Directsound games

Surround sound wasn't extremely common in games of the s so I'll likely not test many games from that time period but don't be surprised if some make it to the list; I am interested in finding more early surround sound games so let me know of any I may not already have listed check the Contact link.

Testing done in Windows NT 6. Testing in other operating systems will be marked accordingly. I disable bass re-direction solely for the purpose of properly detecting if a game discretely uses the LFE channel.

If you have an all-in-on computer speaker setup then its control module likely already enforces bass management, but if you've built your speaker system from various components then you likely have more control over at least one crossover. For a consistent audio experience, I recommend enabling bass re-direction and then properly adjusting any crossovers and the subwoofer volume level so that your speakers and subwoofer blend with one another.

I'll cover this briefly on my Audio Setup page. My process for finding which API is used typically begins with me looking in the game's directory for specific DLL files, looking for specific logos during the game's splash screens, opening the executable file in a text editor and searching specific terms, or browsing configuration files.

Output Speakers Recommend Notes. If speaker config is set to 7. Set device to 5. Requires XP for full audio. Speakers must be set to 5. But the sound cards required for fully enabling all effects, their X-Fi lineup, have been discontinued for over a decade, hence why people like me bought them on ebay. During this time, some people have attempted to get around this, but only somewhat recently has there been a really worthwhile solution. DirectSound3D, as the name implies, was introduced with DirectX 3 in in order to standardize 3D sound in games.

This was prevalent in PC games throughout the late 90s and s Windows XP era, and it was glorious for those who had sound cards, particularly those from Creative or Auzentech. Creative became the only ones to bring it back from the dead by creating the ALchemy software which converts DirectSound3D games to OpenAL and brings back all the lost effects, albeit with a few games having some bugs in the process.

It restores all DirectSound3D effects in those games without the need for proprietary hardware sound cards. OpenAL Soft has been around forever, but for a long time was thoroughly outclassed by hardware acceleration via an actual X-Fi sound card and ALchemy, but this is no longer the case.

It may also be necessary to make the registry edits described here. Now you should be able to enable things like EAX in-game and it should work.

Positional sound should be noticeably better. Note: The default surround presets are all incompatible with speakers that have integrated powered subwoofers. They expect a dedicated subwoofer. Now these presets will work with full range speakers.

Unreal , System Shock 2 , some S. Therefore I still need the sound card.