Hello Guys,
It's been a long time since I've been active on BU, so it's pleasant for me to be back again
Last year, I got myself a gaming headphone - so I wanted to experience the power of my X-Fi in UT using CMSS-3D HP. I first tried out OpenAL (using AL-Audio render device) and then the EAX Patch (using Galaxy Audio render device).
OpenAL impression:
In order to do that, I reinstalled UT. I first installed the EAX Patch and the EAX Libraries for certain DM & CTF maps; then I installed the OMP Update (which contains OpenAL 0.2). Next, I configured OpenAL for UT (selecting "AL-Audio" render device, setting amount of channels to "128" and output rate to "44100Hz").
After being done with configuring UT, I set my X-Fi to "Game Mode", enabled CMSS-3D HP and plugged in my new HP.
The Result: UT sounded phantastic - CMSS-3D indeed does a hell of a good job of virtualizing.
EAX (with map libraries) impression:
After trying out OpenAL with my new HP, I wanted to try out the EAX Patch. So, I changed the audio render device back to "Galaxy Audio" (which supports only 32 sound channels) and I enabled ALchemy for UT in order to activate EAX in Windows 7. I did no changes in the X-Fi settings (CMSS-3D HP enabled).
The Result: the sound is not nearly as crisp, rich and accurate as with OpenAL but the EAX reverb (in the maps where it is available, e.g. CTF-EternalCave) is ETHEREAL!!!!11111 (especially when listening through headphones!!) - lightyears suporior to OpenAL! I didn't expect the reverb to be so good - and especially I didn't expect it to humiliatingly outperform OpenAL...
It's important to mention, that the EAX reverb effects make only sense when using a headphone - I've also a 7.1 speaker setup (cheap, but quite good!) and tried the same effects using Galaxy Render Device + EAX + ALchemy (but no CMSS-3D this time - it's not necessary for most games when using speakers instead of headphones) and the same reverb effects sound pretty unrealistic and unsatisfying - the general 3D and surround sound perception is shitty and the reverb effects do not add up against this fact...
OpenAL + EAX/ALchemy = no sound or crash
After being totally overwhelmed by the phantastic reverb, it was clear to me that I do not want to miss them - so I had to get them to work in combination with OpenAL somehow. Therefore, I changed the audio render device to "AL-Audio" and I left ALchemy enabled (it is necessary to get EAX to work in UT...).
Then I started UT and loaded a map (one which has an EAX library, of course) to find out if it works. Well, the result is disappointing, but not surprising: now, there is no sound ingame - only music (both menu and ingame) works properly. AFAIR, the game also crashed a few times. Either way, using OpenAL + EAX simultaneously isn't possible (which is no surprise...) - on the other hand, EAX seems to be necessary to enable the reverb effects certain maps offer... (after disabling ALchemy, the sound was working properly again - but I couldn't hear any of the reverb effects, which do work properly when using Galaxy + EAX + ALchemy)
The Bottom Line: Is it yet possible to get OpenAL/AL-Audio Render Device make use of the EAX map libraries anyway? I really don't want to miss them when playing UT with headphones...
Thanks for advise...
M2396
Edit:
I have to correct myself: EAX with OpenAL *IS* possible - that's what ALchemy does... ("translating" DirectSound3D EAX effects to OpenAL EAX/EFX effects, so OpenAL can process and output these effects in Windows Vista and later - in contrast to DS3D, OpenAL is available and working properly in Windows Vista and later Windows OSes)
So, if DS3D EAX effects get "translated" to OpenAL (which is already set as the active audio render device), why do I get sound errors (no sound, crashes) in UT???
The answer I have to myself is, that OpenAL is already enabled (by me - I set the audio render device to "AL-Audio") and by additionally enabling ALchemy for UT a "second" OpenAL renderer is created - which then causes a conflict with the true OpenAL renderer (AL-Audio).
I think the key question is: how to get OpenAL to use these EAX libraries without enabling EAX & ALchemy?
It's been a long time since I've been active on BU, so it's pleasant for me to be back again
Last year, I got myself a gaming headphone - so I wanted to experience the power of my X-Fi in UT using CMSS-3D HP. I first tried out OpenAL (using AL-Audio render device) and then the EAX Patch (using Galaxy Audio render device).
OpenAL impression:
In order to do that, I reinstalled UT. I first installed the EAX Patch and the EAX Libraries for certain DM & CTF maps; then I installed the OMP Update (which contains OpenAL 0.2). Next, I configured OpenAL for UT (selecting "AL-Audio" render device, setting amount of channels to "128" and output rate to "44100Hz").
After being done with configuring UT, I set my X-Fi to "Game Mode", enabled CMSS-3D HP and plugged in my new HP.
The Result: UT sounded phantastic - CMSS-3D indeed does a hell of a good job of virtualizing.
EAX (with map libraries) impression:
After trying out OpenAL with my new HP, I wanted to try out the EAX Patch. So, I changed the audio render device back to "Galaxy Audio" (which supports only 32 sound channels) and I enabled ALchemy for UT in order to activate EAX in Windows 7. I did no changes in the X-Fi settings (CMSS-3D HP enabled).
The Result: the sound is not nearly as crisp, rich and accurate as with OpenAL but the EAX reverb (in the maps where it is available, e.g. CTF-EternalCave) is ETHEREAL!!!!11111 (especially when listening through headphones!!) - lightyears suporior to OpenAL! I didn't expect the reverb to be so good - and especially I didn't expect it to humiliatingly outperform OpenAL...
It's important to mention, that the EAX reverb effects make only sense when using a headphone - I've also a 7.1 speaker setup (cheap, but quite good!) and tried the same effects using Galaxy Render Device + EAX + ALchemy (but no CMSS-3D this time - it's not necessary for most games when using speakers instead of headphones) and the same reverb effects sound pretty unrealistic and unsatisfying - the general 3D and surround sound perception is shitty and the reverb effects do not add up against this fact...
OpenAL + EAX/ALchemy = no sound or crash
After being totally overwhelmed by the phantastic reverb, it was clear to me that I do not want to miss them - so I had to get them to work in combination with OpenAL somehow. Therefore, I changed the audio render device to "AL-Audio" and I left ALchemy enabled (it is necessary to get EAX to work in UT...).
Then I started UT and loaded a map (one which has an EAX library, of course) to find out if it works. Well, the result is disappointing, but not surprising: now, there is no sound ingame - only music (both menu and ingame) works properly. AFAIR, the game also crashed a few times. Either way, using OpenAL + EAX simultaneously isn't possible (which is no surprise...) - on the other hand, EAX seems to be necessary to enable the reverb effects certain maps offer... (after disabling ALchemy, the sound was working properly again - but I couldn't hear any of the reverb effects, which do work properly when using Galaxy + EAX + ALchemy)
The Bottom Line: Is it yet possible to get OpenAL/AL-Audio Render Device make use of the EAX map libraries anyway? I really don't want to miss them when playing UT with headphones...
Thanks for advise...
M2396
Edit:
I have to correct myself: EAX with OpenAL *IS* possible - that's what ALchemy does... ("translating" DirectSound3D EAX effects to OpenAL EAX/EFX effects, so OpenAL can process and output these effects in Windows Vista and later - in contrast to DS3D, OpenAL is available and working properly in Windows Vista and later Windows OSes)
So, if DS3D EAX effects get "translated" to OpenAL (which is already set as the active audio render device), why do I get sound errors (no sound, crashes) in UT???
The answer I have to myself is, that OpenAL is already enabled (by me - I set the audio render device to "AL-Audio") and by additionally enabling ALchemy for UT a "second" OpenAL renderer is created - which then causes a conflict with the true OpenAL renderer (AL-Audio).
I think the key question is: how to get OpenAL to use these EAX libraries without enabling EAX & ALchemy?
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