Dramatically enhance sound quality playback on your PC with any Creative Sound Card.

mrsid · Oct 8, 2006, 07:08 PM

This applies to those of you with Creative Sound Blaster Live all the way to Sound Blaster Audigy 2 series.

After a while of messing around with settings over and over I have figured out a way to fix that "flat" sound you get with typical PC sound systems. All I have to say is that the difference after altering these settings can be quite dramatic.

Simply Load the Eax Console then go to effects, put a check mark on enable audio effects and advanced eq and make sure the preset is set to vocal.

Once that's done, click on the edit button and the EAX control panel - Audio HQ will pop up. Make sure you click on the "Master" Tab then go to Parametrix Equilizer click on it then click on the Parameters button on the bottom.

Once u click on Parameters button, another screen will load up with a bunch of settings. Here are my recommended settings.

Low Gain - Leave as is at 0.00 dB unless u want more bass then feel free to alter it a bit.
Low Cutoff - Leave it at 50.00 Hz
Mid Gain 1 - 6.00 dB
Mid Center 1 - 1900-2000 hz
Mid Width - Leave it at 1.00 octaves
Mid Gain 2 - 6.00 dB
Mid Center 2 - Leave it at 1000.00 Hz
Mid Width 2 - Leave it at 1.00 octaves
High Gain - 8.90 dB
High Cutoff - 4000.00 Hz

Once those are done, click on type and type in the name of the preset u want to save it as.. example "SID" then click on the save button (its a picture of a floppy disc). Then click Ok then you'll be back at the Eax Control Panel Screen. Now click on the "Source" tab and change the original sound to 60% then close and save all changes.

Also if you use winamp, load to EQ and set the preset to "club" preset.

You will notice that the sound is not as flat, and many games (especially in emulators) will sound better and mp3s will sound richer, etc.

ENJOY and please provide feedback. My Guide is not done yet... more to come!

Later on this week I will add a guide on how to get your mp3s to sound even better using a special dsp effect program called Izotope Ozone. Combine this tweak guide, plus Izotope Ozone and a good pc speaker system and you'll get sound just as good as a hi-fi system, maybe even better!

Rawr · Oct 10, 2006, 05:30 AM

Hey thanks for the tip.. just got an Audigy 2 ZS and I have changed my settings to these..but I won't be able to listen to music / games till tomorrow though.

ROBSCIX · Oct 10, 2006, 06:52 PM

If you want a good way to get the best sound out of a Creative card use KX drivers... YOu can say use these settings for eq etc, but that is subjective and based on quite a few different things.. You using all that EQing with Ozone? -No,No, your supposed to turn EQ off in winamp for Ozone to operate properly and give you the analog sound the unit is trying to achieve. Of course sound is subjective so you may like yours that way.. To say EQ settings will make EVERYBODY'S sound better is quite misleading. The way to get better sound is NOT within the EQ. Just my opinion s though, hope that helps. BTW it seems you like to play with setting and such why aren't your running KX loaded with UFX? then you can dial in EQ and such if that's your thing and you will get ALOT better sound then Creative drivers...

**dj_stick** · Oct 10, 2006, 11:04 PM

in addition: your speakers and environment will also affect how you hear the sound, identical speaker systems with identical soundcards + settings will sound vastly different depending on the room they are used in and their orientation

igormusic · Oct 27, 2006, 07:05 PM

Ok, my first post. I recently purchased an Audigy 4 Pro mainly because they have plumetted in price. 2 online stores had this card for one bill last week, although they did sell out fast. You might be able to still get it for that price if they restock.

Now, after I purchased the card I did some research and came accross the KX drivers. I was intimidated at first but decided I had nothing to lose so I went ahead and uninstalled the CL drivers and loaded KX. Wow, what a fascinating piece of s/w. You could spend many, many hours (and probably should), getting familier with this stuff. As for sound quality, I think it improved. The problem is that it is difficult to tell because I can't do side by side comparisons (takes to long to plug/unplug the soundcards and make the s/w changes etc). But I can say the sound is crystal clear and very pleasing to my ears. I was previously using the onboard SoundMax, which really was not that bad. I believe I have probably managed to squeeze the best sound possible from this rig. Here is my config -

Most of my MP3s are 320kbs --> Winamp with <Shibatch mpg123 for input> <HQsoft resampling to 48khz and outputing to Kernel Streaming>. I also use Izotope set to the <warm analog> setting, then on to KX using the default Mixer settings. And all this is feeding Altec Lansing ADA885 speakers.

I'm in my 40's and have been to more than my fair share of live concerts. My ears have paid the price. These days loud music hurts my ears, as does too much bass and treble. So I basically prefer neutral tones at medium listening levels. This has been a huge learing experience and best of all I had fun doing it. THANKS to all that have put in the blood sweat and tears to make this all happen. You are the enablers of the power of the internet. More power to ya.

ROBSCIX · Oct 27, 2006, 07:11 PM

Look for MAX M UFX pack, it provides aome more DSP effects that you can patch in and use to dial your sound in even more. Spend your time learniong the DSP page this is where the power lies. if you mess anything up just right click anywhere in the window and you can reset to default settings..hope this helps.

JRosenfeld · Oct 28, 2006, 08:08 PM

Thanks for the tip, but I prefer to set parametric equaliser to classical and Environment to concert hall, but it's a matter of taste.

ROBSCIX · Oct 28, 2006, 08:11 PM

Which parametric EQ are you talking about?

JRosenfeld · Oct 29, 2006, 12:17 AM

This is what I did, essentially analogous to what you say:

Audio HQ, EAX, Master tab, top left drop down box select Advanced Eq, set it to classical from the second drop down box. If you scroll down, you see the Parametric equalizer entry has been added and set to classical.
Then select Environment in the top left drop down box, set to concert hall in second drop down box. In source, original sound is set to 100%. Reverb, I've set to 90% as I think 100 is a bit too much.

I have the Dell Audigy 2.

ROBSCIX · Oct 29, 2006, 12:29 AM

OK, I just didn't know what EQ you were talking about. I thoguht you may be using the KX drivers. I don't us Creative drivers. I use a audigy 2 ZS and have never had Creative drivers loaded on it. IF your into sound quality more than gaming and EAX then you best bet is KX drivers..they will provide much better sound. Of course this is all my opinion.

classic_leon · Oct 29, 2006, 07:56 AM

It's a nice tip for EQing. Thanks.

ROBSCIX · Oct 29, 2006, 08:57 PM

A touch of Reverb usually sounds great on most music...

Oct 8, 2006, 07:08 PM	#1
mrsid DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 10 Rep Power: 0	Dramatically enhance sound quality playback on your PC with any Creative Sound Card. This applies to those of you with Creative Sound Blaster Live all the way to Sound Blaster Audigy 2 series. After a while of messing around with settings over and over I have figured out a way to fix that "flat" sound you get with typical PC sound systems. All I have to say is that the difference after altering these settings can be quite dramatic. Simply Load the Eax Console then go to effects, put a check mark on enable audio effects and advanced eq and make sure the preset is set to vocal. Once that's done, click on the edit button and the EAX control panel - Audio HQ will pop up. Make sure you click on the "Master" Tab then go to Parametrix Equilizer click on it then click on the Parameters button on the bottom. Once u click on Parameters button, another screen will load up with a bunch of settings. Here are my recommended settings. Low Gain - Leave as is at 0.00 dB unless u want more bass then feel free to alter it a bit. Low Cutoff - Leave it at 50.00 Hz Mid Gain 1 - 6.00 dB Mid Center 1 - 1900-2000 hz Mid Width - Leave it at 1.00 octaves Mid Gain 2 - 6.00 dB Mid Center 2 - Leave it at 1000.00 Hz Mid Width 2 - Leave it at 1.00 octaves High Gain - 8.90 dB High Cutoff - 4000.00 Hz Once those are done, click on type and type in the name of the preset u want to save it as.. example "SID" then click on the save button (its a picture of a floppy disc). Then click Ok then you'll be back at the Eax Control Panel Screen. Now click on the "Source" tab and change the original sound to 60% then close and save all changes. Also if you use winamp, load to EQ and set the preset to "club" preset. You will notice that the sound is not as flat, and many games (especially in emulators) will sound better and mp3s will sound richer, etc. ENJOY and please provide feedback. My Guide is not done yet... more to come! Later on this week I will add a guide on how to get your mp3s to sound even better using a special dsp effect program called Izotope Ozone. Combine this tweak guide, plus Izotope Ozone and a good pc speaker system and you'll get sound just as good as a hi-fi system, maybe even better! Last edited by mrsid; Oct 8, 2006 at 07:13 PM.

Oct 10, 2006, 05:30 AM	#2
Rawr DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 97 Rep Power: 0	Hey thanks for the tip.. just got an Audigy 2 ZS and I have changed my settings to these..but I won't be able to listen to music / games till tomorrow though. __________________ Aspire Silver Turbo Case w/ 6 80mm fans 650w BFG Tech PSU MSi K9A2 Platinum Athlon 64 X2 6000+ 3.0Ghz WD 80Gig 8MB Cache (Windows / Games) WD 200Gig 8MB Cache (Media Drive) Sapphire Toxic HD4850 675 mhz / 1100 mhz 4 Gig Corsair CM2X2048-6400C5 DDR2

Oct 29, 2006, 07:56 AM	#11
classic_leon HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Wu Han, Hu Bei, P.R.China Posts: 1,238 Rep Power: 0	It's a nice tip for EQing. Thanks. __________________ Fashion keeps us alive. YouP-PAX Please visit http://www.A-PAX.co.uk to discuss the computer mods. The latest YouP PAX modded drivers are provided on the site.

Oct 10, 2006, 06:52 PM	#3
ROBSCIX DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 1,732 Rep Power: 0	If you want a good way to get the best sound out of a Creative card use KX drivers... YOu can say use these settings for eq etc, but that is subjective and based on quite a few different things.. You using all that EQing with Ozone? -No,No, your supposed to turn EQ off in winamp for Ozone to operate properly and give you the analog sound the unit is trying to achieve. Of course sound is subjective so you may like yours that way.. To say EQ settings will make EVERYBODY'S sound better is quite misleading. The way to get better sound is NOT within the EQ. Just my opinion s though, hope that helps. BTW it seems you like to play with setting and such why aren't your running KX loaded with UFX? then you can dial in EQ and such if that's your thing and you will get ALOT better sound then Creative drivers...

Oct 27, 2006, 07:05 PM	#5
igormusic DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 6 Rep Power: 0	Ok, my first post. I recently purchased an Audigy 4 Pro mainly because they have plumetted in price. 2 online stores had this card for one bill last week, although they did sell out fast. You might be able to still get it for that price if they restock. Now, after I purchased the card I did some research and came accross the KX drivers. I was intimidated at first but decided I had nothing to lose so I went ahead and uninstalled the CL drivers and loaded KX. Wow, what a fascinating piece of s/w. You could spend many, many hours (and probably should), getting familier with this stuff. As for sound quality, I think it improved. The problem is that it is difficult to tell because I can't do side by side comparisons (takes to long to plug/unplug the soundcards and make the s/w changes etc). But I can say the sound is crystal clear and very pleasing to my ears. I was previously using the onboard SoundMax, which really was not that bad. I believe I have probably managed to squeeze the best sound possible from this rig. Here is my config - Most of my MP3s are 320kbs --> Winamp with <Shibatch mpg123 for input> <HQsoft resampling to 48khz and outputing to Kernel Streaming>. I also use Izotope set to the <warm analog> setting, then on to KX using the default Mixer settings. And all this is feeding Altec Lansing ADA885 speakers. I'm in my 40's and have been to more than my fair share of live concerts. My ears have paid the price. These days loud music hurts my ears, as does too much bass and treble. So I basically prefer neutral tones at medium listening levels. This has been a huge learing experience and best of all I had fun doing it. THANKS to all that have put in the blood sweat and tears to make this all happen. You are the enablers of the power of the internet. More power to ya.

Oct 27, 2006, 07:11 PM	#6
ROBSCIX DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 1,732 Rep Power: 0	Look for MAX M UFX pack, it provides aome more DSP effects that you can patch in and use to dial your sound in even more. Spend your time learniong the DSP page this is where the power lies. if you mess anything up just right click anywhere in the window and you can reset to default settings..hope this helps.

Oct 28, 2006, 08:08 PM	#7
JRosenfeld HardwareHeaven Lover Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 104 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Thanks for the tip, but I prefer to set parametric equaliser to classical and Environment to concert hall, but it's a matter of taste.

Oct 28, 2006, 08:11 PM	#8
ROBSCIX DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 1,732 Rep Power: 0	Which parametric EQ are you talking about?

Oct 29, 2006, 12:17 AM	#9
JRosenfeld HardwareHeaven Lover Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 104 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	This is what I did, essentially analogous to what you say: Audio HQ, EAX, Master tab, top left drop down box select Advanced Eq, set it to classical from the second drop down box. If you scroll down, you see the Parametric equalizer entry has been added and set to classical. Then select Environment in the top left drop down box, set to concert hall in second drop down box. In source, original sound is set to 100%. Reverb, I've set to 90% as I think 100 is a bit too much. I have the Dell Audigy 2.

Oct 29, 2006, 12:29 AM	#10
ROBSCIX DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 1,732 Rep Power: 0	OK, I just didn't know what EQ you were talking about. I thoguht you may be using the KX drivers. I don't us Creative drivers. I use a audigy 2 ZS and have never had Creative drivers loaded on it. IF your into sound quality more than gaming and EAX then you best bet is KX drivers..they will provide much better sound. Of course this is all my opinion.

Oct 29, 2006, 08:57 PM	#12
ROBSCIX DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 1,732 Rep Power: 0	A touch of Reverb usually sounds great on most music...