What is EAX and how do you enable it?

[Clinth]

I have a SoundBlaster X-Gamer 5.1 sound card what is this EAX it keep mentioning? Also what do i need to do if anything to take advantage of it? I currently have 2 speakers hookup to and looking to order so BA 4800 in the veary near future

Thanks
Clinth

 

[Noriaki]

EAX is Environmental Audio eXentions. They supposedly add atmosphere to a games and stuff...personally I think they sound a little silly.

In games if you go into the game setup into Audio settings there should be an option to enable/disable EAX (assuming the game supports it).

If for some odd reason you want a super environment (so all your windows sounds sound like they are coming from a cave, or a bathroom or something) you simply have to click on your sound blaster icon in the system tray (by the clock) and go to Environmental Audio and then there is a pull down box you can select one. You can even make your own custom reverb effects.

On the whole, I think super environments are pretty stupid...but that's my opinion, in games if it's used well it can sound kind of cool, but on the most part it nothing to get excited over.

Just don't get tricked into thinking that EAX is 3D positional audio because it isn't. Creative Labs owns Aureal now, so hopefully they will use A3D in their next cards (A3D is true positional 3D audio) but I doubt it....

 

[Whitedog]

I think you have to have an EAX capable card too, like SB Live whatever, so Older cards won't work...?

 

[EvilDonnyboy]

EAX is positional audio. just approximate, not absolute as with a3D. both have the same effect, except EAX seems more "exagerated" than a3D.

 

[Adrian Tung]

EAX is NOT positional audio. EAX is environmental reverb added to sound effects in games to give them more depth. DirectSound3D is positional audio, and EAX is designed to complement DirectSound3D.


atwl

 

[Noriaki]

Adrian Tung is right.

The SBlive! series uses DirectSound 3D for it's 3D positioning. DS3D is not bad, but it's no where near as good as A3D.

EAX does something entirely different, and is designed as a DirectSound extension. But it does not replace DS3D, it works with it.