Here's a first-hand account of SB Live!
I hopped along with an analyst friend to Creative's HQ in Singapore for a briefing on the quarter and a demo of SB Live. This thing is the best damn soundcard ever invented. In fact, it is going to be difficult to imagine who will like the card more - gamers, propeller heads, musicians or movie enthusiasts - the ease of use and the sheer power of the EMU10K1 chip caters for everyone and everything!
Just one example - in Unreal, when you near a waterfall, the sound really responds to your distance from the falling water. The reverberation dies down gradually but the clarity of the sound of water crashing down increases. It's just like real life. Then you dive, and the sound becomes muffled. The deeper you go the more muffled the sound becomes. As you surface, the roar becomes clearer. and then you break through the surface and the whole thing roars again. And then you turn, and the sound is behind you, becoming softer as you leave the waterfall behind. Just amazing.
I think the comparison with A3D is just on positional audio. Positional audio is just one small part of SB Live. Actually, placing a sound in 3D space seems quite a baseline thing as far as SB Live is concerned. There was a demo where a "bee" icon was moved around the "room" and you can really sense a bee circling around you, nearer, further, more menacing, less menacing, speeding towards you, or slowing going away. This was, by the way, in an auditorium as big as a cinema. Even as I turned my head to "see" the bee, the effect was still there. I could actually hear it coming from the original direction, although, of course, there was nothing there.
Then there was real-time voice morphing. And using a PC keyboard as a musical instrument, in real time with full orchestral backing. You can even do sequencing, and SB Live will notate the music, in real time. This sort of thing used to cost thousands of dollars.
I'm not a gamer, so I don't know what's important to gamers. But I am a musician, and I know I'll spend hours composing grandiose soundtracks on this thing. There is also a smaller card provided that has all the I/O ports required (including MIDI inputs) and a good looking microphone for any sampling that you want to do.
Oh yeah, I am now the proud owner of an SB Live and CSW Four point surround (they gave us attendees a big discount for reviewer's kits). Have not installed SB Live yet, but the speakers have already wowed my relatives.
Don't believe me. Just go get a demo done for you. |
