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Software:
The software that ships with the Prelude looks a
lot like the software that is provided by Creative for their higher
end X-Fi products. Auzen is known for taking an audio chipset
and redesigning the hardware to provide top performance but
overcoming some of the Creative driver legacy may take a bit more
effort than they may have expected. As I am writing this,
Auzen has already announced additional driver versions with
increased functionality are only weeks away.
I will be giving a high level overview of the vast
array of features and options offered by the Auzen/Creative X-Fi
software. if you would like more detail, I would invite you to
download the manual from
Auzen's support site.
The option to install the driver, download the
manual or install Adobe Acrobat Reader may look familiar to the
Creative X-Fi owners, rest assured you can skip right to the
testing. You have seen this all before.
During the install the Auzen driver asks you to
set several default settings. Here you can select the default
speaker setup for the Creative Speaker Settings application.
One of my big pet peeves with the Creative X-Fi
line is the need to choose your audio mode. This trait is
continued in the Prelude as seen here. Changing these modes is
pretty easy, but its an extra step that I don't always remember to
take. ironically, Creative did experiment with auto switching
software in previous builds but the software never matured to the
X-Fi line.
The driver installation is quite lengthy and leaves you sitting at
this splash screen for most of the install.
Here you can see the Mode Switcher application.
If you are not familiar with the Creative line, you will need to
become familiar with this console or resign yourself to camping in
the most commonly used mode pretty quickly.
Lets take a quick look at the three different mode
interfaces. First lets look at the Game Mode: There is a
lot here to see with separate controls for the common functions of
the X-Fi. In addition to the master volume present on every
mode you have the option to configure the following settings:
Configure playback
settings for your speakers or headphones.
Adjust the Bass
Boost and Bass Management settings.
Enable multi-channel
up-mixing.
Enable virtual
surround sound.
Enhance detail and
impact of audio with X-Fi Crystalizer.
Adjust equalizer
settings.
Adjust
basic controls for common mixer sources.
Noticeably absent from the X-Fi drivers included
with our X-Fi Xtreme Music are the THX settings normally found on
this mode. The lack of any THX markings on the box is curious
as well.
Entertainment mode is designed to enhance your
audio and video playback. The home theater component look is
pretty clean and would fit in easily with any HTPC build. The menu options
included here:
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Adjust master
volume, bass and treble levels.
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Adjust volume mixer
settings.
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Configure playback
settings for your speakers or headphones.
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Adjust equalizer
settings.
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Enable environment
effects.
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Enable multichannel
upmixing.
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Enable virtual
surround sound.
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Enhance detail and
impact of audio with 24-bits.
- Configure Dolby®
and DTS®
decoding settings.
The third mode is the Audio Creation Mode.
Designed to offer all of the recording, mixing and composing
features familiar to audio enthusiasts and musicians. This
mode will be used for all of the testing today using the settings
you see here. The options include on this screen include:
Route audio to
specific bus destinations.
Apply studio-quality
effects to all sources.
Position MIDI output
in three-dimensional space.
Enhance detail
and impact of audio with X-Fi Crystalizer.
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