3533 development release

Eugene Gavrilov

the 3533 development release is out

download it here: http://kx.maincore.nl/beta/kxdrv3533-update.exe

the changelog:
Some fundamental SoundFont changes:
Fixed modulation, attack, decay, sustain, release formulas
Improved panning quality
Added support for 'Balance' MIDI controller (#8)
Fixed stereo samples support (based on CL behaviour)
Fixed attenuation formulas (based on CL behaviour)
Added 'Synth Compatibility' option
Fixed bug with incorrect patch names for drum channels
MIDI Implementation chart revised
Fixed bug with clicks when using Vienna
Re-distributed sfman32.dll updated (should fix patch name issues with multiple devices)
On-the-fly support for sfArk files added (requires a separate DLL available from their site)
Fixed Optical / Coaxial labelling (a new 10k2-specific slider corresponds to Philips UDA ADC codec connected to the AC97 codec)
(in order to be actived, it is necessary to turn on AC97 master volume ("kxctrl -sac97 0 0")
don't forget to turn it back off by running "kxctrl -sac97 0 9f1f") [EXPERIMENTAL]
Minor GUI improvements
Added 'Enable Balloon Tooltip' option
Fixed bug with 22050Hz recording frequency being rejected
Added support for 96000Hz recording in 'Direct SPDIF Recording' mode (if supported by hardware)
Code handling plugin presets re-written (ALPHA)
Added option to import / export plugin presets (ALPHA)
Added context menu for selecting presets via kX DSP
Fixed bug with saving settings in version-independent format


the known issues:

long delays when changing mixer pages in certain configurations (debug info available)
'aps beeps' (well, actually not only APS) (debug info available)
no GSIF progress
some problems with 'bypass' option after reboot or hybernate (pls report if you experience this bug; provide as much details as possible)
remote IR stops functioning after hybernate under certain circumstances (pls report if you experience this bug)

/Eugene

zss3000

Good,thank you!

zystudio338

Eugene :
3533 is good! but the sfman32.dll 36k Still invalid! why? my card is Audigy 1 WINDOWS XP
Change OLD sfman32.dll 50K Everything is normal!
The Vienna can be then indeed as expected normal usage! Thanks !!!

Eugene Gavrilov

>> but the sfman32.dll 36k Still invalid! why?

what exactly happens?

the sfman32.dll isn't written by me - we use the versions bundled with Creative drivers
so, we cannot guarantee this file to function properly in every configuration

pls provide us with more details...

/Eugene

zss3000

Bug reporting:
While playing a DVD movie with PowerDVD, if audio output is set to be SPDIF, broken voices will be incurred in version 3532 and 3533, but not in 3531. Hopefully this problem can be fixed in the next version.

Eugene Gavrilov

>> broken voices will be incurred in version 3532 and 3533, but not in 3531.

what exactly do you mean? "broken voices"

/E

dawkorn

I2S labels missing in prolog and in/out mixer page

Help file doesnt load correctly from kxmixer


Question -

For recording from a softsynth directly to an audio channel, is it possible to route the I2S channel instead of the ac97 channel, in an effort to clean up the sound going onto the track?

openwrld

when i run vienna, an error window pops up. and 3533 still has a little problem on midi-playback (i dont get what this is about because i couldnt run vienna) - some instruments sound bigger than expected. (not sure but i guess it's not a stereo-sampled one). but 3533 is much better than 3532.

__________________
openwrld

lonekey

have the same problem in winDVD with SPDIF

Eugene Gavrilov

>> I2S labels missing

this is expected. after some testing I think that i2s input was labelled incorrectly
(the i2s connector on the 'original' live seems to be represented by a different slider)
the present name should be 'unknown 1' or smth like that

if you managed to check the =original= 'i2s' connector located on the Live! board - let us know

we cannot test this issue because we don't have the original Live! board

>> Help file doesnt load correctly from kxmixer

what exactly do you mean?
(it loads fine here)

>> have the same problem in winDVD with SPDIF

see above: "what exactly do you mean?"...
(it plays fine here)

>> some instruments sound bigger than expected

I hope you manage to get the details when Vienna issue is fixed
it is probably related to velocity/volume midi controller/ expression midi controller
(well, I almost forgot the 'original' sound from Creative drivers -- so cannot check this at the moment )

>>For recording from a softsynth directly to an audio channel, is it possible to route the I2S channel
>>instead of the ac97 channel, in an effort to clean up the sound going onto the track

if you wish to record your audio via external analog recorder, simply swap front and rear -> this will output the audio data to the i2s 'rear' connector;
you can also use the 'surrounder' plugin and set its 'preset' to 'rear=front'
if you wish to record your synth output via your computer, simply start recording - the 'synth' output is recorded automatically;

>> when i run vienna, an error window pops up

what pop-up?
(Vienna functions correctly here. however, there seem to be a bug with sfman32.dll, the only file from the Creative drivers we are forced to use; -- try using the sfman32.dll file from prev. distribution (3532 or earlier)).

/Eugene

P.S.
PEOPLE, PLEASE MAKE YOUR REPORTS MORE INFORMATIVE
MOST OF THEM ARE COMPLETELY USELESS: "THIS DOESN'T WORK", "THIS SOUNDS STRANGE" etc, etc
ESPECIALLY IF THE MENTIONED ISSUE CANNOT BE EASILY REPRODUCED OR SIMPLY DOESN'T HAPPEN IN OUR ENVIRONMENT

p.p.s.
sorry for my loud post scriptum

openwrld

Sorry for my previous poor post. (to explain that, for my poor english and that i couldnt do almost nothing for the vienna crash)

I solved the Vienna Studio 2.3 crash problem with the sfman32.dll (50kb, from 3532) as you told me. The error window was common pop up window that says 'windows is creating log' or something, when a program crashes.


And the "volume of some instruments" problem was due to the effects with my own DSP setting. I added another xsumm and connectd that with the midi source. Same to the Chorus FX. And I mix them(2 reverb sources, 2 chorus sources each) with Stereo mix (50%/50%) and connected to the main effector (reverb/chorus). (I can't load 2 or more reverb effectors for the device limit. And using APS Everb as the main reverb effector.) When I lower the mix level to 25%/25% I can get the right level. The problem was with the instruements with high chorus settings.

__________________
openwrld

Eugene Gavrilov

>> sfman32 problem:

could you please try the following:
find the file 'sfms32.dll' found in the Creative driver distribution and copy it to windows\system32
(as well as 'sfman32.dll' bundled with 3533)

does it solve the problem with crashes, too?..

/Eugene

openwrld

I tested as you told.

sfms32.dll version 5.12.1.283 from Live&Audigy package 264kb
sfms32.dll version 5.12.1.140 from Latest Live UniDrvPack 264kb

Both work fine with 3533 sfman32.dll without crash on Vienna.


I tried renaming sfms32.dll to sfman32.dll and replaced the 3533 sfman32.dll, and it worked fine, too.

__________________
openwrld

Eugene Gavrilov

>> to openwrld:

thank you very much for your tests!

>> sfman32.dll

so, the problem was with Creative code...
unfortunatelly we cannot re-write this part of the software, because this will
break compatibility with Creative drivers that rely on undocumented sfman32.dll features...

anyway, I'll include sfms32.dll in the next driver release

people using multiple configurations (Creative+kX) - pls check if sfman32.dll+sfms32.dll from the latest Creative drivers [for Audigy/Audigy2] function correctly with kX, too

btw, the 'old' sfman32.dll (50kB) might have problems with patch names under Cubase

/Eugene

Mata Hari

I have an original live (sb0060)
Just hint me a bit where to look, and I'll find it :-)
(am not afraid of poking around with the hardware itself)

zss3000

Eugene :

sorry,I'm not good at English. I mean: While playing a DVD movie with PowerDVD, if audio output is set to be SPDIF in PowerDVD , broken voice ( bad sound?)will be incurred in version 3532 and 3533, but not in 3531.

WinXP Pro SP1
PowerDVD4.0
SB0102 5.1
256 Ram
PIV 2.0

Thanks.

Mata Hari

You are recording asio channels, asio is not controlled by the mixer...

dawkorn

>> Help file doesnt load correctly from kxmixer

what exactly do you mean?
(it loads fine here)

double-click kx tray icon
right-click on kx window/ help

HTML help window comes up empty

--------------------------------------------------------------



>>For recording from a softsynth directly to an audio channel, is it possible to route the I2S channel
>>instead of the ac97 channel, in an effort to clean up the sound going onto the track
if you wish to record your synth output via your computer, simply start recording - the 'synth' output is recorded automatically;

Thank you for your response Eugene!

What you suggest above appears to be midi recording - midi data to a track.

Im asking if its possible,

to use the dsp mixer to route the i2s internal codec stream, directly to the asio 0 and 2, so that while im recording a midi track using a soft synth, im simultaneously recording an audio file of the stream as well.........

It works fine to do this procedure with the ac97 codec internally routed (this is called "what you hear" on the Live Drivers), but on my system, the ac97 fader for recording has to be extremely low (between 20-30) to reduce the amount of noise thats being mixed with the track, and at that low level, the db signal of the track is quite low.

Im trying to get the least amount of noise floor on the audio track, and right now its coming out with a somewhat high noise floor - Acceptable, but not optimal, as you might get with a high end card. Im trying to find a workaround. IS there a solution?

KX is fantastic, and Im happy to be participating in its evolution!

Mata Hari

maybe we should open a new thread for this, but ahwell...

with what are you trying to record?
the wave/directsound devices? or asio recording?

if you want asio recording, then just record 2 tracks at one? one directly from i2c, the other from fx bus 2/3

or even, use a stereo mix dsp effect to mix them together in the mixer, then route them to an asio recording

if you try to record on wave recording, you have to use stereo mix, and then route them to the recL/R of the epilog

dawkorn

with what are you trying to record?
the wave/directsound devices? or asio recording?


----> Im wanting to "internally" route the i2s codec outputs to the asio 0 and 1 inputs,
in an attempt to get as clean a signal as possible onto an audio track, from a soft synth thats playing audio. I want to record realtime audio data, not first record a midi track, then use the midi track to play back and then record the audio - its redundant.

The routing you suggested below, I didnt quite follow?

the suggestion you made is definitely possible using the ac97codec -
routing ac97 1 and 2 in the prolog, to asio 0 and one in the epilog...........

What im trying to uncover is, is that the cleanest way to record "internally/"What you hear" mode?

or

is it possible to use the "cleaner" i2s codec, internally from the "i2s l and r prolog" to somewhere in the epilog?

if the routing below does work on your system, can you clarify it a bit better for me?

Thanks!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
if you want asio recording, then just record 2 tracks at one? one directly from i2c, the other from fx bus 2/3

or even, use a stereo mix dsp effect to mix them together in the mixer, then route them to an asio recording

if you try to record on wave recording, you have to use stereo mix, and then route them to the recL/R of the epilog

Eugene Gavrilov

>> Im wanting to "internally" route the i2s codec outputs to the asio 0 and 1 input

by 'i2s' codec you mean 'the output marked as "rear" located on the back of the card', or, simply, 'what you hear', don't you?

if yes, then the easiest way is to connect the EQ/Timbre outputs to asio0/1
(note the possible loopbacks ) this way you won't need any 'physical' cables and inputs at all

if no, start a new forum thread, pls

------------

dvd playback: try increasing 'ac3 buffers' (settings->setup buffers) -- does it help?
'broken sound': does it sound at all? is it noisy? choppy? or constant beeps? etc..etc..

------------
>> double-click kx tray icon
>> right-click on kx window/ help

confirmed
[strange, right-click kx tray icon / 'help' works...]

/Eugene

Lock

just upgraded driver from 3532 to 3533 dev, and not experiencing any probs - good work Eugene

gooday

I'm sure the 'Broken Sound' he mean is that the sound is not continuous (or solid maybe) but clicks.

Thikasabrik

With this dev release I experienced seemingly random (and infrequent) popping during directsound playback and while idle. Closing kxmixer seemed to prevent this, but I have now reverted to 3532. To be honest I didn't notice a huge difference in midi playback either - apart from reduced occurence of random garbledness in some midis with some soundfonts.

Anyway, I have an SB0060 running on a Soltek mobo (VIA KT133 with 686B southbridge) - Athlon tbird 1000 with 512mb sdram at 133mhz cas2 (4 bank interleave).

If you want me to do some tests I could identify pops more easily using foobar2000 to play a continuous tone.

PS: I have never experienced any of the infamous via/sb live noises with my setup.

Eminos

Yepp, I noticed that to yesterday...Playing mp3s with Winamp3...

/Eminos

stamvas

stamvas/
I had the same bug with my sony MZR70 MD, but with 3531. Dunno if it was an issue or just a bad setting. I tried everythin Eugene suggested but I was not able to correct anything plus I had a dead headphone output.
The sampling rate was also returning to 96000Khz whenever I was setting to another value.
Anyway I downloaded & installed 3533 which has brought back everything in normal without setting anything. The MD records normaly from the optical out and it's level can be adjusted by SPDIF slider on the mixer. Haven't tried the optical in cause my MD doesn't have optical out.

Keep up the excellent work Eugene!!!