Topic: kXProject Drivers Really Rock... (Read 7880 times)

DocLotus · « **on:** March 29, 2003, 02:35:25 am »

This is my 3rd kXProject driver installation (the last 3 versions) http://kxproject.spb.ru/index.php?skip=1

ASIO now seems to work except there appears to be a bug in MC9 concerning the volume control with ASIO implemented (volume is audibly jerky & clicks with each jerk).

So, I changed back from ASIO to Direct Sound but this time I also kept the kXProject drivers to see if there would be any other sound benefits other then ASIO from using the kX drivers.

Guess what? There is!!!

When I was using the latest Creative Audigy drivers a load 60Hz buzz came out of the woofer at maximum volume level (with no sound input). I always use this test to see just how much noise there is being picked up from the computer, power cables & etc.

The same test with the kXProject drivers running produced ABSOLUTELY NO 60 Hz buzz!! Dead quite! Wonderful, simply wonderful.

That signifies to me that the kXProject drivers are producing a much cleaner sound with a higher S/NL (Signal to Noise Level) then the Creative drivers.

The kX drivers also provide a higher maximum sound level (if you want it) then the Creative drivers. Having this higher maximum level & still no 60Hz buzz is a real tribute to the kXProject developers.

I'm getting very clean, clear bass response with outstanding low end.

I'm keeping this baby!

ChicoSelfs · « **Reply #1 on:** March 29, 2003, 02:50:49 am »

This noise is a know isue with Creative drivers, if you make a test with the same system, same soundboard same volume, same music but with the 2 drivers, you will notice that tha creative drivers will sound more loud than the Kx drivers, and that don't mean better quality but worse. Kx have many more reasons to use than ASIO, you have more control over your soundboard and your connections and maybe some day they will have full support to EAX 1,2 and 3

DocLotus · « **Reply #2 on:** March 29, 2003, 03:10:42 am »

Hi Chico;

Got a question for you..

Have been reading up on why kX reverses the front & rear channels; makes perfect sense to me now.

But, it looks like they are referring to using three separate analog outputs from the sound card... Front, Rear, & Center/Woofer. Seems like they want us to plug the front speakers into the rear output jack & the rear speakers into the front jack (hence the need to reverse the channels on the mixer).

But, I am using a single coaxial digital output. Does this front to rear swapping apply here & how would one go about it?

ChicoSelfs · « **Reply #3 on:** March 29, 2003, 04:13:56 am »

This only applies to Analog Output Rear and Front, if you are using the digital output this wont make any effect on you

peterH · « **Reply #4 on:** March 29, 2003, 06:34:59 am »

I Just installed the KX driver.

Lots of tweaks available...

But really impressive on the sound! once you figure it out

DocLotus · « **Reply #5 on:** March 29, 2003, 07:11:09 am »

Have you tried ASIO yet?

If so, did you notice any problems with the volume adjustment such as being jerky & producing an audio click with every change in the volume?

peterH · « **Reply #6 on:** March 29, 2003, 07:53:01 am »

No, have not yet tried asio..

Will let you know when I do

TimB · « **Reply #7 on:** March 29, 2003, 09:49:26 am »

I'm a tinkerer so I really would like for these to work for me,. however after two tries (first w/98SE and just now with XP Pro SP1) they don't.

I have an SBLive Value! card and Digital Speakers (just two of 'em plus a woofer). I tried switching the front for back in the control panel, turning on the Digital Only output...nothing.

(God bless System Restore

)

-=Tim=-

DocLotus · « **Reply #8 on:** March 29, 2003, 10:24:49 am »

TimB;

Did you turn on everything in the kX Mixer?

Each time I installed kX there was no sound until I turned it on. Pay attention to the "Ins & Out" & the "AC97" screens. A lot of items are turned off by default.

Also many of the volume levels are set to zero & need to be adjusted.

In the "Master" screen make sure the "Toggle Digital Output mode only" is checked.

It does take a lot of work get kX running but it is worth it. Too bad it is not configured better out of the box. It took me three tries over 3 versions before I got mine working.

kX is a beta work in progress (like MC9) but is only getting better over time.

If you can't get it working now, wait for a version or two & try again as I did.

Persistance wins the day!

Good luck!

DocLotus · « **Reply #9 on:** March 29, 2003, 11:00:20 am »

Does anyone know if kXProject supports MIDI files?

Mine won't play... no sound. Don't know if it is a kX driver problem or MC9 problem.

Everything else plays.

NoCodeUK · « **Reply #10 on:** March 29, 2003, 01:46:50 pm »

Doc,

You need to install a sound font general midi set to play MIDI files. If you had the creative drivers in the past you should have one stored in system 32. The extension is .sf2 and the file is something like 2gmsft.sf2 of something. Load this into the sound fonts panel in the mixer section et voila!!

Adam

TimB · « **Reply #11 on:** March 29, 2003, 02:07:51 pm »

Quote

TimB;

Did you turn on everything in the kX Mixer?

Each time I installed kX there was no sound until I turned it on. Pay attention to the "Ins & Out" & the "AC97" screens. A lot of items are turned off by default.

Also many of the volume levels are set to zero & need to be adjusted.

In the "Master" screen make sure the "Toggle Digital Output mode only" is checked.

It does take a lot of work get kX running but it is worth it. Too bad it is not configured better out of the box. It took me three tries over 3 versions before I got mine working.

kX is a beta work in progress (like MC9) but is only getting better over time.

If you can't get it working now, wait for a version or two & try again as I did.

Persistance wins the day!

Good luck!

One thing I didn't mention is that I've tried it with two machines. The common factors are the older SB Live Value! card and the digital speakers.

I think I turned on all the options but now I know I can easily go back again with XP Pro I might fool around with it some more.

-=TIm=-

DocLotus · « **Reply #12 on:** March 29, 2003, 02:38:38 pm »

Thanks Adam;

Works simply great.

Am listening to a fantastic MIDI rendition of "Pine Top Boogie".

DocLotus · « **Reply #13 on:** March 29, 2003, 02:43:31 pm »

Tim;

You might try the kXProject driver site.

I recall seeing some special problems mentioned with the SoundBlastor Live that they talk about. You might find a solution there.

DocLotus · « **Reply #14 on:** March 29, 2003, 02:47:02 pm »

I have completly removed ALL my Creative Audigy files & programs & am using just the kXdrivers now.

Loosing the MIDI (thanks again Adam) brings up the question... Does anyone know what else I may now be missing with all of the Creative files gone?

DocLotus · « **Reply #15 on:** March 29, 2003, 02:51:51 pm »

I've never been too clear on SoundFonts...

* What do they do?
* Which ones do I absolutely have to have?
* Any other comments appreciated.

ChicoSelfs · « **Reply #16 on:** March 29, 2003, 04:50:55 pm »

SoundFont technology is a sample format that was invented by E-MU / ENSONIQ for the purpose of creating a flexible wavetable synthesis solution for Creative Labs. E-MU / ENSONIQ brought their expertise, which has set the standard for professional sample formats, and created a solution that would be embraced for consumer and professional applications.

I use 2 set's of SoundFonts using the 2 i have instead of the normal 16 channels i have 32.

I use the big SoundFont from www.personalcopy.com
and a set that i have maked on Viena based on Fluid III, Magic S Fver V2.0 Bank and merlin_gmv32 and this sound stunning much better than the 2,4 and 8 MB of creative ( Note this 2 sound font are about 115MB )

ChicoSelfs · « **Reply #17 on:** March 29, 2003, 04:59:12 pm »

More infromations about SounFonts go here http://www.soundfont.com/faqs.html#what

Take care

DocLotus · « **Reply #18 on:** March 29, 2003, 05:45:55 pm »

Thanks again for the info.

DocLotus · « **Reply #19 on:** March 30, 2003, 05:39:00 pm »

Chico;

Have been playing around with various GM Midi SoundFonts form www.personalcopy.com and am wondering the following...

* If I have two or more SoundFonts loaded how do I know which one is playing?

* Do they all play together?

* How do I change which one is playing?

* What is the significance to the numbers (1, 2, 3. etc) tacked on to the front of each SoundFont?

SeanC · « **Reply #20 on:** March 31, 2003, 08:22:29 am »

Thanks for turning me on to the kx drivers. They really are amazing.

DocLotus · « **Reply #21 on:** March 31, 2003, 09:03:12 am »

Glad you like kXProject drivers.

The more you use them, the more you'll love them and they just keep getting better (kinda like MC9)!

ChicoSelfs · « **Reply #22 on:** March 31, 2003, 12:03:10 pm »

If you are using 2 Soundfonts they play both at the same time, the number of soundbanks is indiferent for more soundfonts go to
http://www.hammersound.net
http://www.thesoundsite.net

( Note if you are using Win 2000 or XP you only can Load ~134 MB of Soundfonts )

DocLotus · « **Reply #23 on:** April 01, 2003, 11:07:56 am »

Thanks Chico;

I'm finally getting the hang of SoundFonts.

Before I installed kXProject drivers (and un-installed ALL my Creative stuff) I had no idea what SoundFonts were for.

Every time the word SoundFont was mentioned my eyes would glaze over.

I have a lot of nice midi files that I play from time to time but had no idea that SoundFonts were what made the actual sound.

Some experimentation showed me that a single SoundFont such as one for Piano would override the piano sound in a GM SoundFont with 128 instruments. That works perfectly for me as I have yet to find a GM SoundFont that has a good clean piano. All the GM ones sound electronic. I found two really good sounding piano SoundFonts at the Personal Copy site you mentioned.

One last question... why are there three similar Creative SoundFonts... CT2MGM.SF2, CT4MGM.SF2, & CT8MGM.SF2? I know they are 2, 4, & 8 Mb in size. The small one is not too good, the 8 Mb one is ok. Why does Creative have three that are so close together in size? Is it a leftover from the earlier days when computers had limited memory?

Thanks again.

IanH · « **Reply #24 on:** April 01, 2003, 12:18:09 pm »

A real difference between the KX drivers and the Creative ones. Seems like a lot clearer sound..requires a little more volume...but well worth it!

The ASIO works awesome, but my computer is too slow and if I do anything else while listening to music, it skips. Tried all the adjustments for anti skip, no avail.

Works great on directsound!!

ChicoSelfs · « **Reply #25 on:** April 01, 2003, 01:23:00 pm »

Hi DocLotus, i'm glad that you are enjoying the Kx drivers and the soundfont thecnology, don't know why creative is using this soundfonts, some of this soundfonts is very old maybe is only because of lack of memory from the "old days", maybe is only a sample so that we can see the difference that various soundfonts with different type and amounts of samples make to the sound

DocLotus · « **Reply #26 on:** April 01, 2003, 01:32:14 pm »

Chico;

Do you know of a really great GM SoundFont that sounds natural? All the ones I have tried so far (including ALL the ones from Personal Copy) do not sound that good.

It seems that some are too heavy in the bass overall, while others sound electronic, & some sound weak.

ChicoSelfs · « **Reply #27 on:** April 01, 2003, 01:41:24 pm »

Did you tried the BigSoundFont? I use that and one i have made based on Fluid III, Magic S Fver V2.0 Bank and merlin_gmv32 all the you can find them on thesoundsite.net, i will try download the 236.8mg Crisis General MIDI V1.8 Bank for testing, the problem with soundfonts is for better quality higher the amont of samples meaning bigger is the soundfont

DocLotus · « **Reply #28 on:** April 01, 2003, 02:28:35 pm »

Thanks, I'll give them a try.

DocLotus · « **Reply #29 on:** April 01, 2003, 06:18:46 pm »

Just ran into something weird concerning kXProject drivers.

The previous time I installed kX, I first did a complete un-install of ALL of the Creative Audigy programs, files, & drivers. I then installed Kx & had no real problems with my sound.

This time around, I also installed kX without any of the Creative files or drivers. But, I wanted to learn more about SoundFonts so I re-installed the SoundFonts Showcase from the Creative CD. I told it NOT to install any drivers.

But every time Win XP loaded, I noticed there was a Creative logo showing up on the screen for a few seconds.

Here's the problem...
* If I did a cold boot sound would be ok.
* If I did a Restart Windows there would be no sound at all form any device.

The kX Mixer was set up correctly.

I finally un-installed ALL Creative files... problem solved.

Looks like under certain conditions there may be a conflict between Kx & any old Creative files left over.

So... I recommend that before installing kXProject Drivers you do a complete un-install of ALL Creative files, programs, & drivers.

DocLotus · « **Reply #30 on:** April 01, 2003, 06:55:48 pm »

Hey everyone...

If you had problems getting ASIO working (as I did) on previous MC9 builds then try the latest 9.0.140 build.

I just gave it a try and ASIO WORKS GREAT on this build.

Am using the latest kXProject drivers.

* 48,000 Hz now works fine.
* Clicking while moving the volume is now gone.
* All other clicking seems to be gone.

Have played several songs in a row with no problems (yet).

IanH · « **Reply #31 on:** April 02, 2003, 11:42:17 am »

I'm slowly learning about these Kx drivers. Does anyone know if it's possible to change the latency for MC9 if you're not running Cubase or other apps?

The reason being, I still have pops and skips on ASIO which are not affected by the buffer settings.

DocLotus · « **Reply #32 on:** April 02, 2003, 01:42:35 pm »

Hi Ian;

Pops & clicks was a problem on previous versions of MC9 / kXProject drivers. That seems too of now been overcome with the latest versions.

What version of MC9 are you using. ? Suggest you use 9.0.140 (or higher) as that version works wonderfully for me.

What version of kXProject drivers are you using. ? kxdrv3530 did experiance clicks but that has been fixed with kxdrv3531.

I tried kXProject drivers on three different occassions & finally get everything working. Wonderful sound... well worth the effort

IanH · « **Reply #33 on:** April 02, 2003, 07:11:59 pm »

Hi Doc,

I'm using the latest of both, but my system is an older P3 700mhz.

On ASIO it plays media center audio extremely well if I set the buffer for .69 secs, but then my cd audio stutters.. I can't seem to balance both!

I'm trying a few other buffer settings..let you know how it works!

I hope I can keep ASIO, the audio quality is awesome!

lOth · « **Reply #34 on:** April 04, 2003, 11:12:16 am »

Just install the kx drivers. I set up MC to use ASIO but I get an error message when trying to play music:

"the ASIO device "kX ASIO" does not support the sample rate of 44100 Hz"

Come on.... I'm sure it does support it... Anybody help?

DocLotus · « **Reply #35 on:** April 04, 2003, 12:37:51 pm »

Hi 10th;

Go to DSP Studio, put a check mark on Output Format, & change the Sample Rate box to 48,000 Hz. That did it for me.

Also, make sure you are running the latest version of both MC9 & kXProject drivers. The are both still in beta & it has only been the last version of kX & about the last 3 versions for MC9 that finally worked for me.

Good luck

lOth · « **Reply #36 on:** April 04, 2003, 01:08:10 pm »

Oh my god!

Thanks so much DocLotus! that worked for me too and the sound is so... so... so much.... wow. Thanks.

DocLotus · « **Reply #37 on:** April 04, 2003, 03:12:13 pm »

Really brings out the best in good speakers, huh

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Author Topic: kXProject Drivers Really Rock... (Read 7880 times)