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The Week in
Review: April 8-14, 2002
Last week's features at
3DsoundSurge
Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 THX Certified
System Review
In our latest review we take an in-depth look at the latest high
performance multimedia system from renowned speaker designer, Klipsch. The ProMedia
5.1, a $399 THX® (multimedia speaker) certified 5.1 system delivers 500 watts of power to
five 2-way satellites and a subwoofer with dual 8" drivers! In our review we
have lots of objective and subjective test results comparing the ProMedia 5.1 to systems
such as the Cambridge SoundWorks MegaWorks 510D, Monsoon MM2000, ProMedia 4.1, Logitech
Z-560 and VideoLogic Sirocco Crossfire.
Following our new format we are offering two versions of the review, one very detailed
review and a shorter version for people looking for a faster read. Both versions are
accessed from the
common start/system summary page.:
Last week's sound news
Drivers and bugs
- New Canyon3D 2 reference drivers
ESS has released new (v5046) Windows XP/2000 and Windows ME/98SE reference
drivers. I/O Magic's Storm Surge, Hurricane Extreme and Typhoon Theater all use this
chip. There's no mention of what's new and there is no change in the Sensaura files (the
reverb and 3D sound engine) included.
- Soundcard & Speakers tweak guide Updated
3DSpotlight has once again updated their
extensive (14 pages long) soundcard and speakers guide. As before it covers SB Live!
and Audigy series, Videologic SonicFury, Turtle Beach Santa Cruz, Philips PSC 70x range,
Hercules Game Theater XP & Hercules Fortissimo 2. You will also find generic Windows
configuration tips as well as speaker placement advice.
New games, demos, patches and bugs
- I of the Dragon will feature 3D sound
RPG Vault has conducted an interview
with Slava Pismenny, director of Primal Software, about their upcoming fantasy RPG
titled I of the Dragon. In the detailed review you will find the following info on the
sound front:
Jonric: How much emphasis are you putting on the areas of sound
and music? What sound format are you using, and will you support 3D sound?
Slava Pismenny: Sound is extremely important you feel the world
breathing around you and you believe it. But it's almost impossible to explain in words
that feeling of immersion that you get while playing. Let me just promise that both sound
and music will impress you. The sounds are in wav format, the music - in MP3. Yes, we do
support 3D sound. Doppler effect is interesting to hear in a magic environment.
- Warrior Kings Updated Demo
Microids has released an updated demo of the 3D sound supporting RTS Warrior Kings
including the fixes and improvements that was included in the 1.2 patch for the full game.
You can grab it from the official site or 3D Gamers.
- RUNE soundtrack available for sale
Human Head Studios has announced that it has partnered with Dallas-based Mercenary Studios
to distribute the official soundtrack for Rune, the hit action game for the PC, Macintosh
and PlayStation 2. The soundtrack is available at http://store.mercenarystudios.com. Rune: The Official Soundtrack is a compilation of music tracks from the
original PC and Macintosh game, the Rune - Halls of Valhalla Add-On, and new tracks
created for Rune - Viking Warlord for the PlayStation 2. All tracks have been re-mastered
for maximum quality audio playback. The full press release is available on the official site
Reviews of soundcards, speakers, headphones and MP3
players.
- Creative Sound Blaster Extigy
Digit-Life has posted a technically detailed and overall positive review of Creative's Sound
Blaster Extigy. One thing worth noting is the EAX HD Goldmine demo is not a good
program to test EAX Advanced HD support because of the way that program was implemented.
Despite what that demo might indicate the Extigy does not support the gaming features of
EAX Advanced HD. On the subject of EAX Advanced HD it's worth noting that Jedi Knight 2
utilizes it. One other comment with respect to gaming is having played it for many hours I
would not blame any issues with pops or crackles on Unreal Tournament. GamePC has also posted
a fairly detailed review of Creative Labs Extigy. It includes some complaints but ends
on a positive note. One thing worth noting is the Extigy doesn't support the EAX Advanced
HD for games, only the music enhancements features Creative also use the EAX Advanced HD
name for.
- Maya 7.1 & Maya 7.1 Gold Sound Card
Neoseeker has done a review of
Audiotrak's Maya 7.1 and 7.1 Gold Soundcards. Both these cards are more optimized for
creating/recording music than gaming which means you will find plenty of in/out, high
quality DACs and drivers with low latency rather than featuring 3D sound and reverb
algorithms. It's not clear to me what chip it use and if it
includes some 3D sound or stereo expansion technology that will allow you to take
advantage of the 7.1 or even 5.1 outputs beyond 5.1 output for DVD movies. Checking the
website it's clear the focus is on playing DVD movies using the bundled PowerDVD 3.0 (only
included in the Gold edition). Last I checked with AudioTrack they made clear that the
bundled version does NOT support the DTS-ES or Dolby Digital EX, that is no 6.1 output.
The review is overall positive.
- Logitech Z-560 Speaker Video Review
Live PC has posted a 7 minute video review of Logitech's Z-560 system. It's very
positive review but lacks mention how it compares to any other specific system. When it
comes to the comments about M3D it's worth noting as we done before it should not be used
with games that takes advantage of 3D sound. Now Live PC doesn't say you should just say
it's nice that you have the option, while while possible with this as well as many other
multimedia systems it's not really a good idea so rather uninteresting if possible or not.
- Apple Computer iPod
Envy News has done a
detailed review of Apple's Apple iPod. As you probably now the iPod is a portable MP3
player featuring a 5GB hard drive and FireWire connection. Envy News concludes as several
other that the iPod is the best MP3 player they have seen so far. No major complaints
except maybe the price ($349) even though they are quick to point out this is mostly due
to the 5GB drive.
Other sound news
- DTSE Raises the Bar for DVD-Audio
DTS Entertainment (DTSE), the technology leader DTS, has announced that two exceptional
new DVD-Audio discs will arrive at retail stores on April 30, 2002. The highly-anticipated 5.1 remixes of Queen's legendary A Night At The Opera
will be included in an exclusive DVD-Audio version that offers 96/24 Advanced Resolution
MLP 5.1 tracks for all DVD-Audio players, and DTS-encoded 96/24 tracks for all DTS-capable
5.1 playback systems. These new 5.1 remixes were created by surround innovator, Elliot
Scheiner, along with Queen's original producer, Roy Thomas Baker, and guitarist/co-writer
Brian May, the band's appointed representative. You can find more details in the press release
- ALi Introduces Highly Integrated DVD Chip
Acer Laboratories has introduced a single chip solution for the next generation consumer
electronics market with an advanced integrated DVD Audio/Video (A/V) decoder --
M3325/M3327. ALi's M3325 and M3327 cores are feature-rich and equipped with versatile
functions to enhance consumer electronics manufacturers to design high quality home
entertainment appliances for DVD Players and Set-Top-Box. M3325's
audio algorithms decode MPEG-1 layers 1 and 2, MP3, MPEG-2 multi-channel, Dolby ProLogic
II(TM), Dolby Digital(TM), Digital Theater System (DTS(TM)), High Definition CD (HDCD) and
Microsoft® Windows® Media Audio(TM) (WMA). You can find more details in the press release
- Richard Joesph (audio director) Q&A
Strategy Planet has posted an interview
with audio director at Elixir, Richard Joesph. It focus on the upcoming game Republic.
Here's a couple Q&A
) Music in games is slowly becoming as important as music in
films, although it is rarely mentioned. What do you think will make your music stand out
from the crowd? What is new and innovative about it?
Well for a start it's by James Hannigan. That in itself will make it
stand out! James is highly regarded in the very best circles. He was nominated twice at
the Bafta awards in 2000. He consistently impresses. For Republic Jim has developed a way
of making the music change to suit the mood. I can't go into details obviously but we know
it works well!
3) Creating the many sound effects for the game must be
time-consuming. How long have you and your team actually worked on the audio, and are you
nearly finished yet?
Malin has been spotting sound to Republic's animations since January
2001 !! She still has many more animations to complete. I myself have been assembling
ambiences and spot effects for Republic for about 3 years. We now have a large library of
material for the game including specially recorded authentic vehicles, real anti-war
demonstrations, incidental music pieces for cafes, and we continue to drag the entire
development team in to the studios to bolster our library of crowd chants and yells. We
recorded a couple of hours worth of sims-like speech a year or so ago, and while this has
been useful for the various demos and presentations we have yet to record the 'real
thing'. James has been providing music pieces off and on for about three years too. All in
all I would say that we still have a vast amount of work left to do! Getting it all
working seemlessly in the game will be a major task in itself
- Clint Bajakian (Composer) Interview
Gamespy has posted
an interview with composer Clint Bajakian where they discuss his work within the
industry and involvement with the Sound Department and Game Audio Guild organizations.
Here's a couple interesting Q&A
GameSpy: Are there any soundtracks that stand out as personal
favorites?
Clint Bajakian: Outlaws is my favorite, followed by Escape from Monkey Island and Indiana
Jones and The Infernal Machine
GameSpy: Could you tell us about The Sound Department?
Clint Bajakian: The Sound Department is a San Francisco Bay Area audio production company
with a focus on games. It consists of Julian Kwasneski, a long-time sound design associate
from LucasArts, and myself. It is the next incarnation of C.B. Studios, a corporation I
founded when I left LucasArts. It's amazingly powerful to join forces with Julian and our
strengths compliment each other perfectly. We offer one-stop audio and expect The Sound
Department to continue growing over the years
ave started incorporating orchestras and other high-caliber talents
with their projects. Do you see gaming music working towards a parallel with the rest of
the music industry? Where do you see more room for growth?
Clint Bajakian: The use of real orchestra is an exciting trend for the games industry. I'm
about to work on a score incorporating live orchestra myself (title unannounced) and I'm
very excited. This is a sure sign of positive growth and it's good for everyone involved,
publishers, composers, gamers and session musicians alike.
GameSpy: Any final thoughts you'd like to send to the readers?
Clint Bajakian: The year 2002 is a huge year for game audio. The new consoles have
incredible sound capabilities and money and talent are streaming into the industry. The
new organization, G.A.N.G. that launched at this year's Game Developers Conference
promises to benefit audio for games.
For more news from last week check out our news archive.
Upcoming features at 3DsoundSurge
- Reviews that we are currently working on:
Updated Santa Cruz/Sonic Fury and GameTheaterXP reviews
Hercules Fortissimo II
Terratec DMX Xfire 1024
CMedia CM8738 Reference Review
Full Audigy Review
Full Philips MMS305 Review
- There are several other hardware reviews in the pipeline
including, but not limited to the following:
Guillemot Maxi Sound MUSE
Terratec m3po
DigMedia MusicStore
Philips Seismic Edge
Lots of other stuff on the go in including several guides and major site revisions that we
will soon be releasing more details on.
As always if you have any ideas for products we should review or
features we should do, please let us know.
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