<s>
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
is	O
a	O
family	O
of	O
sound	B-Device
cards	I-Device
designed	O
by	O
Singaporean	O
technology	O
company	O
Creative	O
Technology	O
(	O
known	O
in	O
the	O
US	O
as	O
Creative	O
Labs	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
sound	B-Device
cards	I-Device
were	O
the	O
de	O
facto	O
standard	O
for	O
consumer	O
audio	O
on	O
the	O
IBM	O
PC	O
compatible	O
system	B-Device
platform	I-Device
,	O
until	O
the	O
widespread	O
transition	O
to	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
95	I-Application
,	O
which	O
standardized	O
the	O
programming	O
interface	O
at	O
application	O
level	O
(	O
eliminating	O
the	O
importance	O
of	O
backward	B-General_Concept
compatibility	I-General_Concept
with	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
)	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
evolution	O
in	O
PC	O
design	O
led	O
to	O
onboard	O
audio	O
electronics	O
,	O
which	O
commoditized	O
PC	O
audio	O
functionality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
1995	O
,	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
cards	I-Application
had	O
sold	O
over	O
15	O
million	O
units	O
worldwide	O
and	O
accounted	O
for	O
seven	O
out	O
of	O
ten	O
sound	B-Device
card	I-Device
sales	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
history	O
of	O
Creative	O
sound	B-Device
cards	I-Device
started	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
Creative	O
Music	O
System	O
(	O
"	O
C/MS	O
"	O
)	O
CT-1300	O
board	O
in	O
August	O
1987	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Surprisingly	O
,	O
the	O
board	O
also	O
contained	O
a	O
large	O
40-pin	O
DIP	O
integrated	O
circuit	O
,	O
bearing	O
a	O
CT	O
1302A	O
CTPL	O
8708	O
(	O
Creative	O
Technology	O
Programmable	O
Logic	O
)	O
serigraphed	O
inscription	O
and	O
looking	O
exactly	O
like	O
the	O
DSP	O
of	O
the	O
later	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Whereas	O
the	O
C/MS	O
package	O
came	O
with	O
five	O
floppy	O
disks	O
full	O
of	O
utilities	O
and	O
song	O
files	O
,	O
Creative	O
supplied	O
only	O
a	O
single	O
floppy	O
with	O
the	O
basic	O
utilities	O
and	O
game	O
patches	O
to	O
allow	O
Sierra	O
Online	O
's	O
games	O
using	O
the	O
Sierra	O
Creative	O
Interpreter	O
engine	O
to	O
play	O
music	O
with	O
the	O
card	O
and	O
it	O
also	O
included	O
a	O
later	O
revision	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
Silpheed	B-Device
that	O
added	O
C/MS	O
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
1.0	O
(	O
code	O
named	O
"	O
Killer	O
Kard	O
"	O
)	O
,	O
CT1320A	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
1989	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
provided	O
perfect	O
compatibility	O
with	O
the	O
market	O
leader	O
AdLib	O
sound	B-Device
card	I-Device
,	O
which	O
had	O
gained	O
support	O
in	O
PC	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
preceding	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Creative	O
used	O
the	O
"	O
DSP	O
"	O
acronym	O
to	O
designate	O
the	O
digital	O
audio	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
actually	O
stood	O
for	O
Digital	O
Sound	O
Processor	O
,	O
rather	O
than	O
the	O
more	O
common	O
digital	B-Architecture
signal	I-Architecture
processor	I-Architecture
,	O
and	O
was	O
really	O
a	O
simple	O
micro-controller	O
from	O
the	O
Intel	B-Architecture
MCS-51	I-Architecture
family	O
(	O
supplied	O
by	O
Intel	O
and	O
Matra	O
MHS	O
,	O
among	O
others	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
could	O
play	O
back	O
8-bit	O
monaural	O
sampled	B-Algorithm
sound	I-Algorithm
at	O
up	O
to	O
23	O
kHz	O
sampling	B-Algorithm
frequency	I-Algorithm
and	O
record	O
8-bit	O
at	O
up	O
to	O
12	O
kHz	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
sole	O
DSP-like	O
features	O
of	O
the	O
circuit	O
were	O
ADPCM	B-Algorithm
decompression	O
and	O
a	O
primitive	O
non-MPU-401	O
compatible	O
MIDI	O
interface	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ADPCM	B-Algorithm
decompression	O
schemes	O
supported	O
were	O
2	O
to	O
1	O
,	O
3	O
to	O
1	O
and	O
4	O
to	O
1	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
CT1320B	O
variety	O
of	O
the	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
1.0	O
typically	O
has	O
C/MS	O
chips	O
installed	O
in	O
sockets	O
rather	O
than	O
soldered	O
on	O
the	O
PCB	O
,	O
though	O
units	O
do	O
exist	O
with	O
the	O
C/MS	O
chips	O
soldered	O
on	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
sources	O
note	O
that	O
the	O
original	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
1.0	O
was	O
produced	O
under	O
the	O
CT1310	O
number	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Creative	O
refers	O
to	O
CT1310	O
for	O
the	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
1.0	O
on	O
its	O
website	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
spite	O
of	O
these	O
limitations	O
,	O
in	O
less	O
than	O
a	O
year	O
,	O
the	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
became	O
the	O
top-selling	O
expansion	O
card	O
for	O
the	O
PC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
inclusion	O
of	O
the	O
game	B-Protocol
port	I-Protocol
,	O
and	O
its	O
importance	O
to	O
its	O
early	O
success	O
,	O
is	O
often	O
forgotten	O
or	O
overlooked	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PCs	O
of	O
this	O
era	O
did	O
not	O
include	O
a	O
game	B-Protocol
port	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Game	B-Protocol
port	I-Protocol
cards	O
were	O
costly	O
(	O
around	O
US$50	O
)	O
and	O
used	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
few	O
expansion	O
slots	O
PCs	O
had	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Given	O
the	O
choice	O
between	O
an	O
AdLib	O
card	O
or	O
a	O
fully	O
compatible	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
card	I-Application
that	O
came	O
with	O
a	O
game	B-Protocol
port	I-Protocol
,	O
saved	O
a	O
slot	O
,	O
and	O
included	O
the	O
"	O
DSP	O
"	O
for	O
not	O
much	O
more	O
in	O
price	O
,	O
many	O
consumers	O
opted	O
for	O
the	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In-game	O
support	O
for	O
the	O
digital	O
portion	O
of	O
the	O
card	O
did	O
not	O
happen	O
until	O
after	O
the	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
had	O
gained	O
dominance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
Microsoft	O
announced	O
Multimedia	B-Device
PC	I-Device
(	O
MPC	O
)	O
in	O
November	O
1990	O
,	O
it	O
suggested	O
to	O
developers	O
that	O
they	O
use	O
the	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
as	O
it	O
was	O
the	O
only	O
sound	B-Device
card	I-Device
that	O
came	O
close	O
to	O
complying	O
with	O
the	O
MPC	O
standard	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
press	O
speculated	O
that	O
Microsoft	O
based	O
the	O
MPC	O
standard	O
on	O
the	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
's	O
specifications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Creative	O
advertised	O
the	O
Sound	B-Device
Blaster	I-Device
16	I-Device
(	O
"	O
the	O
16-bit	O
sound	O
standard	O
"	O
)	O
with	O
the	O
slogan	O
"	O
Get	O
Real	O
"	O
,	O
emphasizing	O
its	O
"	O
real	O
100%	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
compatibility	O
"	O
and	O
rhetorically	O
asking	O
"	O
why	O
those	O
other	O
manufacturers	O
spend	O
so	O
much	O
time	O
comparing	O
themselves	O
to	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
in	O
1989	O
stated	O
that	O
with	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
,	O
"	O
IBM-compatible	O
computers	O
have	O
taken	O
the	O
lead	O
in	O
sound	O
and	O
music	O
for	O
personal	O
computers	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Choice	O
,	O
the	O
magazine	O
described	O
the	O
quality	O
of	O
the	O
opening	O
music	O
of	O
Space	B-Application
Quest	I-Application
III	I-Application
with	O
the	O
card	O
as	O
"	O
extraordinary	O
"	O
,	O
praising	O
the	O
quality	O
compared	O
to	O
the	O
Roland	O
MT-32	O
and	O
Ad	O
Lib	O
versions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
approved	O
of	O
the	O
card	O
's	O
DMA	B-General_Concept
and	O
Creative	O
's	O
dissemination	O
of	O
technical	O
information	O
,	O
and	O
concluded	O
that	O
while	O
the	O
more-expensive	O
MT-32	O
was	O
superior	O
,	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
's	O
audio	O
quality	O
was	O
better	O
than	O
that	O
of	O
Ad	O
Lib	O
or	O
Game	O
Blaster	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Released	O
in	O
1990	O
,	O
the	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
1.5	O
,	O
CT1320C	O
,	O
dropped	O
the	O
C/MS	O
chips	O
,	O
which	O
were	O
no	O
longer	O
popular	O
with	O
game	O
developers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Otherwise	O
the	O
card	O
functions	O
identically	O
to	O
the	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
1.0	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
final	O
revision	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
,	O
the	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
2.0	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
October	O
1991	O
,	O
CT1350	O
,	O
added	O
support	O
for	O
"	O
auto-init	O
"	O
DMA	B-General_Concept
,	O
which	O
assisted	O
in	O
producing	O
a	O
continuous	O
loop	O
of	O
double-buffered	O
sound	O
output	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
2.0	O
'	O
s	O
PCB-layout	O
used	O
more	O
highly	O
integrated	O
components	O
,	O
both	O
shrinking	O
the	O
board	O
's	O
size	O
and	O
reducing	O
manufacturing	O
cost	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Owners	O
of	O
previous	O
revision	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
boards	O
could	O
upgrade	O
their	O
board	O
by	O
purchasing	O
the	O
V2.00	O
DSP	B-Architecture
chip	I-Architecture
from	O
Creative	O
Labs	O
,	O
and	O
swapping	O
the	O
older	O
DSP	O
V1.0x	O
with	O
the	O
newer	O
replacement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
upgraded	O
board	O
gained	O
the	O
auto-init	O
DMA	B-General_Concept
and	O
new	O
MIDI	O
capabilities	O
of	O
the	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
2.0	O
but	O
not	O
the	O
expanded	O
sampling	O
rates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
upgrade	O
was	O
necessary	O
for	O
full	O
compatibility	O
with	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
3.0	I-Application
Multimedia	O
Extensions	O
upgrade	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
MCV	O
,	O
CT5320	O
,	O
was	O
a	O
version	O
created	O
for	O
IBM	B-Device
PS/2	I-Device
model	O
50	O
and	O
higher	O
and	O
their	O
ISA-incompatible	O
Micro	B-Device
Channel	I-Device
architecture	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
MCV	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
has	O
some	O
issues	O
outputting	O
audio	O
while	O
running	O
on	O
PS/2s	B-Device
with	O
CPUs	O
running	O
faster	O
than	O
16	O
MHz	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
joystick	O
interface	O
is	O
still	O
inoperable	O
on	O
PS/2s	B-Device
it	O
was	O
designed	O
for	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
slow-speed	O
Schottky	O
chips	O
that	O
have	O
been	O
installed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
of	O
the	O
MCV	O
Sound	B-Application
Blasters	I-Application
were	O
released	O
with	O
faster	O
Schottkys	O
which	O
eradicated	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
problems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Pro	I-Application
supported	O
faster	O
digital	O
input	B-General_Concept
and	I-General_Concept
output	I-General_Concept
sampling	O
rates	O
(	O
up	O
to	O
22.05	O
kHz	O
stereo	O
or	O
44.1	O
kHz	O
mono	O
)	O
,	O
added	O
a	O
"	O
mixer	O
"	O
to	O
provide	O
a	O
crude	O
master	O
volume	O
control	O
(	O
independent	O
of	O
the	O
volume	O
of	O
sound	O
sources	O
feeding	O
the	O
mixer	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
crude	O
high	O
pass	O
or	O
low	O
pass	O
filter	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Pro	I-Application
used	O
a	O
pair	O
of	O
YM3812	O
chips	O
to	O
provide	O
stereo	O
music-synthesis	O
(	O
one	O
for	O
each	O
channel	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Pro	I-Application
was	O
fully	O
backward	B-General_Concept
compatible	I-General_Concept
with	O
the	O
original	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
line	O
,	O
and	O
by	O
extension	O
,	O
the	O
AdLib	O
sound	B-Device
card	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Pro	I-Application
was	O
the	O
first	O
Creative	O
sound	B-Device
card	I-Device
to	O
have	O
a	O
built-in	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
interface	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Pro	I-Application
cards	O
featured	O
a	O
proprietary	O
interface	O
for	O
a	O
Panasonic	O
(	O
Matsushita	O
MKE	O
)	O
drive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Pro	I-Application
cards	O
are	O
basically	O
8-bit	O
ISA	B-Architecture
cards	I-Architecture
,	O
they	O
use	O
only	O
the	O
lower	O
8	O
data	O
bits	O
of	O
the	O
ISA	B-Architecture
bus	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
at	O
first	O
glance	O
it	O
appears	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
16-bit	O
ISA	B-Architecture
card	I-Architecture
,	O
it	O
does	O
not	O
have	O
'	O
fingers	O
 '	O
for	O
data	O
transfer	O
on	O
the	O
higher	O
"	O
AT	O
"	O
portion	O
of	O
the	O
bus	O
connector	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
uses	O
the	O
16-bit	O
extension	O
to	O
the	O
ISA	B-Architecture
bus	I-Architecture
to	O
provide	O
the	O
user	O
with	O
an	O
additional	O
choice	O
for	O
an	O
IRQ	O
(	O
10	O
)	O
and	O
DMA	B-General_Concept
(	O
0	O
)	O
m	O
channel	O
only	O
found	O
on	O
the	O
16-bit	O
portion	O
of	O
the	O
edge	O
connector	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Pro	I-Application
derived	O
card	O
was	O
factory	O
installed	O
in	O
Tandy	O
Multimedia	B-Device
PCs	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
revised	O
version	O
,	O
the	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Pro	I-Application
2	O
,	O
CT1600	O
,	O
replaced	O
the	O
YM3812s	O
with	O
a	O
more	O
advanced	O
Yamaha	O
YMF262	O
(	O
OPL3	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Otherwise	O
it	O
is	O
functionally	O
identical	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Pro	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shortly	O
after	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Pro	I-Application
2	O
version	O
,	O
Creative	O
discontinued	O
the	O
original	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Pro	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Pro	I-Application
2	O
was	O
also	O
sold	O
with	O
the	O
following	O
on-board	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
controllers	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Packaged	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
cards	I-Application
were	O
initially	O
marketed	O
and	O
sold	O
into	O
the	O
retail-channel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Creative	O
's	O
domination	O
of	O
the	O
PC	O
audio	B-Device
card	I-Device
business	O
soon	O
had	O
them	O
selling	O
the	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Pro	I-Application
2	O
OEM	O
,	O
CT1680	O
,	O
to	O
customers	O
for	O
integration	O
into	O
pre-assembled	O
PCs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Creative	O
also	O
sold	O
Multimedia	O
Upgrade	O
Kits	O
containing	O
the	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Pro	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
kit	O
bundled	O
the	O
sound	B-Device
card	I-Device
,	O
a	O
Matsushita	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
drive	O
(	O
model	O
531	O
for	O
single-speed	O
,	O
or	O
562/3	O
for	O
the	O
later	O
double-speed	O
(	O
2x	O
)	O
drives	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
several	O
CD-ROMs	B-Device
of	O
multimedia	O
software	O
titles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
technology	O
was	O
new	O
,	O
the	O
kit	O
included	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
software	O
,	O
representing	O
a	O
very	O
good	O
value	O
to	O
customers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
such	O
kit	O
,	O
named	O
"	O
OmniCD	O
"	O
,	O
included	O
the	O
2x	O
Matsushita	O
drive	O
along	O
with	O
an	O
ISA	B-Architecture
controller	O
card	O
and	O
software	O
,	O
including	O
Software	O
Toolworks	O
Encyclopedia	O
and	O
Aldus	B-Application
PhotoStyler	I-Application
SE	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
compliant	O
with	O
the	O
MPC	B-Device
Level	I-Device
2	I-Device
standard	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Pro	I-Application
2	O
MCV	O
,	O
CT5330	O
,	O
was	O
a	O
version	O
created	O
for	O
IBM	B-Device
PS/2	I-Device
model	O
50	O
and	O
higher	O
and	O
their	O
MicroChannel	B-Device
bus	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
next	O
model	O
,	O
the	O
Sound	B-Device
Blaster	I-Device
16	I-Device
,	O
announced	O
in	O
June	O
1992	O
,	O
introduced	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
MPU-401	O
compatible	O
UART	O
via	O
game	B-Protocol
port	I-Protocol
;	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
connector	O
for	O
the	O
Wave	B-Device
Blaster	I-Device
,	O
a	O
'	O
Wavetable	O
 '	O
daughterboard	O
(	O
Wavetable	O
synthesis	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Creative	O
's	O
audio	O
revenue	O
grew	O
from	O
$40	O
million	O
per	O
year	O
to	O
nearly	O
$1	O
billion	O
following	O
the	O
launch	O
of	O
the	O
Sound	B-Device
Blaster	I-Device
16	I-Device
and	O
related	O
products	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Moving	O
the	O
card	O
off	O
the	O
ISA	B-Architecture
bus	I-Architecture
,	O
which	O
was	O
already	O
approaching	O
obsolescence	O
,	O
meant	O
that	O
no	O
line	O
for	O
host-controlled	O
ISA	B-Architecture
DMA	B-General_Concept
was	O
available	O
,	O
because	O
the	O
PCI	O
slot	O
offers	O
no	O
such	O
line	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instead	O
,	O
the	O
card	O
used	O
PCI	O
bus	B-Architecture
mastering	I-Architecture
to	O
transfer	O
data	O
from	O
the	O
main	O
memory	O
to	O
the	O
D/A	O
converters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
existing	O
DOS	B-Device
programs	O
expected	O
to	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
initiate	O
host-controlled	O
ISA	B-Architecture
DMA	B-General_Concept
for	O
producing	O
sound	O
,	O
backward	B-General_Concept
compatibility	I-General_Concept
with	O
the	O
older	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
cards	I-Application
for	O
DOS	B-Device
programs	O
required	O
a	O
software	B-Application
driver	I-Application
work-around	O
;	O
since	O
this	O
work-around	O
necessarily	O
depended	O
on	O
the	O
virtual	B-Application
8086	I-Application
mode	I-Application
of	O
the	O
PC	O
's	O
CPU	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
catch	O
and	O
reroute	O
accesses	O
from	O
the	O
ISA	B-Architecture
DMA	B-General_Concept
controller	I-General_Concept
to	O
the	O
card	O
itself	O
,	O
it	O
failed	O
for	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
DOS	B-Device
games	O
that	O
either	O
were	O
not	O
fully	O
compatible	O
with	O
this	O
CPU	O
mode	O
or	O
needed	O
so	O
much	O
free	O
conventional	B-Device
memory	I-Device
that	O
they	O
could	O
not	O
be	O
loaded	O
with	O
the	O
driver	B-Application
occupying	O
part	O
of	O
this	O
memory	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
there	O
was	O
no	O
problem	O
,	O
as	O
Creative	O
's	O
Windows	O
driver	B-Application
software	I-Application
could	O
handle	O
both	O
ISA	B-Architecture
and	O
PCI	O
cards	O
correctly	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
ViBRA16	O
was	O
an	O
inexpensive	O
single-chip	O
implementation	O
of	O
the	O
Sound	B-Device
Blaster	I-Device
16	I-Device
for	O
the	O
OEM	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Creative	O
Labs	O
also	O
used	O
this	O
chip	O
for	O
the	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
32	O
,	O
Phone	O
Blaster	O
and	O
Phone	O
Blaster	O
28.8	O
(	O
VIBRA	O
plus	O
modem	O
,	O
CT3120	O
and	O
CT3220	O
.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
series	O
included	O
the	O
ViBRA16	O
(	O
CT2501	O
)	O
,	O
ViBRA16s	O
(	O
CT2502	O
,	O
CT2504	O
)	O
,	O
ViBRA16c	O
(	O
CT2505	O
)	O
PnP	B-Device
and	O
ViBRA16XV	O
(	O
CT2511	O
)	O
chips	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Released	O
in	O
March	O
1994	O
,	O
the	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
AWE32	O
(	O
Advanced	O
WavEffects	O
)	O
introduced	O
an	O
all	O
new	O
MIDI	O
synthesizer	O
section	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
EMU8000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
AWE32	O
consisted	O
of	O
two	O
distinct	O
audio	O
sections	O
;	O
the	O
Creative	O
digital	O
audio	O
section	O
(	O
audio	O
codec	B-General_Concept
,	O
optional	O
CSP/ASP	O
chip	O
socket	O
,	O
Yamaha	O
OPL3	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
E-mu	O
MIDI	O
synthesizer	O
section	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
synthesizer	O
section	O
consisted	O
of	O
the	O
EMU8000	O
sampler	B-Algorithm
and	O
effects	O
processor	O
,	O
an	O
EMU8011	O
1	O
MB	O
sample	O
ROM	O
,	O
and	O
512	O
KB	O
of	O
sample	O
RAM	B-Architecture
(	O
expandable	O
to	O
28	O
MB	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
fit	O
the	O
new	O
hardware	O
,	O
the	O
AWE32	O
was	O
a	O
full-length	O
ISA	B-Architecture
card	I-Architecture
,	O
measuring	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
derivative	O
of	O
the	O
AWE32	O
design	O
,	O
the	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
32	O
(	O
SB32	O
)	O
was	O
a	O
value-oriented	O
offering	O
from	O
Creative	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
SB32	O
retained	O
the	O
AWE32	O
's	O
EMU8000/EMU8011	O
MIDI-synthesis	O
engine	O
and	O
built-in	O
instrument	O
ROM	O
,	O
but	O
dropped	O
the	O
onboard	O
RAM	B-Architecture
,	O
the	O
Wave	B-Device
Blaster	I-Device
header	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
CSP	O
port	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
loss	O
of	O
onboard	O
RAM	B-Architecture
is	O
offset	O
by	O
the	O
inclusion	O
of	O
30-pin	B-General_Concept
SIMM	I-General_Concept
RAM	B-Architecture
sockets	O
,	O
which	O
allow	O
up	O
to	O
28MB	O
RAM	B-Architecture
to	O
be	O
installed	O
and	O
used	O
by	O
the	O
EMU	O
engine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
AWE32	O
's	O
successor	O
,	O
the	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
AWE64	O
(	O
November	O
1996	O
)	O
,	O
was	O
significantly	O
smaller	O
,	O
being	O
a	O
"	O
half-length	O
ISA	B-Architecture
card	I-Architecture
"	O
(	O
that	O
term	O
is	O
misleading	O
—	O
see	O
the	O
pictures	O
for	O
size	O
comparison	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
30-pin	B-General_Concept
SIMM	I-General_Concept
slots	O
from	O
AWE32/SB32	O
were	O
replaced	O
with	O
a	O
proprietary	O
memory	O
format	O
which	O
could	O
be	O
(	O
expensively	O
)	O
purchased	O
from	O
Creative	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
AWE64	O
came	O
in	O
two	O
versions	O
:	O
A	O
standard	O
version	O
(	O
later	O
rebranded	O
as	O
Value	O
)	O
with	O
512KB	O
of	O
RAM	B-Architecture
and	O
a	O
Gold	O
version	O
with	O
4	O
MB	O
of	O
RAM	B-Architecture
and	O
a	O
separate	O
S/PDIF	O
output	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
a	O
full-featured	O
solution	O
with	O
wavetable	O
MIDI	O
(	O
sample-based	O
synthesizer	O
)	O
,	O
4-speaker	O
DirectSound3D	O
surround	O
sound	O
,	O
A3D	O
emulation	O
,	O
and	O
DOS	B-Device
legacy	B-Device
support	I-Device
via	O
a	O
terminate-and-stay-resident	O
program	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
full-duplex	O
but	O
at	O
least	O
in	O
MS	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
cannot	O
play	O
back	O
several	O
sources	O
at	O
once	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Such	O
boards	O
include	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
PCI64	O
(	O
April	O
1998	O
)	O
,	O
PCI128	O
(	O
July	O
1998	O
)	O
,	O
Creative	O
Ensoniq	O
AudioPCI	O
,	O
Vibra	O
PCI	O
and	O
Sound	B-Device
Blaster	I-Device
16	I-Device
PCI	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Analogue	O
interfacing	B-Protocol
is	O
done	O
by	O
a	O
codec	B-General_Concept
chip	O
,	O
which	O
runs	O
at	O
a	O
fixed	O
sampling	B-Algorithm
frequency	I-Algorithm
of	O
44	O
(	O
Ensoniq	O
Audio	O
PCI	O
)	O
or	O
48	O
kHz	O
(	O
Creative	O
's	O
versions	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
(	O
ISA	B-Architecture
soundcards	B-Device
had	O
not	O
resampled	O
but	O
switched	O
between	O
different	O
time	O
bases	O
.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
ES137x	O
do	O
not	O
support	O
SoundFonts	B-Application
but	O
a	O
filter-less	O
MIDI	O
engine	O
with	O
wavetable	O
(	O
sample	O
table	O
)	O
sets	O
of	O
2	O
,	O
4	O
,	O
and	O
8MB	O
size	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
the	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Live	O
!	O
</s>
<s>
was	O
introduced	O
in	O
August	O
1998	O
,	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
a	O
programmable	O
digital	B-Architecture
signal	I-Architecture
processor	I-Architecture
in	O
PC-audio	O
was	O
not	O
unprecedented	O
,	O
as	O
IBM	O
had	O
already	O
done	O
that	O
with	O
cheap	O
Mwave	B-General_Concept
sound	O
-	O
and	O
modem-cards	O
and	O
Turtle	O
Beach	O
with	O
their	O
professional	O
Hurricane	O
soundcards	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
was	O
built	O
around	O
Creative	O
's	O
new	O
EMU10K1	O
chip	O
,	O
which	O
contained	O
2.44	O
million	O
transistors	B-Application
and	O
was	O
advertised	O
of	O
processing	O
a	O
flashy	O
1,000	O
MIPS	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
EMU10K1	O
(	O
and	O
its	O
successors	O
)	O
did	O
not	O
use	O
on-card	O
RAM/ROM	O
storage	O
for	O
instrument	O
samples	O
,	O
instead	O
it	O
used	O
a	O
PCI	O
busmaster	O
interface	O
to	O
access	O
sample-data	O
stored	O
in	O
the	O
host-PC	O
'	O
s	O
system	O
memory	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
family	O
have	O
at	O
least	O
four-channel	O
analog	O
audio	O
outputs	O
and	O
a	O
15-pin	O
MIDI/Joystick	O
multiport	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
wavetable	O
)	O
,	O
with	O
self-produced	O
or	O
third-party	O
customized	O
patches	O
or	O
"	O
Soundfonts	B-Application
"	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
resample	O
the	O
audio	O
output	O
as	O
input	O
and	O
apply	O
a	O
range	O
of	O
real-time	O
DSP	O
effects	O
to	O
any	O
set	O
of	O
audio	O
subchannels	B-Device
present	O
in	O
the	O
device	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Featuring	O
gold	O
tracings	O
on	O
all	O
major	O
analog	O
traces	O
and	O
external	O
sockets	O
,	O
an	O
EMI-suppressing	O
printed	O
circuit	O
board	O
substrate	O
and	O
lacquer	O
,	O
the	O
Gold	O
came	O
standard	O
with	O
a	O
daughterboard	O
that	O
implemented	O
a	O
separate	O
4-channel	O
alternative	O
mini-DIN	B-Protocol
digital	O
output	O
to	O
Creative-branded	O
internal-DAC	O
speaker	O
sets	O
,	O
a	O
S/P	O
-DIF	O
digital	O
audio	O
Input	B-General_Concept
and	I-General_Concept
Output	I-General_Concept
with	O
separate	O
software	O
mappings	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
fully	O
decoded	O
MIDI	O
interface	O
with	O
separate	O
Input	B-General_Concept
and	I-General_Concept
Output	I-General_Concept
(	O
along	O
with	O
on	O
mini-DIN	B-Protocol
converter	O
.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Gold	O
highlighted	O
many	O
features	O
aimed	O
at	O
music	O
composition	O
;	O
ease-of-use	O
(	O
plug-and-play	B-Device
for	O
musicians	O
)	O
,	O
real-time	O
loopback-recording	O
of	O
the	O
MIDI-synthesizer	O
(	O
with	O
full	O
freedom	O
of	O
Soundfonts	B-Application
,	O
and	O
environmental	O
effects	O
such	O
as	O
reverb	O
,	O
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
mainstream	O
model	O
was	O
the	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Live	O
!	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
the	O
Gold	O
,	O
the	O
Live	O
featured	O
multi-speaker	O
analog	O
output	O
(	O
up	O
to	O
four	O
channels	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
identical	O
music/sound	O
generation	O
capabilities	O
(	O
without	O
the	O
bundled	O
MIDI	O
software	O
and	O
interfacing-equipment	O
.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
Creative	O
also	O
released	O
a	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Live	O
!	O
</s>
<s>
Player	O
1024	O
edition	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
identical	O
to	O
the	O
regular	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Live	O
!,	O
but	O
with	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
some	O
extra	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
PCI	O
512	O
(	O
CT4790	O
)	O
is	O
an	O
EMU10K1-based	O
sound	B-Device
card	I-Device
designed	O
to	O
fill	O
a	O
lower	O
cost	O
segment	O
than	O
the	O
Live	O
!	O
</s>
<s>
Value	O
's	O
features	O
aside	O
from	O
being	O
limited	O
to	O
512	O
MIDI	O
voice	O
polyphony	O
(	O
a	O
software-based	O
limitation	O
)	O
,	O
lacking	O
digital	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
,	O
removal	O
of	O
expansion	O
headers	B-Protocol
,	O
and	O
only	O
stereo	O
or	O
quadraphonic	O
output	O
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Audigy	O
(	O
August	O
2001	O
)	O
featured	O
the	O
Audigy	O
processor	O
(	O
EMU10K2	O
)	O
,	O
an	O
improved	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
EMU10K1	O
processor	O
that	O
shipped	O
with	O
the	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Live	O
!	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Audigy	O
was	O
controversially	O
advertised	O
as	O
a	O
24-bit	O
sound	B-Device
card	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
EMU10K2	O
's	O
audio	O
transport	O
(	O
DMA	B-General_Concept
engine	I-General_Concept
)	O
was	O
fixed	O
at	O
16-bit	B-Algorithm
sample	I-Algorithm
precision	O
at	O
48	O
kHz	O
(	O
like	O
the	O
EMU10K1	O
in	O
the	O
original	O
Live	O
!	O
</s>
<s>
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Audigy	O
2	O
(	O
September	O
2002	O
)	O
featured	O
an	O
updated	O
EMU10K2	O
processor	O
,	O
sometimes	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
EMU10K2.5	O
,	O
with	O
an	O
improved	O
DMA	B-General_Concept
engine	I-General_Concept
capable	O
of	O
24-bit	O
precision	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Audigy	O
2	O
line	O
were	O
the	O
first	O
sound	B-Device
cards	I-Device
to	O
receive	O
THX	O
certification	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Audigy	O
2	O
ZS	O
(	O
September	O
2003	O
)	O
is	O
essentially	O
an	O
Audigy	O
2	O
with	O
updated	O
DAC	O
and	O
op-amps	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Audigy	O
4	O
Pro	O
(	O
November	O
2004	O
)	O
was	O
an	O
Audigy	O
2	O
ZS	O
with	O
updated	O
DACs	O
and	O
ADCs	O
,	O
the	O
new	O
DAC	O
being	O
the	O
Cirrus	O
Logic	O
CS4398	O
,	O
boosting	O
the	O
output	O
SNR	O
to	O
113	O
dB	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
than	O
a	O
breakout	B-Protocol
box	I-Protocol
,	O
it	O
has	O
no	O
distinguishable	O
difference	O
from	O
the	O
Audigy	O
2	O
ZS	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Audigy	O
4	O
had	O
a	O
shorter	O
life	O
span	O
than	O
its	O
predecessors	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
short	O
window	O
between	O
it	O
and	O
the	O
next-generation	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
X-Fi	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Audigy	O
Rx	O
(	O
September	O
2013	O
)	O
is	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
Audigy	O
4	O
but	O
with	O
a	O
dedicated	O
600-ohm	O
headphone	O
amplifier	O
and	O
a	O
PCIe	O
1x	O
interface	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Audigy	O
Fx	O
(	O
September	O
2013	O
)	O
also	O
features	O
a	O
600-ohm	O
amplifier	O
and	O
a	O
PCIe	O
interface	O
,	O
but	O
lacks	O
the	O
EMU10K	O
DSP	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
X-Fi	B-Device
(	O
for	O
"	O
Extreme	O
Fidelity	O
"	O
)	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
August	O
2005	O
and	O
came	O
in	O
XtremeGamer	O
,	O
Titanium	O
,	O
Titanium	O
Fatal1ty	O
Professional	O
,	O
Titanium	O
Fatal1ty	O
Champion	O
and	O
Elite	O
Pro	O
configurations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
130	O
nm	O
EMU20K1	O
(	O
or	O
EMU20K2	O
for	O
Titanium	O
series	O
models	O
)	O
audio	O
chip	O
operates	O
at	O
400	O
MHz	O
and	O
has	O
51	O
million	O
transistors	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Beginning	O
with	O
the	O
2008	O
Titanium	O
models	O
,	O
newer	O
X-Fi	B-Device
cards	O
switched	O
from	O
PCI	O
to	O
PCI	O
Express	O
x1	O
connectors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
X-Fi	B-Device
'	O
s	O
"	O
Active	O
Modal	O
Architecture	O
"	O
(	O
AMA	O
)	O
,	O
the	O
user	O
can	O
choose	O
one	O
of	O
three	O
optimization	O
modes	O
:	O
Gaming	O
,	O
Entertainment	O
,	O
and	O
Creation	O
;	O
each	O
enabling	O
a	O
combination	O
of	O
the	O
features	O
of	O
the	O
chipset	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
X-Fi	B-Device
uses	O
EAX	O
5.0	O
which	O
supports	O
up	O
to	O
1283D-positioned	O
voices	O
with	O
up	O
to	O
four	O
effects	O
applied	O
to	O
each	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
X-Fi	B-Device
,	O
at	O
its	O
release	O
,	O
offered	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
powerful	O
mixing	O
capabilities	O
available	O
,	O
making	O
it	O
a	O
powerful	O
entry-level	O
card	O
for	O
home	O
musicians	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
other	O
big	O
improvement	O
in	O
the	O
X-Fi	B-Device
over	O
the	O
previous	O
Audigy	O
designs	O
was	O
the	O
complete	O
overhaul	O
of	O
the	O
resampling	O
engine	O
on	O
the	O
card	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Creative	O
completely	O
re-wrote	O
the	O
resampling	O
method	O
used	O
on	O
the	O
X-Fi	B-Device
and	O
dedicated	O
more	O
than	O
half	O
of	O
the	O
power	O
of	O
the	O
DSP	O
to	O
the	O
process	O
;	O
resulting	O
in	O
a	O
very	O
clean	O
resample	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
cards	O
use	O
the	O
new	O
integrated	O
Sound	O
Core3D	O
chip	O
,	O
which	O
features	O
the	O
Quartet	O
DSP	O
from	O
the	O
X-Fi	B-Device
series	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
integrated	O
DAC	O
,	O
ADC	O
and	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
interface	I-General_Concept
in	O
a	O
56-pin	O
package	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Recon3D	O
series	O
of	O
sound	B-Device
cards	I-Device
do	O
not	O
support	O
ASIO	B-Library
.	O
</s>
<s>
SBX	O
Pro	O
Studio	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
adjust	O
the	O
amount	O
of	O
virtual	O
Surround	O
,	O
Crystallizer	O
,	O
Bass	O
,	O
Smart	O
Volume	O
and	O
Dialog	O
Plus	O
for	O
their	O
Recon3D	O
sound	B-Device
cards	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Recon3D	O
also	O
has	O
got	O
the	O
Crystal	O
Voice	O
feature	O
that	O
reduces	O
the	O
pickup	O
of	O
background	O
noises	O
like	O
the	O
hairdryer	O
or	O
vacuum	O
cleaner	O
when	O
a	O
beamforming	O
microphone	B-Application
is	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Especially	O
the	O
low	O
and	O
mid	O
priced	O
models	O
Recon3D	O
PCIe	O
and	O
Recon3D	O
Fatal1ty	O
Professional	O
have	O
only	O
cosmetic	O
differences	O
,	O
but	O
considerable	O
price	O
difference	O
:	O
the	O
Fatal1ty	O
Professional	O
,	O
adds	O
a	O
beamforming	O
microphone	B-Application
,	O
some	O
red	O
LED	O
lights	O
and	O
a	O
metal	O
shroud	O
over	O
the	O
board	O
,	O
but	O
has	O
no	O
real	O
hardware	O
improvements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Z-Series	O
was	O
announced	O
in	O
August	O
2012	O
and	O
includes	O
the	O
PCI	O
Express	O
x1	O
cards	O
,	O
Z	O
,	O
Zx	O
and	O
ZxR	O
which	O
use	O
the	O
same	O
Sound	O
Core3D	O
chip	O
as	O
the	O
previous	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Recon3D	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Z	O
is	O
the	O
baseline	O
card	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
of	O
its	O
main	O
features	O
are	O
Cirrus	O
Logic	O
116	O
dB	O
signal-to-noise	O
ratio	O
(	O
SNR	O
)	O
digital-to-analog	O
converters	O
(	O
DACs	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
dedicated	O
headphone	O
jack	O
with	O
600	O
ohm	O
amplifier	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
bundled	O
with	O
a	O
Beamforming	O
Microphone	B-Application
that	O
captures	O
sound	O
in	O
a	O
specific	O
direction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
can	O
switch	O
between	O
listening	O
with	O
headphones	O
and	O
desktop	O
speakers	O
in	O
the	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Z	O
Control	O
Panel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
the	O
red	O
model	O
,	O
there	O
is	O
an	O
OEM	O
version	O
that	O
lacks	O
the	O
LED	O
light	O
,	O
metal	O
shielding	O
and	O
bundled	O
microphone	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Z	O
SE	O
released	O
in	O
2021	O
is	O
identical	O
to	O
the	O
Z	O
,	O
but	O
with	O
7.1	O
channel	O
virtual	O
surround	O
for	O
compatible	O
headphones	O
,	O
no	O
bundled	O
microphone	B-Application
and	O
no	O
driver	B-Application
CD	O
as	O
the	O
card	O
is	O
only	O
compatible	O
with	O
the	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Command	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Zx	O
card	O
is	O
identical	O
to	O
the	O
Z	O
(	O
exact	O
same	O
card	O
,	O
exact	O
same	O
card	O
SKU/Model	O
(	O
SB1500	O
)	O
on	O
card	O
itself	O
,	O
compared	O
side	O
by	O
side	O
in	O
store	O
)	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
only	O
notable	O
change	O
compared	O
to	O
the	O
baseline	O
"	O
Z	O
"	O
being	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
the	O
desktop	O
ACM	O
(	O
Audio	O
Control	O
Module	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ACM	O
contains	O
both	O
1/4	O
"	O
and	O
3.5	O
mm	O
headphone	O
and	O
microphone	B-Application
jacks	O
,	O
a	O
potentiometer	O
headphone	O
volume	O
knob	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
built-in	O
dual-microphone	O
Beamforming	O
array	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
ZxR	O
is	O
the	O
top	O
of	O
line	O
sound	B-Device
card	I-Device
of	O
the	O
series	O
and	O
uses	O
an	O
entirely	O
different	O
card	O
from	O
the	O
Z	O
and	O
Zx	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
ZxR	O
comes	O
with	O
a	O
daughter	O
board	O
which	O
provides	O
optical	O
S/PDIF	O
input	B-General_Concept
and	I-General_Concept
output	I-General_Concept
,	O
and	O
two	O
RCA	B-Protocol
inputs	O
that	O
feature	O
a	O
TI	O
Burr-Brown	O
123	O
dB	O
SNR	O
analog-to-digital	O
converter	O
(	O
ADC	O
)	O
;	O
it	O
has	O
its	O
own	O
Sound	O
Core3D	O
processor	O
and	O
takes	O
up	O
a	O
second	O
expansion	O
slot	O
in	O
the	O
computer	O
if	O
installed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sound	O
BlasterX	O
AE-5	O
was	O
announced	O
in	O
June	O
2017	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
discrete	O
sound	B-Device
card	I-Device
made	O
by	O
Creative	O
in	O
five	O
years	O
since	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
the	O
Z-series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
card	O
is	O
the	O
first	O
in	O
the	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
series	O
to	O
use	O
a	O
32-bit/384	O
kHz	O
SABRE	O
32	O
Ultra	O
DAC	O
(	O
ES9016K2M	O
)	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
a	O
custom-designed	O
discrete	O
headphone	O
amplifier	O
(	O
1	O
W	O
output	O
power	O
and	O
low	O
output	O
impedance	O
of	O
1	O
Ohm	O
so	O
it	O
can	O
provide	O
high	O
damping	O
factor	O
for	O
virtually	O
any	O
dynamic	O
headphone	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
late	O
2017	O
,	O
a	O
white	O
colored	O
model	O
of	O
the	O
sound	B-Device
card	I-Device
called	O
the	O
Sound	O
BlasterX	O
AE-5	O
Pure	O
Edition	O
was	O
released	O
with	O
4	O
RGB	O
LED	O
strips	O
instead	O
of	O
one	O
with	O
the	O
standard	O
black	O
model	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2020	O
,	O
the	O
AE-5	O
Plus	O
was	O
released	O
which	O
is	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
previous	O
model	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
sound	B-Device
card	I-Device
comes	O
with	O
hardware	O
Dolby	O
Digital	O
Live	O
and	O
DTS	O
encoding	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
AE-7	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
July	O
2019	O
alongside	O
the	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
AE-9	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
equipped	O
with	O
an	O
ESS	O
SABRE	O
9018	O
DAC	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
features	O
an	O
ACM	O
(	O
Audio	O
Control	O
Module	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
connects	O
to	O
the	O
sound	B-Device
card	I-Device
via	O
two	O
of	O
the	O
audio	O
ports	O
available	O
on	O
the	O
card	O
itself	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
AE-9	O
was	O
announced	O
in	O
December	O
2018	O
,	O
targeting	O
the	O
audiophile	O
audience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
soundcard	B-Device
is	O
equipped	O
with	O
an	O
ESS	O
SABRE	O
9038	O
DAC	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
features	O
an	O
external	O
Audio	O
Control	O
Module	O
which	O
connects	O
to	O
the	O
sound	B-Device
card	I-Device
with	O
a	O
mini-HDMI	O
cable	O
,	O
containing	O
an	O
XLR	O
port	O
for	O
a	O
microphone	B-Application
and	O
a	O
toggleable	O
48+	O
volt	O
phantom	O
power	O
rail	O
;	O
the	O
sound	B-Device
card	I-Device
itself	O
features	O
replaceable	O
operational	O
amplifiers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
sound	B-Device
card	I-Device
with	O
the	O
external	O
DAC	O
consumes	O
75	O
W	O
,	O
and	O
thus	O
is	O
the	O
first	O
sound	B-Device
card	I-Device
from	O
Creative	O
that	O
requires	O
auxiliary	O
power	O
,	O
using	O
a	O
6-pin	O
PCI-E	O
connector	O
to	O
supply	O
power	O
to	O
the	O
external	O
DAC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
card	O
was	O
officially	O
released	O
on	O
July	O
10	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
to	O
celebrate	O
30	O
years	O
since	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
X-Fi	B-Device
GO	O
!	O
</s>
<s>
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Play	O
!	O
</s>
<s>
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Play	O
!	O
</s>
<s>
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Play	O
!	O
</s>
<s>
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
cards	I-Application
since	O
1999	O
conform	O
to	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
PC	O
99	O
standard	O
for	O
color-coding	O
the	O
external	O
connectors	O
as	O
follows	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
lot	O
of	O
audio/data	O
pin	B-Protocol
connectors	O
and	O
jumpers-setting	O
is	O
present	O
in	O
the	O
internal	O
body	O
of	O
the	O
sound	B-Application
blaster	I-Application
,	O
different	O
from	O
card	O
to	O
card	O
,	O
and	O
along	O
the	O
years	O
of	O
productions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
common	O
pin	B-Protocol
connector	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
common	O
pin	B-Protocol
jumper	O
setting	O
(	O
especially	O
before	O
plug-and-play	B-Device
features	O
)	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
drivers	O
from	O
the	O
Audigy	O
2	O
ZS	O
have	O
been	O
soft-modded	B-Device
by	O
enthusiasts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
can	O
be	O
installed	O
on	O
Creative	O
's	O
older	O
cards	O
,	O
including	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Live	O
!,	O
Audigy	O
,	O
and	O
Audigy	O
2	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
2006	O
,	O
the	O
entire	O
Audigy	O
lineup	O
uses	O
the	O
same	O
driver	B-Application
package	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DSP	O
decoding	O
at	O
the	O
driver	B-Application
level	O
on	O
other	O
cards	O
than	O
Audigy	O
2	O
ZS	O
and	O
4	O
is	O
still	O
not	O
supported	O
by	O
official	O
drivers	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
works	O
with	O
soft-modded	B-Device
drivers	O
on	O
the	O
other	O
cards	O
with	O
hardware	O
DSP	O
(	O
like	O
Audigy	O
2	O
6.1	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
was	O
released	O
,	O
there	O
was	O
only	O
a	O
single	O
beta	O
driver	B-Application
for	O
the	O
Creative	O
Audigy	O
series	O
that	O
was	O
usable	O
on	O
the	O
operating	O
system	O
with	O
minimal	O
functionality	O
and	O
frequent	O
instability	O
reported	O
by	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Creative	O
Forum	O
activist	O
named	O
Daniel	O
K	O
.	O
modified	O
drivers	O
from	O
the	O
X-Fi	B-Device
and	O
applied	O
it	O
to	O
the	O
Audigy	O
and	O
Live	O
!	O
</s>
<s>
series	O
,	O
restoring	O
most	O
if	O
not	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
features	O
that	O
came	O
with	O
the	O
original	O
XP	O
setup	O
CD	O
in	O
Vista	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
X-Fi	B-Device
drivers	O
have	O
noticeably	O
better	O
sound	O
quality	O
under	O
Vista	B-Application
,	O
and	O
more	O
bug	O
fixes	O
because	O
of	O
the	O
newer	O
build	O
(	O
last	O
modified	O
version	O
is	O
2.15.0004EQ	O
April	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
managed	O
to	O
enable	O
the	O
X-Fi	B-Device
Crystallizer	O
to	O
work	O
on	O
Audigy	O
series	O
cards	O
in	O
software	O
,	O
however	O
because	O
of	O
the	O
patents	O
involved	O
,	O
he	O
was	O
forced	O
to	O
remove	O
all	O
the	O
modified	O
drivers	O
and	O
DLL	O
patch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Creative	O
then	O
released	O
a	O
newer	O
official	O
Audigy	O
Vista	B-Application
driver	B-Application
(	O
2.18.0000	O
as	O
of	O
28	O
July	O
2008	O
)	O
due	O
to	O
public	O
and	O
consumer	O
pressure	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
released	O
the	O
final	O
version	O
of	O
his	O
modded	O
driver	B-Application
package	O
as	O
of	O
January	O
12	O
,	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
recent	O
Linux	O
distributions	O
support	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
Cards	I-Application
via	O
kernel	B-Application
drivers	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
case	O
of	O
non-Plug-and-Play	O
ISA	B-Architecture
cards	I-Architecture
,	O
a	O
configuration	O
file	O
in	O
must	O
be	O
reconfigured	O
,	O
writing	O
for	O
example	O
with	O
Sound	B-Device
Blaster	I-Device
16	I-Device
card	O
installed	O
:	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
X-Fi	B-Device
series	O
cards	O
have	O
basic	O
support	O
in	O
Linux	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
advanced	O
features	O
like	O
signal	O
routing	O
,	O
relay	O
control	O
or	O
external	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
consoles	O
are	O
not	O
supported	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Support	O
for	O
the	O
newer	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
cards	I-Application
(	O
Z	O
and	O
AE	O
series	O
)	O
was	O
added	O
to	O
the	O
kernel	O
during	O
4.19	O
–	O
4.20	O
release	O
timeframe	O
.	O
</s>
