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Speaker setup
- Many games use the speaker configuration reported by the operating system so having it set correctly is crucial.
Issues fixed
Sound problems (cracking, delays, missing music/effects, etc.)
No surround sound
- Some games are using old implementation of DirectSound or other sound libraries that result with no surround sound on Windows Vista and newer.
- See also: Restoring Legacy Audio Effects (DirectSound 3D). These solutions may also restore surround sound functionality if the issue is with a game developed before 2008.
Game volume decreases
Can't enable EAX
- EAX effects need a workaround on Windows Vista and newer.
- This might not work for some games using EAX.
Please refer to Restoring Legacy Audio Effects (DirectSound 3D) for more information.
CD music not playing
CD-DA music (shows up as a music CD in media players)
Non-CD-DA music (does not show up as a music CD in media players)
Enabling 7.1 Output In Source Engine Games (Windows Vista and newer)
While many of Valve's games that use the Source Engine may have a 7.1 speaker option, this feature may not function correctly in Vista and newer Windows operating systems. When set to 7.1 output, the game will output to only 5 speakers, leaving the side surround speakers void of sound. This issue is typically present in Source engine games that use Miles Sound System.
Restoring Legacy Audio Effects (DirectSound 3D)
DirectSound is a deprecated component of DirectX. DirectSound 3D was a component of DirectSound that allowed games to use hardware-based audio enhancement features of discrete sound cards. Many Windows-based games developed before the public release of Windows Vista (January 2007) used hardware-accelerated audio effects that are no longer supported in Vista and newer Windows operating systems due to changes made with how Windows handles audio. To resolve this incompatibility, sound device manufacturers developed software to restore legacy audio effects for their respective devices and end users developed workarounds that can be applied to any sound device.
EAX
- Using these solutions may also restore surround sound functionality in games that use DirectSound 3D.
- If the game has a grayed-out or disabled EAX option, using these solutions should allow the option to be enabled.
A3D
- Lists of Aureal 3-Dimensional enabled games can be found here and here
- C-Media based sound cards support A3D 1.0 out of the box, even in Windows Vista (via Xear3D)[1]
References