Creative ALchemy Project 1_10_01

Publisher's Description:

In Windows Vista, Microsoft has decided to remove the Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) for DirectSound and DirectSound3D. The HAL is the software layer that in previous Windows Operating Systems enabled an audio accelerator such as the Sound Blaster X-Fi, to provide DirectSound3D applications with hardware accelerated audio. This enabled soundcards to perform tasks such as sample-rate conversion, mixing, 3D spatialization using HRTFs, filtering, and effects processing. Without the HAL, DirectSound on Windows Vista will be rendered in software with no advanced functionality such as EAX.

The good news is that the Creative ALchemy Project allows you to run your favorite DirectSound3D games on Windows Vista as the developers intended - with full hardware accelerated 3D Audio and EAX support! This is done by translating DirectSound calls into OpenAL. In order for this to happen, a couple of files need to be installed into each game directory. This is handled automatically by the ALchemy installer - but can also be performed manually by advanced users.

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Latest User Reviews:

Reviewer:	stevvie	Oct 3, 2007
Version:	1.3 Beta
if you want the audigy version then get the audigy version from http://connect.creativel...0for%20Audigy/Home.aspx . Google is a wounderfull thing ;)
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Reviewer:	JeremyGNJ	Apr 4, 2007
Version:	1.3 Beta
From what I gather you SHOULD be able to use this with Audigy cards, but the installer checks for X-Fi.....no doubt to spur sales of X-Fi cards. Can anyone confirm if the manual process works with Audigy in Vista?
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Reviewer:	ninjeratu	Apr 4, 2007
Version:	1.3 Beta
"[..] such as the Sound Blaster X-Fi." Uhm, no. ONLY X-Fi. "Requirements * Windows Vista * SB X-Fi* series soundcard with native OpenAL 1.1 Support * Excludes SB X-Fi Xtreme Audio" People keep telling me how great ALchemy works with X-Fi .. which isn't helping me with a not THAT old Audigy 2 ZS. Like they've done in the past they're using their almost total dominance in the consumer market to force people who use Vista to upgrade to X-Fi in order to use surround in current and older games/programs. Creative should go the way of the dodo.
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