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The EA effects can be applied to just about any sound source. I
played an Eurodance CD (using the card's SPDIF digital connection) with the Concert Hall
environment selected and the result was spectacular as I increased the volume. It sounded
as if I were in the front row of a concert taking place inside a large, you guessed it,
concert hall. You can, of course, modify any existing environment or even create
your own. Ah, there's nothing like playing Beastie Boy's Intergalactic in a flying
saucer. |
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The Sound Blaster Live! uses the memory on your PC to hold the sound of the MIDI
instruments. This can be good or bad depending on your system. It may be good in the sense
that you'll be able to load large, high quality MIDI sound banks restricted only by the
amount of memory in your PC, but it's not a good idea for users whose machines are low on
RAM in the first place. By default a 2 Mbyte SoundFont (Creative's form of MIDI
sound library) is loaded, but you can use a whopping 8 Mbyte SoundFont for the best
quality. The 8 Mbyte SoundFont, as expected, sounds great- instruments and effects were
crisper and packed more punch than the 2 Mbyte version. I could not, however, tell much
difference between the 4 and the 8 Mbyte SoundFont, but I believe the quality of the two
matches that of my Turtle Beach Rio. Unfortunately the control panel did not allow
for EA effects to be applied to MIDI. Below you can see that the 8 Mbyte SoundFont
(which actually only takes up a little more than 7 Mbytes) is loaded. |
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The software bundle is massive. It includes Creative's own software (AudioHQ, PlayCenter,
Rhythmania, WaveStudio, and Keytar) along with third party titles (Sound Forge XP 4.0,
Mixman Studio, Cakewalk Express Gold, Parody Parrot, TextAssist, VoiceAssist, and a
special version of Unreal).
I didn't get to try all the software, but I checked out all of Creative's applications,
Sound Forge, Mixman Studio, and Unreal. One surprising feature of the Creative
PlayCenter is its support for a myriad of sound files, including MP3s. Although the
new Windows 98 Media Player also supports MP3 playback, you're better off using the more
full-featured PlayCenter or the popular WinAmp. Keytar let's you horse around with a
variety of guitars. This "application" will probably interest the younger
audience. Rhythmania is MIDI composer that allows you to quickly whip up a song in no
time. Creative's venerable Wave Studio capable, but you may want to use the more powerful
Sound Forge XP 4.0 to edit your sound files instead.
The special version of Unreal uses
Environmental Audio Extensions (EAX), and it sounds substantially different from the
retail version. I noticed the sound field was expanded greatly as all four speakers
were fully utilized and the ambience created as a result felt like a "live"
experience indeed. Doors close with a lasting echo, birds call out in the distance,
the earth rumbles all around you during an earthquake.... The implementation is not
perfect, however, as baddies barely make any noise while attacking and occasionally the
sound cracks up inexplicably.
I must say that Mixman Studio is my
favorite part of the generous software bundle. It basically allows you to become a
recording artist and the mixmaster instantly. After spending five-minutes in the program I
concocted a neat 16-track, 124 BPM techno-reggae song that for some strange reason the
family cats didn't appreciate. Aw well, who ever said cats have good taste? |
