
	Mikael Hagén and Mark Muschett take a look at 3D sound and Reverb APIs

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Gamer's Guide to 3D sound and reverb APIs

Mikael Hagén and Mark Muschett - Last updated January 8, 2002

Introduction

This article offers a brief explanation of the various 3D sound APIs we list in our reviews, articles and news. ). An API is basically a bunch of instructions that the game developers use to define where the sound should be placed in the 3D space (A3D 1/2/3 and DS3D) or what type of environment you are located in (EAX, I3DL2 and A3D 2/3). Your soundcard, if it supports the API, will then use some clever algorithms to place the sound in 3D space or a reverb algorithm that tries to recreate the sound of the specific environment.

How effectively you will be able to locate the sound depends on the algorithms your soundcard uses, if you use headphones, 2, 4 or 5 speakers and yourself. That is, how well it works is very subjective, particularly when it comes to any virtualized effects.

If your soundcard doesn’t support the API the game may use a software 3D sound/reverb engine or more commonly, stereo panning. The more well known software 3D sound engines available are RSX (part of Miles Sound Systems), QSound's QMixer and the 3D sound engine part of DS3D. When it comes to reverb engines in games the more well known are the one included with the Unreal engine, the one in Half-Life and the one MS licensed from Creative Labs (not the Audigy or Live reverb engine) that’s part of DirectX8.

Articles

A Gamer's Guide to Sensaura 3D Audio

A Gamer's Guide to 3D Sound and Reverb APIs

A Gamer's Guide to 3D Sound and Reverb Engines

A Gamer's Guide to DS3D and A3D 1.x

A Gamer's Guide to EAX

DVD Buyer's Guide

Surround Sound Formats

Virtual Surround Sound Technologies

The Advantages of the Center and LFE channels

Stereo to 4 or 5.1 Expansion Technologies

Bassmanagement

Visit to the Creative EMU Technology Center

Liveware 2.0