Contents: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Safety Instructions Introduction Setup Using the Sound Card Software Troubleshooting Specifications Internal Connectors Regulatory Information in this document is subject to change without notice. © 1998-2000 Creative Technology Ltd. All rights reserved.
Using the Sound Card: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page Using the Sound Card: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Using Sound Blaster Live! Value Running MS-DOS games in Microsoft Windows Selecting the Best Audio Options in a Game Understanding the Installation Program in Windows 98 Second Edition Understanding the System Resource Settings Understanding the Environment Variables Determining Resources MS-DOS Mode Utilities Changing Audio Card Settings Cre
Understanding the Environment Variables: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page Understanding the Environment Variables: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Overview • CTSYN Environment Variable • BLASTER Environment Variable Overview Environment variables are used to pass hardware configuration information to the software in your system.
Understanding the Environment Variables: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Tx Card type. x must be 6. Back to Contents Page file:///C|/Terrys/env_var.
Regulatory: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page Regulatory: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Safety Information • Notice for the USA • Notice for Canada • Compliance • Declaration of Conformity Safety Information CAUTION: This device is intended to be installed by the user in a CSA/TUV/UL certified/listed IBM AT or compatible personal computers in the manufacturer’s defined operator access area.
Regulatory: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Operation with non-certified computers or non-shielded cables may result in interference to radio or television reception. Modifications Any changes or modifications not expressly approved by the grantee of this device could void the user’s authority to operate the device.
Regulatory: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide 1. This device may not cause harmful interference, and 2. This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesirable operation. Ce matériel est conforme à la section 15 des régles FCC. Son Fonctionnement est soumis aux deux conditions suivantes: 1. Le matériel ne peut étre source D’interférences et 2.
MS-DOS Mode Utilities: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page MS-DOS Mode Utilities: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Overview • SBECFG.EXE • SBEMIXER.EXE • SBESET.EXE • SBEGO.EXE Overview The SB Live! Value card includes a few MS-DOS utilities. These utilities require the SB Live! DOS driver SBEINIT.COM to be loaded. SBECFG.EXE Use the SBECFG.EXE utility to obtain the hardware settings and the status of the SB Live! Value card.Typing SBECFG.
MS-DOS Mode Utilities: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide /S:x Synth volume. x can be a value from the range 0 to 127. /W:x Wave volume. x can be a value from the range 0 to 127. /C:x CD audio volume. x can be a value from the range 0 to 127. /M:x Synth MT-32/LAPC-1 mode. For x, 0 is Off, 1 is On. /? View a short description of the parameters.
MS-DOS Mode Utilities: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide -Hx Second DMA channel used by the audio interface. -Pxxx MPU-401 UART interface’s base I/O address. -dx SB Emulation mode. For x, 1 is Off, 0 is On. -wx Set x to 1 to use the Windows-assigned resource configuration. Set x to 0 to use (your) user-assigned resource configuration NOTE: See "Understanding the System Resource Settings" for a list of the possible values.
Safety Instructions: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page Safety Instructions: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide WARNING: Use of controls, adjustments, or procedures other than those specified in this documentation may result in exposure to shock, electrical hazards, and/or mechanical hazards. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Read and understand all instructions before using the sound card.
Introduction: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page Introduction: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Overview • Features and Benefits • System Requirements • Getting More Information Overview With the Sound Blaster Live!— the most powerful sound card ever—taking the industry by storm, Creative now introduces Sound Blaster Live! Value for the mainstream market.
Introduction: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide ● ● ● ● Produce surround-sound audio on your PC with built-in support for two or four analog speakers. 512-Voice Music Synthesis 512-voice capability goes beyond the quality and performance available in most professional music equipment. Using host memory, you can choose from E-mu's 2 MB, 4 MB, or 8 MB SoundFont® professional-quality sample banks for music reproduction. Or use up to 32 MB of memory for amazing SoundFont music fidelity.
Introduction: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Getting More Information See the online User’s Guide for MIDI specifications and connector pin assignments, as well as instructions on using the various applications in your audio package. To access the online User's Guide, click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Creative, point to Sound Blaster Live! Value and select User's Guide. Back to Contents Page file:///C|/Terrys/intro.
Setup: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page Setup: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Installing the Card and Related Peripherals Positioning Your Speakers Connecting Creative PC-DVD Installing Software Back to Contents Page file:///C|/Terrys/setup.
Installing Software: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page Installing Software: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Installing the Software in Windows 98 Second Edition/Windows Millennium Edition Installing the Software in Windows NT 4.0 Installing the Software in Windows 2000 Back to Contents Page file:///C|/Terrys/instalsw.
Using Sound Card Software: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page Using Sound Card Software: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide SB Live! Experience Creative Launcher Creative AudioHQ Creative WaveStudio Creative Recorder Creative PlayCenter Back to Contents Page file:///C|/Terrys/software.
Creative AudioHQ: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page Creative AudioHQ: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Overview • SoundFont Control • Creative Keyboard • Creative Mixer • Speaker Control • Environmental Audio Control Overview AudioHQ can be accessed from Creative Launcher or by opening the Programs menu from the Windows taskbar-click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Creative, point to Sound Blaster Live! Value, and then click AudioHQ.
Creative AudioHQ: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Figure 2. Soundfont Control dialog box where you configure MIDI banks. To configure a MIDI bank: 1. In SoundFont Control, click the Configure Bank tab. 2. In the Select Bank list, select the MIDI bank to configure. 3. Click the Load button and load the SoundFont file you want to the MIDI bank. The latest file loaded always appears at the top of the Bank Stack box. The top of the stack is indicated by an arrow. 4.
Creative AudioHQ: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide You can "spot" hide particular instruments by loading one or more SoundFont files on top of the original. When you clear a SoundFont file, you remove the latest configuration of the main bank and any variation banks, including the latest configuration of instruments on the Configure Instrument tabbed page. Configure an Instrument Figure 3. Soundfont Control dialog box where you configure instruments. To configure an instrument: 1.
Creative AudioHQ: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide 4. Click the Load button and load a SoundFont or single-instrument (for example, .WAV) file. The last file loaded always appears at the top of the Instrument Stack with an arrow pointing to it. 5. To clear an instrument from the stack, select the instrument and then click the Clear button. 6. For faster processing of SoundFont files, the files are loaded into memory.
Creative AudioHQ: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide ● On the Options tabbed page of the SoundFont Control dialog box, select an algorithm from the SoundFont Cache list. To set the amount of cache for SoundFont files: ● On the Options tabbed page of the SoundFont Control dialog box, move the SoundFont Cache slider to set the amount of cache.
Creative AudioHQ: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide You can now use the external MIDI input device to test your sound creation. You can use external MIDI input devices to audition your MIDI banks and instruments. First, connect a MIDI input device to your audio card and then select that device in Creative Keyboard. Test an Instrument To test an instrument: 1. In Creative Keyboard, click the bank and the instrument you want. 2. Click the keys on the keyboard to test the sound.
Creative AudioHQ: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide recording. You can hide or unhide device panels by dragging the borders of the Mixer left or right. Figure 6. Creative Mixer See the online help file for instructions in ● Basic tasks ● Customizing the view ● Mixing, recording and playback Speaker Control Speaker Control allows you to specify your speaker output configuration and the setup of audio source positions for the output.
Creative AudioHQ: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide To configure your speakers or headphones 1. In the Speaker Configuration Output box on the Configuration tabbed page, select the output device you will be using. For best results, select the entry that corresponds to your actual output device. ❍ If you select Headphones, a Headphones icon (representing you) appears at the bottom of the Preview box.
Creative AudioHQ: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide 3. If you cannot get the setup that you want from the list, create your own setup—use the current setup as the basis for change—or import a setup from a file. To import, click the Import Setup button and then select the .SPS file you want. ❍ For headphones or 2-speaker configuration, you can place audio sources anywhere along the top border of the Preview box. Try dragging the audio source icon and hear the resulting panning effect.
Creative AudioHQ: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Learn from the online help how to: ● Configure master effects ❍ Add to or remove effects from an environment ❍ Specify the effect type ❍ Specify the degree or amount of the effect ❍ Edit an effect all the way down to its parameters or building blocks ● Configure source effects, that is, set the amount of the effects to apply on an audio source. ● Configure MIDI playback effects Back to Contents Page file:///C|/Terrys/audiohq.
Troubleshooting: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page Troubleshooting: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Most Common Problems • Uninstalling and Reinstalling the Audio Drivers • Problems Installing Software • Problems With Sound • Problem with Surround Mixer • Insufficient SoundFont Cache • Problems With Joystick • Resolving I/O Conflicts • Problems in Windows NT 4.0 Most Common Problems Table 1.
Troubleshooting: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide The joystick is not working properly in some programs.
Troubleshooting: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Removing Unused Sound Blaster Drivers You may want to remove unused Sound Blaster ISA and PCI audio drivers after you have removed the cards from your computer. To remove the drivers, use the procedure in the previous section, "Reinstalling the Audio Drivers From the Installation Disc".
Troubleshooting: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Check the following: ● The headphones are connected to the Line Out jack. ● In the Speaker applet (click the AudioHQ icon on the taskbar, and then click the Speaker icon), make sure the Output field is set to Headphones. (In the Environment deck of Surround Mixer, make sure that the Speaker entry is Headphones.) In a 4-speaker configuration, there is no sound from the rear speakers.
Troubleshooting: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide No audio output when playing digital files such as.WAV, MIDI files or AVI clips. Possible causes: ● The speaker volume knob (if any) is not set properly. ● The external amplifier or speakers are connected to the wrong jack. ● There is a hardware conflict. ● The output selection in the Configuration tabbed page of the Speaker applet is incorrectly selected.
Troubleshooting: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide which you have panned the source in the Environment deck of Surround Mixer. For example, the CD Audio balance in Windows Volume Control is on the left but in Surround Mixer you have panned the CD Audio to the right. To solve the problem: ● Open that other mixer, and center the balances for all the audio input sources. This ensures that your analog sources will not turn silent when you pan them in Surround Mixer.
Troubleshooting: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Problems With Joystick The joystick port is not working. The audio card’s joystick port conflicts with the system’s joystick port. To solve this problem: ● Disable the audio card’s joystick port and use the system port instead. For details, see "Enabling/Disabling Gameport Joystick Interface" in the section "Changing Audio Card Settings". NOTE: Do not attempt to make changes to the BIOS unless you have experience with system software.
Troubleshooting: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide 6. Make sure that the Use Automatic Settings check box is selected, and click the OK button. 7. Restart your system to allow Windows to reassign resources to your audio card and/ or the conflicting device. NOTE: You can also refer to the Troubleshooting section in the Help file of Windows. Problems in Windows NT 4.0 A Service Control Manager error message appears with one or more other error messages at system restart.
Specifications: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page Specifications: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Features • Connectivity Features PCI Bus Mastering ● PCI Specification Version 2.
Specifications: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide ● Muting and balance control for individual playback sources E-mu Environmental ModelingTM ● Realistic 3D experience that increases depth and breadth in perceived audio ● Highly accurate positioning of audio objects in 3D space ● Exceptional reproduction of various ambient and environmental effects DynaRAMTM ● Dynamically allocating host memory for storing and processing sound samples ● Need not rely on onboard audio card memory Creative M
Internal Connectors: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page Internal Connectors: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide NOTE: A Jack is a one-hole connecting interface whereas a connector consists of many pins. Refer to the online User’s Guide, "Hardware Information", for details on connector pin assignments.
Internal Connectors: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page file:///C|/Terrys/connect.
Connecting Creative PC-DVD: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page Connecting Creative PC-DVD: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide When you are playing your DVD movies or games: If your Encore Dxr2 or MPEG2 decoder card is connected to an external Dolby Digital (AC- 3) decoder such as Desktop Theater 5.
Connecting Creative PC-DVD: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Figure 1. Connecting Creative PC-DVD. Back to Contents Page file:///C|/Terrys/pcdvd.
Determining Resources: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page Determining Resources: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide To find the current SB Live! SB16 Emulation resources in Windows 98 Second Edition: 1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel. 2. In the Control Panel window, double-click the System icon. 3. In the System Properties dialog box, click the Device Manager tab. 4.
Determining Resources: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Resource: Try using Port address 330. Back to Contents Page file:///C|/Terrys/determin.
Understanding the System Resource Settings: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page Understanding the System Resource Settings: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Overview • Input/Output (I/O) Addresses • Interrupt Request (IRQ) Line • Direct Memory Access (DMA) Channel Overview This section explains the following software SB emulation resources—not hardware resources— of your card.
Understanding the System Resource Settings: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Interrupt Request (IRQ) Line An IRQ line is a signal line that a device uses to notify your computer’s central processor that it wants to send or receive data for processing. Table 2. Possible default interrupt request (IRQ) line assignment.
Changing Audio Card Settings: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page Changing Audio Card Settings: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Overview • Enabling/Disabling Gameport Joystick Interface • Enabling/Disabling Other Features Overview You might want to disable interfaces that you are not using to free up resources, for example, when you do not have enough IRQ lines.
Changing Audio Card Settings: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Enabling/Disabling Other Features Use the applets under Creative AudioHQ to enable or disable features such as Stereo Enhancement Effect. To open an AudioHQ applet from the Sound Blaster menu Click the Start button on the taskbar, point to Programs, point to Creative, point to Sound Blaster Live! Value, and then click AudioHQ. Check out the applets within the AudioHQ window.
Using Sound Blaster Live! Value: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page Using Sound Blaster Live! Value: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Every bundled application provides online help to guide you along when you use it. For further information, value-added tips, tricks and plug-ins, check the SB Live! owners’ Web site frequently at http://www.sblive.com.
Creative Launcher: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page Creative Launcher: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Overview • Options • Groups Overview Creative Launcher allows you to organize your desktop and open Creative applications quickly. Figure 1. Creative Launcher. Creative Launcher is installed at the top of your screen. If it does not appear, move your mouse pointer to the top of the screen and Launcher should appear.
Creative Launcher: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide The installation creates a number of group tabs in Launcher that may contain shortcuts to Creative applications such as PlayCenter and Control Panel. It may also contain shortcuts to other applications for your hardware settings, volume control, help files, or demonstration programs by Creative. For details on managing groups and items in Launcher, see its online help. Back to Contents Page file:///C|/Terrys/launcher.
Installing the Card and Related Peripherals: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page Installing the Card and Related Peripherals: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Installing the Sound Card • Installing Related Peripherals Installing the Sound Card WARNING: Do not force the audio card into the slot. If it does not fit properly, gently remove it and try again. 1. Switch off your system and all peripheral devices. 2.
Installing the Card and Related Peripherals: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide NOTE: The joystick connector on your audio card is identical to that on a standard PC game control adapter or the game I/O connector. You can connect any analog joystick with a 15-pin D-shell connector or any device compatible with the standard PC joystick. To use two joysticks, you need a Y-cable splitter.
Installing the Card and Related Peripherals: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page file:///C|/Terrys/installc.
Positioning Your Speakers: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page Positioning Your Speakers: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide If you are using four speakers, place them such that they form the corners of a square with you exactly in the center (as in Figure 1) and that they are angled toward you. Make sure the computer monitor is not blocking the path of your front speakers.
Running MS-DOS games in Microsoft Windows: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page Running MS-DOS games in Microsoft Windows: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Overview • From the MS-DOS box in Windows• In the Windows 98 Second Edition MS-DOS mode Overview Legacy games in the market have been designed for only MS-DOS. SB Live! Value supports MS- DOS games. There are two ways to play MS-DOS games.
Selecting the Best Audio Options in a Game: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page Selecting the Best Audio Options in a Game: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Overview • Music Options • Digital Audio Options Overview Most MS-DOS–based games that provide sound have some procedure for audio setup. These procedures generally present you with a list of popular audio cards or audio devices from which to choose.
Selecting the Best Audio Options in a Game: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Digital Audio Options SB Live! supports Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster Pro, Sound Blaster 16, and Adlib digital audio emulation. If an application provides all these as options, specify the choices in this order: 1. Sound Blaster 16 2. Sound Blaster Pro 3. Sound Blaster 4. Adlib Back to Contents Page file:///C|/Terrys/select.
Understanding the Installation Program in Windows 98 Second Edition Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page Understanding the Installation Program in Windows 98 Second Edition: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Overview • The AUTOEXEC.BAT File Settings • The CONFIG.SYS File Settings Overview The installation program modifies your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files. The AUTOEXEC.
Understanding the Installation Program in Windows 98 Second Edition Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Do not remove the memory manager altogether. Do not attempt to load SBEINIT.COM into high memory when using the NOEMS option if SBEINIT.COM fails to run SBELOAD.EXE or SBECFG.EXE. In the rare case that an MS-DOS game will not work with a memory manager, you will not be able to use the SB Live! Value card with the game. The CONFIG.
Creative Diagnostics: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page Creative Diagnostics: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Creative Diagnostics is an application that allows you to test the audio functions of your sound card easily. With Creative Diagnostics, you can check your system's ability to: ● playback digital audio. ● record digital audio. ● playback MIDI on your sound card's internal MIDI synthesizer. ● playback audio CDs.
SB Live! Experience: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page SB Live! Experience: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Congratulations! You have successfully installed Sound Blaster Live! Value. To enhance your experience, it is highly recommended that you run the SB Live! Experience. SB Live! Experience Demonstrates the many wonderful experiences Sound Blaster Live! can give you.
Creative WaveStudio: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page Creative WaveStudio: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide WaveStudio is a Windows-based application that allows you to perform the following sound editing functions easily: ● Play, edit, and record 8-bit (tape quality) and 16-bit (CD quality) Wave data.
Creative Recorder: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page Creative Recorder: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Recorder is a Windows-based application that allows you to record sounds and music from various input sources (for example, microphone and audio CD) and save them as Wave (.wav) files. Figure 1.
Creative PlayCenter: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page Creative PlayCenter: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide PlayCenter allows you to play most types of media— multimedia files (MIDI, Wave, etc.), audio CDs, and Video CDs—using a single player. Just insert or select your media and PlayCenter does the rest. Figure 1. Creative PlayCenter which lets you play most types of media files.
Installing Software in Windows 98 Second Edition/Windows Millennium Edition: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page Installing Software in Windows 98 Second Edition/Windows Millennium Edition: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide After you have installed the card and switched on your system: ● When the Add New Hardware Wizard dialog box appears, click the Cancel button. Repeat this step when the Add New Hardware Wizard dialog box appears again.
Installing Software in Windows NT 4.0: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page Installing Software in Windows NT 4.0: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Installing the Software • Setting Up Joystick Drivers in Windows NT 4.0 NOTE: You cannot install more than one Sound Blaster audio card of the same type on your computer. Installing the Software The software installation in NT 4.0 includes the installation of audio drivers. 1.
Installing Software in Windows 2000: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide Back to Contents Page Installing Software in Windows 2000: Sound Blaster Live! Value Sound Card User's Guide After you have installed the card and switched on your system, Windows 2000 automatically detects the card and installs the basic audio drivers. When you install the applications, the specific audio drivers for your card will be installed. To install the applications: 1.
