Creative Audigy 2 User Manual

							General Specifications A-1
General Specifications
This section displays the specifications of your Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card and Joystick/MIDI 
bracket*.
FeaturesPCI Bus Mastering
❑PCI Specification Version 2.1 compliant
❑Bus mastering reduces latency and speeds up system performance
Audigy Processor
❑Advanced hardware accelerated digital effects processing
❑32-bit digital processing, which maintains a 192 dB dynamic range
❑Patented 8-point interpolation that reduces distortion to inaudible levels
❑64-voice hardware wavetable synthesizer
❑Professional quality digital mixing and equalization
❑Unlimited size of SoundFont bank can be mapped to host memory (limited by available system 
memory)
High Quality Audio 
Path
❑Mixes analog sources such as CD Audio, Line in, Auxiliary, TAD and PC speaker, Microphone in via 
AC’97 Codec with internal digital sources
❑Playback of 64 audio channels, each at an arbitrary sample rate
*Available with some models of 
the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 card. 
						

							General Specifications A-2
❑32-bit mixing of all digital sources within Audigy 2’s Digital Mixer
❑24-bit Analog-to-Digital conversion of analog inputs at 96 kHz sample rate
❑24-bit Digital-to-Analog conversion of digital sources at 96 kHz to analog 6.1 speaker output
❑24-bit Digital-to-Analog conversion of stereo digital sources at 192 kHz to stereo output
❑16-bit to 24-bit recording sampling rates: 8, 11.025, 16, 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, 48 and 96 kHz
Professional Digital 
Audio Processing
❑Supports Sony/Philips Digital Interface (SPDIF) format of up to 24-bit/96 kHz quality
❑SPDIF output at selectable sampling rate of 48 or 96 kHz
Note:  SPDIF output not available during playback of protected digital audio contents authored with 
DRM (Digital Rights Management) technology
❑Selectable 6-channel SPDIF output to matching digital speaker systems
❑Software switching of SPDIF Input-to-Output (bypass) to minimize cable connection hassle
❑Low latency multitrack recording with ASIO support
Flexible Mixer Control
❑Software playback control of CD Audio, Line In, Auxiliary, TAD, PC speaker, Microphone In, Wave/
DirectSound device, MIDI device and CD Digital (CD SPDIF)
❑Software recording control of Analog Mix (sum of CD Audio, Line In, Auxiliary, TAD, PC speaker) 
Microphone In, Wave/DirectSound device, MIDI device and CD Digital (CD SPDIF)
❑Selectable input source or mixing of various audio sources for recording
❑Adjustable master volume control
❑Separate bass and treble control
❑Front and rear balance control
❑Muting and panning control for mixer sources
THX Certification
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 has received the prestigious THX
® Multimedia Certification award, making it 
the perfect choice for PC audiophiles seeking the very best music and movie experiences.
Dolby Digital (AC-3) 
Decoding
❑Decodes Dolby Digital Surround EX to 6.1 or 5.1 channels or pass-through compressed SPDIF 
bitstream to an external decoder 
						

							General Specifications A-3
❑Bass redirection: enhances bass output to subwoofer for small satellite speaker systems
❑Crossover bass frequency (10–200 Hz): adjustable to standalone subwoofer units for desired bass level
❑Adjustable Center, Rear Center and LFE level control
Creative Multi Speaker 
Surround (CMSS)
❑Multispeaker technology
❑Upmixes mono or stereo sources to 6.1 channels
❑Professional-quality panning and mixing algorithm
SB1394/FireWire 
Compatibility
❑Compliant to IEEE 1394a specification
❑Supports data rates of 100, 200, and 400 Mbps
❑Supports up to 63 IEEE 1394 compatible devices in a daisy-chain configuration
❑Supplies up to 3 watts to IEEE 1394 compatible devices
ConnectivitySound Blaster 
Audigy 2 cardAudio Inputs
❑One line-level analog Line input via stereo jack on rear bracket
❑One mono Microphone analog input via stereo jack on rear bracket
❑CD_IN line-level analog input via 4-pin Molex connector on card
❑AUX_IN line-level analog input via 4-pin Molex connector on card
❑TAD line-level analog input via 4-pin Molex connector on card
❑CD_SPDIF digital input via 2-pin Molex connector on card
Audio Outputs
❑ANALOG/DIGITAL OUT via 4-pole 3.5 mm minijack on rear bracket
 ANALOG OUT: Center and Subwoofer channels 
						

							General Specifications A-4
 DIGITAL OUT: Front, Rear, Center and Subwoofer SPDIF digital outputs
❑Three line-level analog outputs via 3.5 mm minijacks on rear bracket: front, rear, and rear center/
center/subwoofer Line-Outs 1, 2 and 3
❑Stereo headphone (32-ohm load) support on Front Line-Out
SB1394/FireWire Inter-
faces
❑One 2 x 5 pin Internal SB1394/FireWire connector on card
❑One 6-pin SB1394/FireWire port on rear bracket
Interfaces
❑AD_EXT 2 x 20 pin header for connection to Audigy 2 Drive 
❑JOYSTICK 2 x 8 pin header* for connection to the Joystick/MIDI connector (optional attachment)
The 6-pin SB1394/FireWire 
connector/port has a 3 watt 
maximum power output. 
Connect only one high power 
usage device such as the IEEE 
1394 hard disk and CD-RW 
drive to this port unless it is self-
powered. 
						

							B
Troubleshooting and FAQsThis section provides solutions to problems you may encounter 
during installation or normal use. 
						

							Troubleshooting and FAQs B-1
Troubleshooting and FAQs
This appendix provides solutions to problems you may encounter during installation or normal use.
Problems 
Installing 
Software
The installation does not start automatically after the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Installation and 
Applications CD is inserted.
The AutoPlay feature in your Windows system may not be enabled.
To start the installation program through the My Computer shortcut menu:
1. Double-click the My Computer icon on your Windows desktop.
2. In the My Computer window, right-click the CD-ROM drive icon.
3. On the shortcut menu, click Au toP la y and follow the instructions on the screen.
To enable AutoPlay through Auto Insert Notification:
1. Click Start -> Settings -> Control Panel.
2. In the Control Panel window, double-click the System icon.
3. In the System Properties dialog box, click the Device Manager tab and select your CD-ROM drive.
4. Click the Properties button.
5. In the Properties dialog box, click the Settings tab and select Auto Insert Notification.
6. Click the OK button to exit from the dialog box.
 To start the installation program through Windows Explorer:
1. In Windows Explorer, browse to the D:\Audio\Setup folder (where D: represents your CD-ROM 
drive).
2. Double-click the Setup.exe file. 
						

							Troubleshooting and FAQs B-2
Problems with 
Sound
There is unexpected excessive environmental sound or effects when an audio file is played.
The last selected preset is an inappropriate environment for the current audio file.
To switch to an appropriate environment:
1. Click the Audio Effects tab in EAX Console.
2. Click the Enable/Disable Audio Effects check box to clear it.
Note:  The preset box title may change, depending on the effect you select.
No sound from the headphones.
Check the following:
❑The headphones are connected to the Headphones jack.
❑In the Speaker Selection tab of Creative Speaker Settings, the Headphones option is selected in the 
Speaker/Headphone Selection box.
❑In the Basic tab of Creative Surround Mixer, the recording source selected is “What U Hear”.
Individual analog recording sources are not displayed in Creative Surround Mixer.
The following analog recording sources are combined in one recording control called Analog Mix (Line/
CD/TAD/Aux/PC), which is found in the Record panel of the Basic tab:
❑Line-In
❑CD Audio
❑Auxiliary
❑TAD-In
❑PC Speaker
Individual analog recording sources cannot be selected in Creative Surround Mixer.
Five analog recording sources are combined under the selection Analog Mix (Line/CD/TAD/Aux/PC). 
For more information, see “Individual analog recording sources are not displayed in Creative Surround 
Mixer.”  on page B-2. 
						

							Troubleshooting and FAQs B-3
To record an individual analog source:
❑In the  Record  panel of the  Basic tab in Creative Surround  Mixer, make sure the recording source 
selected is  Analog Mix (Line/CD/TAD/Aux/PC) .
❑ In the  Source  panel, mute the analog sources that you do not want to record by clicking the  Speaker 
button to change it to a button with a  red cross sign on it.
No sound from the speakers.
Check the following:
❑ You have connected your speakers to your cards output. 
❑ You have selected the correct source in the  Source panel Creative Surround Mixer. 
❑ If both the above conditions have been met and you still do not get any sound, click the  red plus sign 
above the  Vo l u m e control and check whether the  Digital Output Only check box is selected. If it is, 
you are in the Digital Output Only mode and so must  connect to digital speakers to hear the sound from 
your audio card. See the section  on “Speaker Selection Settings” in  Creative Speaker Setting’s online 
Help for more information.
No audio output when playing digital file s such as .WAV, MIDI files or AVI clips.
Check the following:
❑ The speakers’ volume control knob, if any, is set  at mid-range. Use Creative Surround Mixer to adjust 
the volume, if necessary.
❑ The powered speakers or external amplifier are conn ected to the card’s Line Out or Rear Out jack.
❑ There is no hardware conflict between  the card and a peripheral device. See “Resolving I/O Conflicts”  
on page B-11.
❑ The Speaker selection in Creative Speaker Settin gs corresponds to your speaker or headphone 
configuration.
To check if your audio card is 
producing sound, connect a pair of 
headphones to it. If  you hear sound, 
then the problem is with the 
speakers or connection; if not, the 
problem may lie in the card or 
software configuration. 
						

							Troubleshooting and FAQs B-4
No audio output when playing audio CDs or DOS games that require a CD-ROM.
To solve this problem:
❑Make sure the Analog Audio connector on the CD-ROM drive and the CD In connector on the audio 
card are connected.
❑Enable digital CD playback:
For Windows 98 SE
i. Click Start -> Settings -> Control Panel.
ii. In the Control Panel dialog box, double-click the Multimedia icon.
iii. In the Multimedia Properties dialog box, click the CD Music tab.
iv. Click the Enable digital CD audio for this CD-ROM device check box to select it.
v. Click the OK button.
For Windows Me
i. Click Start -> Settings -> Control Panel.
ii. In the Control Panel dialog box, double-click the System icon.
iii. In the System Properties dialog box, click the Device Manager tab.
iv. Double-click the DVD/CD-ROM drives icon.
Your computer drives will appear.
v. Right-click the disk drive icon. A menu will appear.
vi. Click Properties.
vii. In the Digital CD Playback box of the next dialog box, click the Enable digital CD audio for this 
CD-ROM device check box to select it.
viii.Click the OK button.
For Windows 2000 and Windows XP
i. Click Start -> Settings -> Control Panel.
ii. In the Control Panel dialog box, double-click the System icon.
iii. In the System Properties dialog box, click the Hardware tab.
iv. Click the Device Manager button. 
						

							Troubleshooting and FAQs B-5
v. Double-click the DVD/CD-ROM drives icon.
Your computer drives will appear.
vi. Right-click the disk drive icon. A menu will appear.
vii. Click Properties.
viii.In the Digital CD Playback box of the next dialog box, click the Enable digital CD audio for 
this CD-ROM device check box to select it.
Panning a source sometimes turns off its sound.
This occurs when you are in the Digital Output Only mode and the source’s left-right balance in a software 
mixer application other than Creative Surround Mixer (for example, the Windows Volume Control 
application) is at the opposite end compared to the position to which you have panned the source in the 
Basic tab of Creative Surround Mixer. For example, the CD Audio balance in Windows Volume Control 
is on the left but in Creative Surround Mixer you have panned the CD Audio to the right.
To solve this problem:
Open that other mixer, and center the balances for all the audio input sources.
This ensures that your analog sources will not turn silent when you pan them in Creative Surround Mixer.
Problems with 
File Transfers on 
Some VIA 
Chipset 
Motherboards
After you install the Audigy 2 card on a VIA chipset motherboard, you may have the slight chance of 
seeing one of the following:
When transferring large amounts of data, the computer stops responding (‘hangs’)  or restarts 
itself, OR 
Files transferred from another drive are incomplete or corrupted.
These problems appear in a small number of computers, which contain the VIA VT82C686B controller 
chipset on their motherboards.
To verify if your motherboard has the VT82C686B chipset:
❑Refer to your computer or motherboard manual, or