Sound Blaster Control Panel

[Graziana Getz]

Iam very new to linux and I had a question about my soundcard. I have a Creative Sound Blaster Audigy FX, which I really love and have been using for years. I decided I wanted to make the switch to linux, but I have run into a problem. The card works, I can hear sound coming out of my headphones, but I haven't been able to find linux drivers that will give me the Sound Blaster Control Panel, which, most importantly, has a equalizer. I am using Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, The Audigy FX is an HDA card, and uses an ALC898 chip from Realtek. Is there some other application that I can use instead if no linux version of the control panel exists? This is a real dealbreaker for me, as I am a bit of an audiophile, and I have gotten very used to the sound of my headphones+card. I appreciate any help.

For audiophiles, the best option so far is EasyEffects / PulseEffects. However, setting it up is not easy and you will need help to unlock the potential of your equipment. Try using my presets: EasyPulse They might help a bit.

I have a problem that I'm hoping someone with more knowledge can shed some light on. I recently received a Razer Goliath 5.1 Soundbar for my birthday, capable of accepting input through Aux, Bluetooth, and Optical cable.

My motherboard is only capable of outputting stereo over SPDIF, so I bought a Sound Blaster Z sound card (which promises 5.1 over optical). Sadly, I've had only headaches and issues since I installed the damned thing.

I've managed to overcome most of the other problems that I've had with the card, however even as I type this out my sound has dropped out almost a dozen times - it simply stops playing through the speakers.

In the beginning I would restart my computer, and things would simply work again. More recently I've discovered that switching the encoder version in the Sound Blaster Z Control Panel to anything else, then back to Dolby Digital is enough to get my sound playing again.

I tried installing the newest drivers for both the card itself, as well as the Sound Blaster Audio Controller, and even newer/older versions of Sound Blaster Z Control Panel; nothing's worked, so I'm hoping you guys may have some insight.

I'm Sorry for the Necro here, but i've had a similar issue. If you're using S/PDIF, understand that it can only properly transmit up to 16bit/48khz. If your sound devices in the Windows Sound Control panel are set to above 24bit, then this is what's probably causing your issues.

So I've sort of managed to solve the problem, and want to post this answer for the sake of anyone else encountering a similar issue. First of all, make sure to install the latest drivers, and version of Sound Blaster Z Control Panel.

The sound coming out over the Leviathan seems to be 5.1, however it's difficult to tell because, duh, it's a soundbar, and all the speakers are right next to one another, and unfortunately the Sound Blaster Z Control Panel loses all ability to interact with the bar itself (I can't test the speaker output). It sounds good, however.

When I need to output over headphones I switch the output to headphones in the Sound Blaster Z Control Panel, and change the system sound output to Speakers (Sound Blaster Z).

You need to use Dolby Digital Live! encoder and the 5.1 speaker setting (not SPDIF) for it to ENCODE 5.1 In REALTIME and send it over it's SPDIF. This is only required for games that have realtime surround sound, it takes the audio from the 5.1 channels from the game and encodes it in real-time to Dolby Digital 5.1 (hence the name Live). The receiver/soundbar getting this signal will see it as Dolby Digital 5.1. A Dolby Digital 5.1 encoded stream can be sent over SPDIF's 2 channel bandwidth, so this is a lossy encode, compared to sending the audio uncompressed, which SPDIF can only do 2 channels of, so you would need to use HDMI, but it seems like your soundbar doesn't have HDMI so have to use SPDIF.

You do not need to use the Dolby Digital Live! encoder for things like Movies or TV shows that have Dolby Digital 5.1, these audio streams are PRE-ENCODED and can be sent over the SPDIF as is, the receiver/soundbar will see these as Dolby Digital 5.1.

Going back to the sound cutting out problem, I just switched computers and am getting this issue too, not sure what it is, didnt happen on my old machine, but yes, switching the encoder to none and then back to Dolby Digital Live! fixes the issue. I will try the fix listed in this thread though.

Kaputt : drop the sample rate to 16bit > this is the correct solution, either the amp cannot handle 24bit 5.1 channel audio or there is not sufficient bandwidth available over your sp-diff cable to your amp, as its a soundbar and is really only natively 2.1 capable, i expect its the amp that cannot accept 24bit.

While it does work out of the box and it is properly detected by DOS games due to the driver being included in Windows 98 itself, it just works. I may be picky here and probably should be psyched that something in my house actually works for once but because I'm me, I want a control panel with that.

I would rather not use that CD though. It appears to have drivers for Windows 95 rather than 98 (check the folders inside) and while the driver itself would still probably work, I'd rather not overwrite the one that came with Win98 since it works so nicely and is probably more up-to-date.

Edit: After realizing that MIDI was way too low, I've decided to install whatever was on that CD. I think the installer actually realized that a driver was already in place since after installation all my audio volume settings remained untouched and Windows did not build the driver database. With all the cool stuff I got from that CD I also got separate panel for MIDI in which I was able to adjust the volume to a proper level.

The Sound Blaster PLAY! 3 is a USB DAC and Amp that provides an instant audio upgrade from motherboard audio. It works with PC and Mac, and houses a powerful amplifier that will drive a whole range of headphones, from basic mobile phone earbuds to gaming and studio-grade headphones. The downloadable Sound Blaster Control Panel Software offers tremendous audio realism and immersive audio effects, and also comes with optimized profiles for selected earphone brands.

Once you upgrade from motherboard audio, you'll never go back to it again. The Sound Blaster PLAY! 3 provides such an upgrade, by giving you high resolution 24-bit 96kHz audio for your music, movies, and games.

The downloadable Sound Blaster PLAY! 3 Control Panel software provides powerful control over your listening experience with audio realism and immersive audio effects that enhance your music, entertainment and games.

SBX Pro Studio increases and expands virtual surround spaciousness, allowing you to enjoy cinema-quality sound in the comfort of your home. Specially designed sound profiles improve the audio experience for all headsets.

The right side of the box is used to show photos of both the front and back of the X7. They use these photos to number and list off each of the connection options as well as things like the microphone array on the front and the volume control on the front. Down along the bottom edge they also have a few photos from inside of the X7 to show that they went with audiophile grade components like Nichicon caps, Burr-Brown ADC and DAC, and even swappable Op-Amps.

Around on the back they have a smaller photo of the X7 and a section just to talk about where the X7 fits in the market. Then the bottom section takes all of those icons we saw on the front along the bottom and explains each one of them a little more.

When you open up the box right at the top they have the wire headphone stand. Then beyond that the X7 sits in a thick casing of foam. Down at the bottom of the box was also a thick box packed full of all of the cables and adapters that you might need to get the X7 hooked up to the wide variety of devices it works with. I will break down everything that was inside in our next section.

Then of course you have all of the documentation. The X7 comes with a full user manual along with a few other documents. You get a small one asking for a like on Facebook and other social media, a warranty book, and also a paper that explains what international power cable options you have as well.

Starting at the front of the X7 there is a lot going on. The biggest and most obvious feature is the large aluminum volume control up top. They trimmed it out in gold and if you press it in it also mutes everything. Just below the volume knob is a wide vent, they is actually for the built in array microphone. The E5 had a few small microphones built in but the X7 really steps things up with two beamforming microphones. They added this along with their CrystalVoice technology to allow for VOIP calls and teleconferencing without having to dig out a headset. There are also a few connections up front. On the left is a microphone connection and then the other two plugs are both for headphones. One is a normal 3.5mm connection like you would find on a laptop or mobile device and the other is a larger inch plug that you sometimes find on higher end audio equipment and headphones. Just above the headphone jacks are also a few buttons as well. The button on the left will turn the X7 on and off and also is used during bluetooth setup and the right turns SBX on and off. They both light up when active and the power button switches to blue when looking for bluetooth devices.

The back of the X7 is where most of the action is. Starting up top there is a large vented area to let some of the heat out from the built in amp. Then below that we have all of our connections. In the center are the left and right side screw on gold plated speaker connections. Just to the left of that is the impedance switch for the speakers and to the right is the power plug. Down in the bottom right is the micro USB port, this is what you hook the X7 up to your PC or MAC with. Then you have optical in and out ports, this opens up audio options for a lot of gaming systems and also is a great way to integrate your PC audio in with a full stereo or home theater as well. Then you have RCA connections for a line in and a line out and rear and sub connections in the 3.mm format.

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