April 2002 to June 2002

EAXAHD Games
June 23, 2002

If you haven't, check out the articles at the Sound Blaster web site about the EAXAHD audio in Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast. Rather than using DirectSound3D, the game uses OpenAL. The "EAX enhancement" download offered on the site is actually LucasArts's patch to version 1.03 that fixes other game issues as well as add EAX support.

Also, Soldier of Fortune II with EAXAHD support is now in stores. Both Jedi Outcast and SOF2 were developed by Raven and use the Quake III Arena engine.

Grand Piano One Soundfont v1.8a Released
June 20, 2002

The long-awaited Grand Piano One Soundfont v1.8a has finally released! Now with both DXi soundfont software and SoundBlaster Live!/Audigy soundcard support!

The GP1 v1.8a features:

• Support for both DXi soundfont emulators (such as LiveSynth Pro) and SoundBlaster Live!/Audigy soundcards.
• AVR2 technology with support up to 75 velocity layers.
• 16 high resolution piano presets for different music/playing styles.
• Enhanced stereo piano samples with PSP technology.
• Special optimization for DXi soundfont emulators (for DXi version).
• New EAX presets for SoundBlaster Live!/Audigy users.

For your evaluation, GP1 v1.8a soundfont demos for DXi soundfont software and SoundBlaster Live!/Audigy soundcards along with MP3 demos are free for download. Existing customers can also obtain free upgrades to v1.8a.

File Sharing Doldrums
June 20, 2002

If you've read the news lately, you'll discover that RIAA sued AudioGalaxy.They backed down, and went totally legit by filtering out all copyrighted material. Also, Napster filed for bankruptcy protection. But fear not, another file sharing app called Blubster is making some inroads. Give it a spin!

Grand Piano One Soundfont v1.8
June 15, 2002

The Grand Piano One Soundfont v1.8 will be launched on 18 June 2002! Here are the finalized features of GP1 v1.8:

• New AVR2 technology which delivers unprecedented 75 velocity layers in total for the ultimate piano performance realism.
• Exceptionally low-noise stereo grand piano samples at studio quality.
• PSP technology that delivers accurate stereo piano sound output.
• 15 high-resolution piano presets for different music and playing styles.

CD Copy Protection
June 2, 2002

This site has a comprehensive list of copy-protected CDs, which they aptly call "corrupted CDs."

And surprise! Sony's supposedly high-tech method of copy-protecting CDs, called Key2Audio can be easily defeated by simply using a marker! More: CNN

Creative Buys Stake in THX
June 1, 2002

Short of a press release, its confirmed that Creative was "invited to invest" in George Lucas' THX division. Creative did not divulge the amount or stake that was involved, except to confirm that the purchase rumors were true. A friend of mine joked that we may even see the EAX logo in theaters! More from Singapore Dailies: The Straits Times | The Business Times

Creative's New Portable Speakers
May 31, 2002

Creative is shipping their new US$79.99 TravelSound palm-sized speakers to Europe and Asia. It "provides amazing audio clarity and solid bass for a portable speaker system, with power output totaling 4W," and features a Creative “Wide Stereo Effect." More: Press Release

Creative Buys 60% of THX?
May 30, 2002 (Source: 3DSS)

High Fidelity Review has unconfirmed news that Lucasfilm is selling 60% of THX to Creative for $8,000,000. Unbelievable? For us, its officially a rumor until some press release pops up.

EAX Games
May 26, 2002

The EAX web site is highlighting five games with the EAXAHD technology found on the Audigy. And if you have Jedi Outcast, remember to download the 1.03 patch to enable EAXAHD support. It turns on multi-speaker DS3D positioning and sounds fantastic!

News Roundup
May 12, 2002

• PC Magazine on audio recording on the PC and file swapping services
• Believe it or not, a vulnerability in Winamp: The Register
• Brilliant Digital's sneakware in Kazaa: Uninstallation instructions, Kazaa exec defends actions,
• Napster in the doldrums: CNET, The Register
• Recording companies prevent albums from working in computers: Promo CDs, Celine Dion's album, Warner Japan
• And the reason, they say, is because of loss in music sales: CNET
• Gateway and a commentary on ZDNet takes a stand for copying tunes, while Microsoft takes the other direction
• CNET: DivX, MP3 developers unite for security
• Dolby Laboratories Announces MPEG-4 AAC Licensing Program and a news article on The Register
• Microsoft garners support for Corona, next-generation graphic technology for Windows: CNET
• iRiver's new DataPlay digital audio player: ZDNet

SoundFont Player from E-mu
May 11, 2002

E-mu is retailing a new SoundFont player software. Check it out at the E-mu online shop.

Grand Piano One Beta Test
May 7, 2002

StudioAX sends news of the new GP One:

With the new AVR2 technology, new Performance piano presets and better support with Audigy and Windows 98/Me systems, this new version of GP1 intends to push the envelope further!

The new AVR2 technology is a vast improvement to the already renowned AVR technology which supports up to 75 velocity layers (as opposed to the 32 before), which delivers even higher realism than before.

The new Perform piano preset is a new preset which fully utilizes the new AVR2 technology. It is designed for live performances as well as studio recording sessions. It adds to give a total collection of 65 piano presets.

Now with better support for Windows 95/98/ME systems which fixes PC lockups.

What's better, upgrading to v1.8 from previous versions of GP1 is totally FREE OF CHARGE! If you're our customer and are interested to try the beta GP1 v1.8, please contact us now!

Audigy on Gateway PCs
May 2, 2002

Creative Labs issued a press release announcing that Gateway will be including the Audigy in the Gateway 700 series PCs. It will also be offered as an upgrade option for the Gateway 500 series PCs.

Grand Piano One Soundfont v1.8 Beta Test Coming Soon
May 2, 2002

Some great news from StudioAX:

After hundreds of hours of development, we come close to the beta version of our Grand Piano One. The new version will feature our latest researched AVR2 technology which delivers 70+ velocity layers. It will push the performance realism even further.

Creative's New Product: Prodikeys
May 2, 2002

Stemming from Creative's CEO Sim Wong Hoo's love for music, the Prodikeys was developed for over 2 years and unveiled. This device marries a standard PC keyboard and a music keyboard, with software that lets you tinker with MP3s, learn how to play music, and many other things that's great for picking up music.

Here's a page from Singapore daily, The Straits Times, with a video clip. This page carries the same report, but has a Acrobat PDF diagram on how the Prodikeys works. And here's a slightly business-oriented article on Creative's plans to conquer the Chinese market with a big marketing effort, including using ProdiGirls to demonstrate the Prodikeys. (These pages will probably be removed from the site soon, so check it out now.)

Speaker Reviews
May 2, 2002

Our friends at 3DsoundSurge have two more speakers reviewed: Logitech Z-560 4.1 and Klipsch ProMedia 5.1, both of which are THX certified.

Creative Announces Third Quarter Fiscal 2002 Results
April 23, 2002

Creative posted good results, with gross margins at 33%, beating market and the company's expectations. This is good considering the recent gloomy prospects of the tech sector, and this news sent Creative stocks rising.

CEO Sim Wong Hoo also hints at a new product in the press release: "We will also be announcing, later this week, an exciting and revolutionary new product that will bring a new dimension to music entertainment, which I call interactive music entertainment. This product will also complement the superior audio quality of the Sound Blaster Audigy and Extigy."

Press Releases: America | Asia

Why Sound Blaster 5.1 Contest
April 23, 2002

Creative Asia is running a contest where you stand to win an Audigy Platinum eX. Entries will also be entered into a grand draw, where winners can get an Audigy Platinum eX as well as Creative's top-of-the-line Inspire 5700 speakers!

Windows XP Update for Audigy
April 19, 2002

Microsoft's latest Application Compatibility Update for April 2002 includes an item called "Audigy Utilities - Creative Labs" which presumably fixes some incompatibilities with some of the utilities included with the Audigy cards. You can find the update at Windows Update.

Creative Launches the Nomad Jukebox 3
April 18, 2002

As hinted during the time when the Audigy was released, there would be a Nomad device from Creative that uses the SB1394 FireWire connection, and it is now official! Creative claims close to 30 times the transfer speed of USB, where an entire album of songs can be uploaded in 15 seconds. Plus, the Jukebox 3 has some advancements like 98dB SNR, 22 hour playback with two LiIon batteries (one is optional), 20GB of storage space for approximately 5000 MP3s, and improved EAX effects. Stocks will be rolling into Singapore stores next week, and will be available worldwide in the coming weeks. More: NOMADWorld

Sound Blaster Extigy Application Patch
April 8, 2002

Creative has posted an update which patches the following applications. It can be downloaded here.

• PlayCenter 3.01.22 (to 3.01.23)
• RemoteCenter 1.40.14 (to 1.40.15)
• Recorder 2.00.22 (to 2.00.24)
• Mixer 2.01.11 (to 2.01.12)