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Creative Audio Console, Creative Diagnostics, Creative EAX Console, Creative Speaker Settings, Creative Surround Mixer, Creative THX Setup Console, Creative WaveStudio, SoundFont Bank Manager

These tools come standard with most SoundBlaster cards, with the Live series but also the Audigy series.

They allow you to control and calibrate the settings of the soundcard with regards to speaker setup, CMSS modes, EAX effects, etc.

Most of these tools still do the same things only have undergone a bit of a make over.

Creative Graphic Equalizer

This is a graphical equalizer allowing you to adjust certain frequencies to meet your needs or to adjust it to several presets.

Creative MediaSource DVD-Audio Player

Separate player that allows you to play DVD-Audio on your computer.

Creative Smart Recorder

This is a recording tool with some intelligence built-in.

It will allow you to make simple recordings, or more go on to more advanced recording.

You can choose from manual recording, you have to make all the settings, auto/wizard guided recording, where a wizard helps you make the proper settings and you perform a scheduled recording session.

This is about all the tools and software you get, of course you will also get a great deal of electronic documentation.

It’s possible that some or all of these programs are also included with Audigy 2 ZS series; I didn’t have the resources to confirm that.

Creative makes sure they’ve got all bases covered when it comes to program access.

If you enable the MediaSource Go! Toolbar, you have got 3 sources to pick program access from.

Take your pick:

xxxxx

x

Or you can simply access them from the Start Menu.

All in all the Audigy 4 has a big array of helpful tools and programs to allow you to do a lot of music orientated tasks.

Not to mention you still get 2 games, Hitman Contract and Thief: Deadly Shadows, and Cubase LE.

I didn’t install those when reviewing this card.

I really like the fact that relevant settings set by the computer are shown on the breakout box and vice versa, by that I mean if you turn on the CMSS mode on the computer then the light for CMSS on the breakout will show this change and the other way around works too.

It’s the first time I have worked with such a breakout box, that’s why I mention it.

Just going by ear on the sound that comes from the speakers with the Audigy 4, they seem a little more vibrant and dynamic.

Of course that is all is a case of personal taste, you can calibrate and set a truck load of settings to anything you like.

There are three CMSS modes, CMSS mode 1 and 2 available on most SoundBlaster cards and Virtual Surround mode.

All of them up-mix your stereo source to a surround sound.

The last mode seems to sound a little richer with stereo sources than the other 2.

Conclusion

The 3DVelocity 'Dual Conclusions Concept' Explained: After discussing this concept with users as well as companies and vendors we work with, 3DVelocity have decided that where necessary we shall aim to introduce our 'Dual Conclusions Concept' to sum up our thoughts and impressions on the hardware we review. As the needs of the more experienced users and enthusiasts have increased, it has become more difficult to factor in all the aspects that such a user would find important, while also being fair to products that may lack these high end "bonus" capabilities but which still represent a very good buy for the more traditional and more prevalent mainstream user. The two catergories we've used are:

The Mainstream User ~ The mainstream user is likely to put price, stock performance, value for money, reliability and/or warranty terms ahead of the need for hardware that operates beyond its design specifications. The mainstream user may be a PC novice or may be an experienced user, however their needs are clearly very different to those of the enthusiast, in that they want to buy products that operate efficiently and reliably within their advertised parameters.

The Enthusiast ~ The enthusiast cares about all the things that the mainstream user cares about but is more likely to accept a weakness in one or more of these things in exchange for some measure of performance or functionality beyond its design brief. For example, a high priced motherboard may be tolerated in exchange for unusually high levels of overclocking ability or alternatively an unusually large heat sink with a very poor fixing mechanism may be considered acceptable if it offers significantly superior cooling in return.

The Mainstream User ~

It’s a good card, except for the fact it doesn’t add anything new to the Audigy series.

The Enthusiast ~

It’s a good card with the lowest noise to signal ratio of the Audigy series. But this card doesn’t add much new features to an already great card.Then again the enthusiast only wants the best, so this card is definitely for you.

We're always looking for ways to make our reviews fairer. A Right To Reply gives the manufacturer or supplier of the product being reviewed a chance to make public comments on what we've said. They can explain perhaps why they've done the things we were unhappy with or blow their own trumpet over the things we loved. It's easy for us to pick a product apart but sometimes things are done a certain way for very specific reasons.

Should Creative decide to exercise their "Right To Reply", we'll publish their comments below: