Random SBLive, KX, and Game things

Zephiris · Sep 7, 2005, 09:39 AM

First off, I'm not a 'musician', I don't currently use my computer, my SBLive, or my KX for much of anything 'professional'. I do rather like how I can completely customize the DSP via KX, and the enhanced audio quality, however.

I was noticing via RightMark Audio Analyzer that my SBLive, being tested by rear out (swapped via drivers) to line in loopback, got very similar quality characteristics to an Audigy Platinum eX.
However, still, mostly the difference between KX and SBLive drivers seems to be a matter of Quality vs Games Support, respectively. Just comparing on the SBLive itself, KX gets a drastically better frequency response, slightly better dynamic and noise range, etc. The SBLive drivers (of which new X-Fi and Audigy 2 drivers work without fail, compared to ancient buggy 2002 SBLive drivers especially) offer better game support, notably getting EAX (and presumably A3D and Sensura3D) correct. However, according to the RightMark 3DSound Data Analyzer, there is effectively NO difference in CPU usage, whatsoever, on an SBLive, between DirectSound3D Software, DirectSound3D Hardware, DirectSound3D Hardware + EAX, OpenAL Software, OpenAL Generic Hardware, and OpenAL SBLive support, no matter what drivers appear to be used, and this includes KX.
This seems like a drastic mystery to me. The only reason I've really been using my SBLive instead of the lovely Aureal Vortex 2 I happen to have lying around (which gets a flat 8% (of which around half the attributed CPU usage just for the Aureal card could very well be the 'icky' modem) or so for hardware support in games, plus drastically higher signal to noise ratio than the SBLive is capable of, despite coming out before), is because it has supported MIDI support (the discontinued Aureal drivers apparently have no/buggy MIDI support on my computer, though supposedly works for others), and a couple of games (GTA San Andreas, for example) appear to deliberately BSOD the machine whenever the Aureal card is inserted.
However, with such dramatically high CPU usage for just putting 'semi-3D' audio through, is this normal, or some odd, bizarre 'fluke' of my Pentium 3 600Mhz machine? Before, I seem to recall that I couldn't even enable DS3D Hardware support with KX drivers, though I've been able to recently, but the fact that this happens across all drivers makes me suspicious. Could it be the analyzer/test's fault? Am I doing something completely wrong with the drivers (all at default settings or so)? Has my computer finally lost its mind? Is there anything I or anyone else could do about it?
Mmf, maybe this isn't the right place, but I've always loved the KX drivers, and you guys probably have the most knowledge about how these thing work, and why they are the way they are. I certainly doubt a Creative Labs engineer would walk over and tell me why the SBLive seems to universally get an insanely high CPU usage for doing such a simple, supposedly hardware supported/accelerated thing. :/ If anyone has any ideas or theories, I'd be very appreciative to hear them, as always. It's getting more and more frustrating to try to switch between drivers and audio cards in frustration with the lack of support (and/or quality) for each.

WinXP (SP2), by the way. I haven't really tested anything on Win98 relating to the SBLive or KX, as the old resource/heap bug with it prevents it from being meaningfully useful for me. -_-;
I hope this is the right place to ask such technical/driver questions, as I don't know of any other place with any real knowledge or expertise.

Sep 7, 2005, 09:39 AM	#1
Zephiris DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 4 Rep Power: 0	Random SBLive, KX, and Game things First off, I'm not a 'musician', I don't currently use my computer, my SBLive, or my KX for much of anything 'professional'. I do rather like how I can completely customize the DSP via KX, and the enhanced audio quality, however. I was noticing via RightMark Audio Analyzer that my SBLive, being tested by rear out (swapped via drivers) to line in loopback, got very similar quality characteristics to an Audigy Platinum eX. However, still, mostly the difference between KX and SBLive drivers seems to be a matter of Quality vs Games Support, respectively. Just comparing on the SBLive itself, KX gets a drastically better frequency response, slightly better dynamic and noise range, etc. The SBLive drivers (of which new X-Fi and Audigy 2 drivers work without fail, compared to ancient buggy 2002 SBLive drivers especially) offer better game support, notably getting EAX (and presumably A3D and Sensura3D) correct. However, according to the RightMark 3DSound Data Analyzer, there is effectively NO difference in CPU usage, whatsoever, on an SBLive, between DirectSound3D Software, DirectSound3D Hardware, DirectSound3D Hardware + EAX, OpenAL Software, OpenAL Generic Hardware, and OpenAL SBLive support, no matter what drivers appear to be used, and this includes KX. This seems like a drastic mystery to me. The only reason I've really been using my SBLive instead of the lovely Aureal Vortex 2 I happen to have lying around (which gets a flat 8% (of which around half the attributed CPU usage just for the Aureal card could very well be the 'icky' modem) or so for hardware support in games, plus drastically higher signal to noise ratio than the SBLive is capable of, despite coming out before), is because it has supported MIDI support (the discontinued Aureal drivers apparently have no/buggy MIDI support on my computer, though supposedly works for others), and a couple of games (GTA San Andreas, for example) appear to deliberately BSOD the machine whenever the Aureal card is inserted. However, with such dramatically high CPU usage for just putting 'semi-3D' audio through, is this normal, or some odd, bizarre 'fluke' of my Pentium 3 600Mhz machine? Before, I seem to recall that I couldn't even enable DS3D Hardware support with KX drivers, though I've been able to recently, but the fact that this happens across all drivers makes me suspicious. Could it be the analyzer/test's fault? Am I doing something completely wrong with the drivers (all at default settings or so)? Has my computer finally lost its mind? Is there anything I or anyone else could do about it? Mmf, maybe this isn't the right place, but I've always loved the KX drivers, and you guys probably have the most knowledge about how these thing work, and why they are the way they are. I certainly doubt a Creative Labs engineer would walk over and tell me why the SBLive seems to universally get an insanely high CPU usage for doing such a simple, supposedly hardware supported/accelerated thing. :/ If anyone has any ideas or theories, I'd be very appreciative to hear them, as always. It's getting more and more frustrating to try to switch between drivers and audio cards in frustration with the lack of support (and/or quality) for each. WinXP (SP2), by the way. I haven't really tested anything on Win98 relating to the SBLive or KX, as the old resource/heap bug with it prevents it from being meaningfully useful for me. -_-; I hope this is the right place to ask such technical/driver questions, as I don't know of any other place with any real knowledge or expertise.