Softmod your Audigy / 2 / Live! into Audigy 4 Pro

[dsio]

<EDIT> This is a THREE YEAR OLD DRIVER NOW, when originally posted this was very useful to many people, it no longer is, so please do not try it and post complaining that it doesn't work for you, it was posted in 2005, it is now 2008. Thank you <EDIT>

This is a softmod that basically turns your Audigy / Audigy 2 / Live! into an Audigy 4 Pro.

This means you get a whole bunch of new programs and applications, improved EAX performance and quality on Audigy 1 / 2 cards, and general audio quality gains.

I found this on TweakRUs a few days ago, and thought it was a really great mod to share. The guy that originally posted it is ][Ban_Midou][ so thanks alot Ban!

This is what he originally posted:

1) Uninstall EVERY original driver from your creative card, and DO NOT reboot.

2) Delete the next registry entries:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Creative Tech
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Creative Tech
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Cr eative TechHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Contro l\Creative TechHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Contro l\Creative Tech

Watch out the control set entry could be controlset003...

3) Delete the Creative folder from Program Files or Archivos de Programas if you have Windows XP in spanish tongue.gif

4) Reboot.

NOTE: if you just reformated you'd save all of the above, ok now to install.

Now we run the installer, the steps are easy to follow and here's the good thing: it will ask you what Model you have, select the appropiate one (it works with the NX too) and from there on it will run the first creative installer, here comes the change, as you know in the last one we omitted the "Windows Drivers" check box, in this case DO NOT omit it, because now the drivers are ready, you can decide if you want media source (if you want the complete softmod do not omit anything) and once you finish the first intallation it will ask you if you want to reboot... DO NOT reboot to continue with the rest of the softmod from the screen Voup PAX.

If you have a front panel, install creative entertainment center, so you can use your remote and panel.

This can take a while (around 20 minutes) and when you finish doing all this.... REBOOT biggrin.gif and ta-daaaaa!!!, your card is now modded to Audigy4 pro.

According to your Creative card you'll get one thing or another or all of 'em. But it seems that from the SB Live! you'll get the equalizer but you won't get the dolby CP and THX console (someone need to comfirm this). As for the Audigy 2 cards and on you'll get the new applications and a light audio gain.


This is a great trick, and I strongly recommend it to ANYONE with an Audigy / Audigy 2 or even those with a Live!.

The whole program is 302.5MB so it is a big file, but it does include the works, including all apps.

Click Here To Download the PAX Audigy 4 Pro Conversion Package from AOAFiles (302.5MB)

Tell me what you guys think!

[Lazgoat]

Hey thanks for the heads up. I have an Audigy 2ZS, will the gains be significant or not?

[dsio]

The Audigy 2 ZS is the best of all to mod. The gains will be noticeable, and you will get all of the latest apps and controls from the Audigy 4 Pro. It really was sweet for DVD and quality music playback, and the EAX sounds more realistic too.

The Audigy works well as well, the Live! is not quite as good, but that is due to the limitations of the EMU10K1 in the Live!

Tell me what you think of it.

[GrahamGarside]

Don't mean to put a dampner on things, but isn't this technically software piracy? Making software that certain hardware users are licensed to use run on hardware who's users aren't?

I'm probably wrong though.

[dsio]

I dont really think so at all. The reason why Audigy / Audigy 2 owners do not have the Audigy 4 Pro software is simply because it does not run on the Audigy 2. You can freely download it, and try to install it on older hardware, and in some areas it works perfectly, in others it does not.

This tricks the machine into thinking it is a card that it isnt. In any case, installing the software is up to you, I did not do it, I just used the drivers, which improved quality for me.

You are using the same software suite that you would normally, just the Audigy 4 Pro version, which lets you use Audigy 4 Pro features, which are made available through the drivers on your card. There is really no comparison.

[MONKEYMAN]

all the other software is free on their site for anyone to download I think, Id imagine the software itself is not licenced.

[GrahamGarside]

I know it's free but like you said it won't run on certain hardware because it's licensed for use on specific hardware

I'm only thinking of AOA's ass

[dsio]

Trust me, it is not an issue.

I do look into things before I post them, and despite this being known about for a long time and hosted on numerous large and highly reputable driver sites including driverheaven, Computerbase and planetamd64, Creative have no problems with it.

Saying it doesnt run on certain hardware because it isnt licenced for that hardware is incorrect, as the reason it does not run is hardware incompatability, not an invalid licence.

[Daishi]

Originally Posted by dsio

Trust me, it is not an issue.

I do look into things before I post them, and despite this being known about for a long time and hosted on numerous large and highly reputable driver sites including driverheaven, Computerbase and planetamd64, Creative have no problems with it.

Saying it doesnt run on certain hardware because it isnt licenced for that hardware is incorrect, as the reason it does not run is hardware incompatability, not an invalid licence.

*cough* and Tweaks R Us *cough* lmao. just messin with ya.

[y2butonz]

Wow brought a Audigy2ZS OEM cudnt even use the bundled software as it was OEM !!!I DIDNT HAVE ANY!!! This looks like the perfect thing.

*Doesnt argue and downloads asap*

[Áedán]

Glad to see that Creative is still rebadging the same old sound card time and time again.

[cadaveca]

Actually, there's more at the hardware level in the line leveling, and i see way more caps on the board.

the newest, X-FI, actually has 10mb local memory, so of course, the processor is quite different, but the audigy4pro is still based on the same architechture. All they have done really is revised the layout of the board, and this has got them the bit extra signal performance There's more plugs on the external box...

[Áedán]

Originally Posted by cadaveca

All they have done really is revised the layout of the board, and this has got them the bit extra signal performance

How many soundcards have they released since the SB Live!? Although, didn't the AWE series also use the same EMU10K processor? I remember when they released the AWE64 - supposedly so much better in terms of the number of voices. Turned out all that Creative had done was to get the CPU in the machine to mix the other 32 channels over what the AWE32 could do.

[cadaveca]

I'm not too sure, as sound has never been a mojor concern for my pc unti lrecently, but i DO know that all the current soundblasters are just board revisions, for the most part. the processor betweeen the live and the audigy2 IS differnt, BTW, although, once again, based on the same tech.

[dsio]

Originally Posted by Daishi

*cough* and Tweaks R Us *cough* lmao. just messin with ya.

I already said you at the top!

I found this on TweakRUs a few days ago, and thought it was a really great mod to share.

Glory hog :P

Besides, those were "reputable" sites, while your category is more "infamous" or recently "geurilla terrorist organisation" if killpuppy has anything to do with it rofl.

[cadaveca]

Loaded it up, works a charm. thanks!



took out my xbox controller when i installed it, but i just reinstalled the controller, and all was/is good.

[dsio]

Did you notice the audio changes in EAX and stuff?

I Think this might be worth frontpaging, its been a pretty sweet free upgrade for me.

[cadaveca]

well, to me, there's just a new gui, and a ffew more plug-ins. like aedan said, they haven't really done much to get the audigy2 to the sudigy4, besides software, so actual capabilities aren't that differnet.

[andrew726]

does this work with an Audigy LS or Audigy 2 value?

[dsio]

It works on the Audigy 2 value for sure, and I think I have heard of it working on an LS. The LS is an odd card though so it may have troubles. Cant really say.