I didn't think soundcards made much difference. I'm running a SB pci-64
with GNT-500p speakers (two small satelites with subwoofer). Are you guys
saying I should get the SBLive??
Please help me.
speedracer
Nope. N3 does something very close to this with its reflections and sound
environment mapping, but that requires a Aureal Vortex2 based soundcard such
as the Diamond MX300. All the SB Live will allow you to do is change some
of the enviornmental settings to get reverb, etc. But no true dynamic sound
reflections.
Yes soundcards do make a difference. Better soundcards such as the SBlive
or those based on the Vortex2 chipset can handle many more sounds streams
than say the SB pci-64. And these streams are handled on the card which
cuts down on CPU usage, freeing it up for other tasks such as physics, the
geometry pipeline, etc.
Quite so, GPL doesn't provide support for these immersive sound
technologies (EAX/A3D). All you could do with SBLive and GPL is to create
your own audio environment using AudioHQ's Environmental Audio applet and
have those settings applied to ALL sounds in GPL at ALL times. As an
example, you could create a preset which gives you beefier engine sounds
but since the game itself doesn't support any environmental effects, the
sounds never vary to reflect the changing environment. So no real
env.audio with GPL.
As for the SBLive and reflections, your statement is not entirely
correct. What are true environmental effects, is a matter of opinion; in
my mind true is what sounds believable, no matter how the effects were
generated. Now, with EAX 3.0 SBLive will indeed be capable of outputting
reflection effects. In fact, it is capable of outputting any effects they
program the EMU10K1 to generate. EAX 3.0 will bring these new features to
all SBLive users:
1. Morphing between environments
2. Localized reflection clusters
3. Individual reflections for distant echoes
4. Improved distance cues.
Live!Ware 3.0 was released recently, though initially it's only available
in Americas and only as a CD-ROM. Later on they'll make it available as a
free web download (like Live!Ware 2.0 and 2.1 before). For those in a
hurry, copies of 3.0 are already circulating on the net. I see no reason
to hurry, however, as games will first have to start utilizing these new
features.
---
Antti Markus Peteri
15 miles. your dim light shines from so far away
- Soul Asylum, Promises Broken
However if n3 is your bag sblive doesn't support reflected sounds.. for
these you'd need an a 3d card..
hope this helps clarify more than mystify <G>
--
J.H.Vizoso..... ICQ..37209596
Even a blind squirrel can find a nut...Buddy Baker..
