Sound Blaster Live!

Sound Blaster Live! is a sound card from Creative Technology. It is a PCI add-on board for PCs.

Overview

"Sound Blaster Live!" (August 1998) saw the introduction of the EMU10K1 processor, a 2.44 million transistor DSP capable of 1000 MIPS for audio processing. The EMU10K1 featured DirectSound acceleration, "EAX" 1.0 and 2.0 (environmental audio extensions, which competed with A3D before the demise of the latter), a high-quality 64-voice sample-based synthesizer (a.k.a. wavetable), and integrated the FX8010 DSP chip for real-time digital audio effects processing.

A major design change from its predecessor (the EMU8000) was that the EMU10K1 used system memory, accessed over the PCI bus, for the wavetable samples, rather than using expensive on-board memory. This was possible at this point because systems were being equipped with far more RAM than previously, and PCI offered far faster and more efficient data transfer than the old ISA bus.

The now-integrated FX8010 was a 32-bit programmable processor (with 1 KB of instruction memory). Effect algorithms were created by a development system that integrated into Microsoft Developer Studio. The effects were written in a language similar to C, and compiled into native FX8010 object code by its compiler, "fxasm". This DSP processed audio, potentially from any input, and could affect the audio with special effects (such as reverb, flanging, or chorus). Previously such functionality was limited to MIDI output, but EMU10K1's DSP could work with any source. Creative used this new ability to maximise their environmental enhancement of game audio, and gave it the name "EAX".

The "Sound Blaster Live!" featured higher audio quality than previous Sound Blasters, as it processed the sound digitally at every stage, and because of its greater chip integration that reduced the analog signal losses of older, larger cards. Unfortunately, digital processing brought some limitations. The DSP had an internal fixed sample rate of 48 kHz, meaning that any recording done at lower sample rates (such as 44.1 kHz or 32 kHz) was first upsampled to 48 kHz and then downsampled again on output. In a production environment with a Sound Blaster Live!, it was generally recommended to use 48 kHz sampling to maintain sound integrity. This resampling created IM distortion within the audio, which can be heard if carefully listened for. Most problematic was that most audio is sampled at 44.1 kHz ("CD quality"), a frequency which is especially difficult to convert to 48 kHz.

Sound Blaster Live! supported multi-speaker output, initially up to a 4-speaker setup. The software referred to this as a "4.1" setup, meaning 4 satellites and a subwoofer. While this is the case, the subwoofer is not on a separate output as it is with 5.1 and higher audio. Instead, a low-pass filter (crossover) within the speaker system removes high and midrange frequencies from the sound card's output for the subwoofer. Games see a "4.1" speaker system as quadraphonic because DirectSound itself offers no subwoofer output in this configuration. [http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.win32.programmer.directx/browse_thread/thread/d07cf88a9f1373b9] This is not limited to Creative sound cards; Aureal, Ensoniq, Philips, and other manufacturers have made cards that use 4 speaker output in the same fashion. Later versions of the Live!, usually called "Live! 5.1", offered 5.1-channel support which adds a center-channel speaker and LFE subwoofer output, most useful for movie watching where Dolby Digital 5.1 is decoded.

The Live! implemented DOS legacy support via Ensoniq's AudioPCI DOS TSR program. Creative acquired Ensoniq in 1998 and, as part of the deal, made use of this highly-compatible ISA sound card emulator with their newer cards. In fact, the Live! uses ".ecw" (Ensoniq Concert Wavetable) files for the wavetable emulation in DOS. The program enables support for many standards, such as Sound Blaster 16, General MIDI, AdLib, among others.

The original Sound Blaster Live! had a proprietary 9-pin mini-DIN connector for digital output that Creative referred to as the "Mini Din." This connector allowed the use of a microphone and digital speakers at the same time. This can not be done with the value and base models of all subsequent Creative sound cards, as they share a single port for S/PDIF digital in/output and microphone connectivity. The Mini-DIN connection was not included in any subsequent Sound Blaster product, however owners of speaker systems that use this as the only digital input may buy an adapter from Creative.

Design Shortcomings

The original SB Live! had a very low noise floor for it's time, however a critical design flaw limited it's application in quadraphonic audio. The two S/P-DIF channels that each provided a stereo pair differed in their Digital to Analog reconstruction. Since the AC'97 chip provided an internal 48 KHz DAC, Creative chose not to implement two identical DAC pipelines, and the front-speaker audio pair was subjected to a different reconstruction and amplification regime to that of the rear channel (as evidenced by differently valued pull-up resistors and filter-capacitors in the area forward of the AC'97 chip, in the specifications of the AC'97 itself, and in the use of different amplifier Op-Amps).

The rear channel was surfaced by a separate, but arguably better Philips DAC, yet the Op-Amp used to boost the signal to output levels had a noticeably different frequency response envelope that was not normalized to the front channel, leaving a "thin and quiet" rear channel. To make matters worse, the rear channel Op-Amp was of the inverting variety without being treated as such, leaving the rear speakers out of phase with the front, requiring switchover. These problems were not encountered by those using the Gold editions' daughterboard 4-speaker digital-output, but the tendancy of the AC'97 chip to fail when used as an input source to medium-impedance musical instruments removed the use of the front channels all-together, although the chip could be sourced from cheaper AC'97 compatible products and soldered into place.

Despite these problems, the original SB Live! can still be used well as a S/P-DIF input/output and MIDI input/output device for network-connected digital audio workstation environments.

Models

ound Blaster Live! and Live! Value

These are the original releases of the Live! family. The Live! Value is identical to the full Live! with the exception that it has color coded plastic connectors instead of gold, lacks the internal CD_SPDIF connector and does not include the extended digital I/O card. For details on the original Live! including the Gold edition, marketing strategy, and design faults, see Sound Blaster Live! (Original)

ound Blaster Live! Platinum

Includes Live! Drive II

ound Blaster Live! 5.1

Live! with added outputs for a center channel speaker and LFE subwoofer channel.

ound Blaster Live! Dell OEM

This card, marketed as a Sound Blaster Live!, did not have the full capabilities of the retail versions of Live! It used a different audio chip, not EMU10K1 but EMU10K1X, that is noticeably smaller with fewer pins. The chip does not accelerate DirectSound in hardware, nor EAX. The sale of this board by Dell created some controversy because it was not obviously marketed as an inferior or cheaper product. The card can be identified by its part number (SB0200/0203). [http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=dim_audio&message.id=39953]

ound Blaster Live! 24-bit

The "Sound Blaster Live! 24-bit" was not actually a member of the Sound Blaster Live! family, because it lacked the EMU10k1/10k2 processor. It was a stripped down version of the Audigy Value, with an SNR of 100 dB, software based EAX, no advanced resolution DVD-Audio Playback, and no Dolby Digital 5.1 or Dolby Digital EX 6.1 playback. A proof of this is that on Linux operating systems, when using the ALSA sound system, the module that is used for the "Sound Blaster Live! 24-bit" is [http://www.alsa-project.org/main/index.php/Matrix:Module-ca0106 snd-ca0106] , while the module that is used by the "Sound Blaster Live!" is [http://www.alsa-project.org/main/index.php/Matrix:Module-emu10k1 snd-emu10k1] .

ee also

*Sound Blaster

External links

* [http://www.3dsoundsurge.com/reviews.html Sound card reviews at 3D Sound Surge]
*The [http://kxproject.lugosoft.com/ kX Audio Driver] is an independent WDM driver for all EMU10K1 and EMU10K2-based soundcards.
* The [http://www.asio4all.com/ ASIO4all Driver] is another independent driver.
* The [http://www.youp-pax.org/ YouP-PAX] is a forum to get modded driver and software for many range of Creative Soundcard Products
* [http://www.georgebreese.com/net/software/#CREATIVE/ GeorgeBreese.com] there is a low-level Patch needed in order to repair crackling/stuttering sound for VIA chipset-based machines.