Jeeze SB LIVE! suck?

[Toxcity]

Hey guys!

I have been having problems with my SoundBlaster LIVE! 5.1 Digital.

It seems to distort any hardware rendered sound.

Like when in BF2142 I switch from software sound to hardware everything seem to crackle.

I have had this card a few years but this is just insane!

Any idea? :wavey:

 

[Rastalovich]

Well, I`m listening to this post to.

Cos frankly my only answer to this is people being shoddy when they`re writing stuff.

I`ve got a very similar setup to u`rself, and I know where u`r coming from. Never used to be an issue... well I tell a lie, the first DeusEx version that came out had it, and a patch later it went away.

I honestly think either the drivers are telling the pc it`s a better sound system than it is (leaning towards the newer creative stuff) or I don`t freakin know, but it`s an issue and it`s tiring !

Having to reset u`r pc coz u decide to play music out of the blue and there`s crackles - wtef.

EDIT: BTW have u tried the very original drivers that were made for this ? cos I`ve been threatening to try putting the old ones back in, luckily I have them on cd

 

[Toxcity]

What do you mean by shoddy writing?

Anywhoo, I have no crackles with music only in games..

 

[NickS]

Update drivers??

 

[Rastalovich]

In this case I`d say Creative being shoddy with their drivers.

Can u tell me what windows calls u`r card ?

Mine`s called an E000 (which could be right or wrong), if u go into control panel and sound options it`ll tell u somewhere.

And and is u`r Creative mixer the blue type or the black one ?

Update drivers??

This is the thing, I think prehaps the older drivers were better. Mine even gives me the option of EAX2.0, I don`t even think my card has that, just EAX.

 

[Toxcity]

Well I remember it to be D000...

I have just unistalled the drivers so I can't be sure.

Could you tell me what driver I should install for best preformance/support?

I have EAX and EAX2.0 but it won't let me use 2.0 ether. And with EAX on it crackles or distorts..

 

[equk]

I have a SBLive USB and had problems with drivers, the ones on the cd installer with the control panel etc were rubbish couldn't hear behind me on cs:s

I ended up removing all the creative rubbish installing the drivers the oldskool way (without the software etc) and now it works ok.

What SBLive do you have?

My really really old SBLive PCI I had started causing problems because of overclocking, but that was years ago (have had 3 soundcards since)

 

[Toxcity]

I have a SoundBlaster LIVE! 5.1 Digital!

But just found that when I install the drivers from the CD is is called just a LIVE!

I believe this is the reason why I can't instll the newer drivers.

EDIT: NOPE! None of the drivers on Creatives website work..

 

[PP Mguire]

Ive had a SB Live! 5.1 Platinum edition before and i never used EAX or any software. Just told XP where the drivers where and that was the end. Never had any problems except BF2 and the SB didnt like my crappy CPU at the time so it was laggy.

 

[Phnom_Penh]

first DeusEx version that came out had it, and a patch later it went away.

There was a problem in Max Payne 2 as well. Once they'd patched it up EAX did the rest. Awsome .

 

[Rastalovich]

Well I remember it to be D000...

I have just unistalled the drivers so I can't be sure.

Could you tell me what driver I should install for best preformance/support?

I have EAX and EAX2.0 but it won't let me use 2.0 ether. And with EAX on it crackles or distorts..

Ok, here`s the deal with Creative. Despite what the box and accessories call the card etc, the only ~real~ way to identify u`r card is to look at a sticker on the rear of it. It`ll read CTxxx or Sxxx or similar.

The D000, as far as I know, is the range in memory where the i/o operates for the card. Think this is why if u move the card, the value can change, due to slot address allocations. U prob got it in slot2 and I got in slot3 (for example). I do know at certain values I get really bad functionality - obviously coz I got it in a slot it doesn`t like. So D000, E000, X000 - could be a key to a performance ??

If u search the creative site for drivers, using the number off the back of the card - not by any other way, it may well just point u to the newest driver pack, which I have installed at the moment - that gives u a creative mixer with a blue backdrop.

Now, my theory is that the older drivers - which I`m not sure u can get from the site, prehaps there could be another source - may offer a more compatible performance. They have a creative mixer with a black background.

Can`t give any more specifics atm, but when I get home I`ll hopefully look some more details.

 

[Toxcity]

Thanks for the help so far dude!

Just to confuse us even more, I have chnage the PCI slot to number 1 and the card is still called D000.

 

[Rastalovich]

Can be that slots work in pairs in terms of resources, u`r bios can hint towards that with IRQ allocations. Often a slot can be paired with 6 usb ports and a network device, stick a card in there and it has to fight with them. (as a bad example)

Some boards used to pair slot1 with agp slot, which sometimes hampered 1 or the other.

Try like slot 7 or 5 hehe (unless it`s a pita)

 

[FarFarAway]

ye it could be an IRQ conflict

 

[Toxcity]

I have tried slot 1 and 3..

I only have 3 PCI slots.. Because of the 2 PCI-E slots..

Anywho I have got my model number of SB0220. I can find drivers but they are even worse than my new driver CD..

I have found that my card is OEM.. Meaning creative won't let me use there drivers..

EDIT: Just checked the IRQs... Looks fine to me, check attactment..

 

[FarFarAway]

OK so uninstall drivers

Turn off, take card out

Boot up into safe mode and run driver cleaner on creative

Turn off, put card back in then boot up

Install original drivers off of CD

Cry when it doesn't work

 

[Toxcity]

Right done!

But EAX is still distorted.. and battlefeild hates hadeware sound..

I guess ill live with it for now..

Save up foe an X-FI :worship:

 

[Rastalovich]

U`r creative mixer is blue-background isn`t it ?

I believe mine is sb0220, is on irq11 also I *think*. (that`s the relationship with the E000/D000 thingy)

 

[FarFarAway]

Right done!

But EAX is still distorted.. and battlefeild hates hadeware sound..

I guess ill live with it for now..

Save up foe an X-FI :worship:

Are you sure your not setting highest quality sound in BF2? Cause that doesn't work with all creative cards?

 

[Toxcity]

Yeah the mixer is blue..

Check the piccar I have attached, Im not sure what it shows but it must be where the D000 comes from..

EDIT - @Kempez- I first put it at low and it distorts loads! then at high its okay but alot of the voices distorted. Medium is the same as high.