2 on 2 CTF. I have not downloaded or tried it yet so no idea if it fixes the totally broken A3D that both Mikael, I and others have experienced with the 1.16i and/or j beta point release. You can grab the 4.7MB patch from 3Dfiles and please let us know how this (or other versions) works for you on Vortex 2 hardware.

Microsoft Gamestock Coverage - Mark @ 13:37 EST

Firing Squad has posted full coverage of last week's Gamestock event at Microsoft. Every game in Microsoft's 2000 lineup is covered in this article, along with their 3 new hardware pieces including the voice over net hardware/software package (more details in a recent PR from Plantronics) that according to Firing Squad should work great for those of you in clans and who compete over the net competitively. The report notes that Microsoft's 2000 lineup of games is very strong across the board - everything from action RPG to flight simulator, to action, to RTS, to sports and space combat some of which are sure to have advanced audio support of one sort or another.

Computer Geeks Sound Sale! - Mark @ 13:22 EST

Update: The MX25 cards are already sold out
If you have a Diamond Monster Sound MX300 and want COAX SPDIF out capability you will want to quickly get in on this deal. Computer Geeks is offering the MX-25 for only $11.95! They also have some other very nice deals on speakers and sound cards including the Altec Lansing ADA880 paired with Aureal's SQ1500 for only $149.00 and the 2MB Monster Sound hardware wavetable daughter board (and not the MX200 board that I incorrectly pointed out earlier) that will work with the MX300 for only $9.95.
News Source: Vortex of Sound

Dreamcast can now play MP3 files - Mikael @ 12:46 EST

Planetweb today announced the release of its next generation browser software for Sega Dreamcast which among several other features will now allow you to play MP3 files. So I guess we can now add game consoles to the long list of devices that can play MP3 which includes cars, cellular phones, DVD Players, CD-players, portable CD-players, Palm Size PCs, computers and of course the portable MP3 players.

AVB Sonix S-2000 Flat Panel Reviewed - Mark @ 08:09 EST

In this review will take a look at AVB's S-2000 flat panel system. With the S-2000 AVB is aiming to take advantage of their very strong customer base and the current popularity of flat panel speakers by using exiting flat panel technology from SLAB. This is in the form of two 25 x 12cm flat panels driven by 6 watts RMS each and a subwoofer that uses a 5 r inch driver driven by 20 watts RMS. In a design concept similar to Cambridge Soundworks FPS2000, the S-2000 comes with an on/off switch and volume control that's connected to the subwoofer/amp with an 8 foot cable. All of this comes at an affordable price of $84.98. In this review we will see if the S-2000 has what it takes to be an effective entry into the value priced speaker market. Check out the full review

TeamSound v2.8 Released - Mark @ 08:08 EST

TeamStream, now called TeamSound has been updated to 2.8. TeamSound is a voice conferencing program for game players that provides clear sound quality, text-to-speech synthesis for coordinating actions on the battlefield and a robust command and control system for listening on multiple channels, talking across channels and much more. Features added since the first release include support for games like BattleZone 2, Rogue Spear and Half-Life. It also now includes a NT service for dedicated operation and due to the overwhelming response is now located on its own website, www.teamsound.com
News Source: Voodoo Extreme

Nocturne mods - Mark @ 07:56 EST

If you have the DS3D with EAX 2.0 supporting Nocturne you may be interested in downloading some new add-ons from Spookhouse. I recently beefed up my system just to play this game which will be my first foray back into game reviews.
News Source: Vortex of Sound

Gothic: Unification to Support A3D and DS3D with EAX - Mark @ 07:52 EST

Unification is a brand new action/adventure game from Take 2 Interactive. The player takes control of a three person mission dispatched from Earth to investigate the total loss of contact with a Martian colony. According to an update posted at GA-Source the title will support "EAX and true 3D surround sound" as opposed to false 3d sound ;). We already know from Aureal's list that the game will also support A3D 1.x. For more info and some screen shots check out the GA-Source update.
News Source: Vortex of Sound

Sirocco Crossfire review @ Sharky Extreme - Mikael @ 04:55 EST

Sharky Extreme has posted a review of VideoLogic Systems Sirocco Crossfire which they found to have excellent treble, midrange, and bass presentation. They also mention they will in the near future have a Crossfire vs ProMedia review. You may be interested to know that VideoLogic Systems has also agreed to send us (Mark to be specific) a Crossfire unit so we can do a Sirocco Crossfire vs Klipsch ProMedia comparison in addition to my review of the Crossfire that we posted right before Christmas last year.

DigiTheatre review - Mikael @ 04:49 EST

AGN Hardware has posted their impressions of VideoLogic Systems DigiTheatre and they were quite impressed with the sound this unit deliver giving it 9 out of 10 points. For a second (and similar) opinion you can check out my review of the DigiTheatre from last fall where I go into in a bit more detail how it works with games using 3D sound.

News from February 28 - March 5, 2000

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