X-Fi CMSS-3D Headphone

[king-dubs]

Old post for Windows XP 32-bit and 64-bit:
I have a 5.1 surround setup (speakers), and I also have stereo headphones. This is the first time I'm going to try the CMSS-3D Headphone feature on the X-Fi.

So, I plug in my headphones, and set the "Speaker" in the Creative Audio Console to "Headphones" and unchecked Synchronize with Windows Control Panel, and CMSS-3D tab, turn it on, with Elevation and Macro to Auto.

I kept the speakers in Windows' sound settings as "5.1 surround speakers", and fire up a game like CS:S. I make sure speakers in CS:S under "Audio" is set to 5.1, and join a server.

Am I using CMSS-3D Headphone correctly?
-------------------------------------------------
#EDIT:
For Vista and 7 32-bit and 64-bit:
I made a tutorial with colorful pictures so you guys can easily follow it


Then, you SHOULD reboot your system. You don't have to, but if it ends up not working in games, you will need to reboot once.

I tested this, works perfectly on Battlefield 2 with Creative X-Fi, Ultra High... very very accurate positioning. Also tested on CS:S, set sound to 5.1, and that's it, could hear exactly where enemy was coming from. Also tested in Call of Duty 4, set sound to "Windows Default", and I was getting full positioning as expected.

Again, enjoy!

[king-dubs]

bump?

[Sobek]

I always thought you just had to set everything to headphones and enable it, and it automagically simulated surround sound...or something. Might explain why it sounds so **** though if that's how you're actually supposed to do it.

I've enabled CMSS in the past and couldn't possibly understand what kind of person would ever use it... It sounded muffled and 'airy' or 'spacy'...not sure how else to put that. Basically CMSS makes it sound like you've got giant tin cans over your ears.

So i'll bump this one too, are you supposed to use 5.1 with CMSS headphones?

[king-dubs]

I think this is right, because before I did not uncheck "synchronize with Windows Control Panel", and it set it to "Headphones", and did not set game or windows to anything other than what's automatically set ("headphones").

As you described, it sounded weird, muffled, and dull, and did not have surround.

However, today I decided to uncheck synchronize with windows control panel, and set the "Speakers" to Headphones in Creative Audio Console, and kept the Windows one set to 5.1 speakers.

Then, I fired up CS:S and it indeed sounded like a multi-channel headphone.

Since I did not find any "formal" instruction on setting up CMSS-3D Headphone, I'm asking you Gurus what's the "correct" way to set it up.

The way I have it seems to work, but is it the right way?

#EDIT:
Also, I think you can use 7.1 instead of 5.1 too since Creative advertised that games and music will sound "just as good if not better than a 7.1 surround speaker set". - Source here

[Kakihara]

Originally Posted by Sobek

I've enabled CMSS in the past and couldn't possibly understand what kind of person would ever use it... It sounded muffled and 'airy' or 'spacy'...not sure how else to put that. Basically CMSS makes it sound like you've got giant tin cans over your ears.

I only have standard headphones and it sounds like you say...
but I discovered one thing this CMSS is good for and for everyone with or without 5.1 "headphones" or speakers !

CAR VIDEOS
like WRC rally, drag racing, nascar, whatever

I'm a car fan and CMSS has the ncie feature of making the low frequencies (bass) more realistic than with the standard sound settings.
I recorded myself the exhaust of a race car at the nurburging and when I came back home and listened it sounded lame...all the "grunt" (not sure of the word) of the engine just wasn't catched by the mic.

Oh and thanks a lot for the tips I never tried to use anything else than stereo-headphones with cmss.

[ROBSCIX]

Yes sounds about right.

[Satan]

Yeah, that sounds fine

[king-dubs]

I'd still like to see some formal (official) instructions for using CMSS-3D Headphone though

[Funkmaster_A]

That's right. You're basically supposed to trick windows into sending a 5.1 signal to the sound card, and then the sound card converts that into stereo headphone sound.

[king-dubs]

Originally Posted by Funkmaster_A

That's right. You're basically supposed to trick windows into sending a 5.1 signal to the sound card, and then the sound card converts that into stereo headphone sound.

And how do you know this for sure if you don't even own an X-Fi?

[PixelPerfect]

Originally Posted by Funkmaster_A

That's right. You're basically supposed to trick windows into sending a 5.1 signal to the sound card, and then the sound card converts that into stereo headphone sound.

Thats right and I have tested every settings and even read on Creatives forum that that is the correct way to set it up!

The soundcard must get 5.1/7.1 so it can then send it out the correct way to the virtual speakers to get surround sound

So it works just as you set it up for a real surround system ..if you set the control panel to headphones/stereo then the soundcard only get stereo source and that you obviously dont want to have!

PS! Of course set hedphones mode in creatice CP with CMSS3D enabled!

[Pill Monster]

Originally Posted by PixelPerfect

Thats right and I have tested every settings and even read on Creatives forum that that is the correct way to set it up!

The soundcard must get 5.1/7.1 so it can then send it out the correct way to the virtual speakers to get surround sound

So it works just as you set it up for a real surround system ..if you set the control panel to headphones/stereo then the soundcard only get stereo source and that you obviously dont want to have!

PS! Of course set hedphones mode in creatice CP with CMSS3D enabled!

Here are the instructions.

CMSS 3D settings

You can configure Creative Multi Speaker Surround (CMSS) to create a surround effect for headphones or multi-channel surround sound speaker systems.
On the CMSS 3D tab, you can:

• enable or disable CMSS 3D Surround.
  select CMSS for an enhanced soundfield for playback of stereo or multi-channel audio content. You can enjoy rich 3D virtual surround sound with headphones or 2-speaker systems, and expanded multi-channel sound with 4/4.1, 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1 speaker systems.
  select CMSS 2 for added ambient effects. CMSS 2 is ideal when watching DVD movies with Dolby Digital soundtracks.
  select Stereo Surround to duplicate the front channel audio to all surround speakers.
  position sound to the front or rear of your speaker system by dragging the Stereo Focus slider.
• enhance your music listening experience by widening the stereo sound field and adding depth by dragging the Stereo Widening slider. Your speakers will sound as if they are placed further apart than they really are.

Notes

• Some CMSS 3D Surround options are available only with selected audio devices.
• For 4.1 speaker systems, audio from the subwoofer or Low Frequency Effects channel speaker is derived solely from your speaker system, if available.

[-Ruin-]

In CS, use headphone mode.

Do NOT use 5.1 with headphones. And ignore the windows control part, the creative software overrides it anyway.

In the the creative control simply turn on Headphone mode wih cmss3d on, and NO macro or elevation filters, those kill the sound and do not work.

In Counter Strike just enable Headphone and your all set.

[PCthug]

I use it with Call of Duty 2, and have set it up the same as you. Make sure it IS set to eax in game though, and not to headphone or 2.1 speakers.

[Grahf]

Originally Posted by king-dubs

I have a 5.1 surround setup (speakers), and I also have stereo headphones. This is the first time I'm going to try the CMSS-3D Headphone feature on the X-Fi.

So, I plug in my headphones, and set the "Speaker" in the Creative Audio Console to "Headphones" and unchecked Synchronize with Windows Control Panel, and CMSS-3D tab, turn it on, with Elevation and Macro to Auto.

I kept the speakers in Windows' sound settings as "5.1 surround speakers", and fire up a game like CS:S. I make sure speakers in CS:S under "Audio" is set to 5.1, and join a server.

Am I using CMSS-3D Headphone correctly?

No, you're not.

If your speakers are set to 5.1, then you're not using CMSS3D Headphone, period.


When you're using headphones, your game/windows should be set to HEADPHONES.

The CMSS3D Headphone feature alters a STEREO (headphone) signal, thus you should have everything set to headphones when you're using headphones.

Originally Posted by PixelPerfect

Thats right and I have tested every settings and even read on Creatives forum that that is the correct way to set it up!

The soundcard must get 5.1/7.1 so it can then send it out the correct way to the virtual speakers to get surround sound

So it works just as you set it up for a real surround system ..if you set the control panel to headphones/stereo then the soundcard only get stereo source and that you obviously dont want to have!

PS! Of course set hedphones mode in creatice CP with CMSS3D enabled!

WRONG.

CMSS3D does NOT EQUAL "Virtual 5.1 or 7.1 for headphones".

CMSS3D Headphone alters a stereo signal to give the impression of multi-directional sound; ideally, you'll be able to differentiate between sounds that are behind you, in front of you, etc.

IT IS *NOT* the same thing as "Virtual 5.1". There is no virtual subwoofer, NO virtual speakers; STEREO sound is altered to give the impression of multi-directional sound. Pretty simple to understand.

----

I don't care where you read what you read but I am 100% positive that when using X-Fi CMSS3D Headphone, ALL of your speaker options should be set to HEADPHONE, *NOT* 5.1 or 7.1

[-Ruin-]

^ Exactly, you do NOT want 5.1 if you are using headphones.

*hi-fives* Grahf for being the only other one who knows how to use it correctly!

[BOYDIE-NI]

Yup agree 100% also, set cmss-3d to Headphone,speakers to headphone and game/source to headphone.How can cmss -3d headphone work if you arn't using headphones settings in game.Cmss-3d alters the 2 channel signal.

[king-dubs]

Originally Posted by BOYDIE-NI

Yup agree 100% also, set cmss-3d to Headphone,speakers to headphone and game/source to headphone.How can cmss -3d headphone work if you arn't using headphones settings in game.Cmss-3d alters the 2 channel signal.

Well that's what unchecking "Synchronize with Windows Control Panel" is for. It's to make windows and the apps that run on it send 5.1/7.1 signals to the card (the CMSS-3D Headphone feature will interpret those signals and essentially create 8 or 6 virtual speakers in your stereo headset).

Maybe you guys aren't reading what I'm writing, or I'm not writing what I did.

I'll now do a visual demo of what I did:

Settings that are done in Creative Audio Console and Windows' own sound thing


In-game settings for Counter-strike: Source


Note: If I do NOT follow this procedure and just set it to "Headphones" in Creative Audio Console and not uncheck synchronize with windows, it will set EVERYTHING to headphones. And CS:S sounds like absolute sh*t. Could not tell what's behind, above, or below me. However, If I do this procedure I found on my own, it sounded like my 5.1 speakers (similarly). I took off my headsets while playing, and could not hear sound (confirming that they were coming from headset).

[PixelPerfect]

Originally Posted by king-dubs

Well that's what unchecking "Synchronize with Windows Control Panel" is for. It's to make windows and the apps that run on it send 5.1/7.1 signals to the card (the CMSS-3D Headphone feature will interpret those signals and essentially create 8 or 6 virtual speakers in your stereo headset).

Maybe you guys aren't reading what I'm writing, or I'm not writing what I did.

I'll now do a visual demo of what I did:

Settings that are done in Creative Audio Console and Windows' own sound thing


In-game settings for Counter-strike: Source


Note: If I do NOT follow this procedure and just set it to "Headphones" in Creative Audio Console and not uncheck synchronize with windows, it will set EVERYTHING to headphones. And CS:S sounds like absolute sh*t. Could not tell what's behind, above, or below me. However, If I do this procedure I found on my own, it sounded like my 5.1 speakers (similarly). I took off my headsets while playing, and could not hear sound (confirming that they were coming from headset).

Thats absolutely correct and I agree to 100 % that it sounds like crap if I set to only headphones in every instance.

The only place to set headphones is in the Creative CP and in windows it must be set to 5.1/7.1 or else you only get stereo sound for the card to upmix and you lose all the other channels!

Just do a search on creatives forum for CMSS3D and you see that this is the only way to get surround sound in games and it makes perfectly sens to me

Or else as I said it will ONLY upmix stereo sound!

[BOYDIE-NI]

You can't send a 5.1 signal to out-put from a stereo source,5 in to 2 does not go.Its very basic, cmss-3d is just a fancy up mix of a STEREO signal.If you set windows to 5.1 in game you lose the centre and rear VIRTUAL sounds.Creative Audio console over rides any windows settings in app's regardless of what other setting have changed.

[-Ruin-]

Then your giving yourself a placebo effect if you think that THAT is working correctly. CMSS3d uses a STEREO/HEADPOHNE signal and mixes it to a "surround" effect.

Anything 5.1 or 7.1 is NOT needed.

[king-dubs]

Originally Posted by -Ruin-

Then your giving yourself a placebo effect if you think that THAT is working correctly. CMSS3d uses a STEREO/HEADPOHNE signal and mixes it to a "surround" effect.

Anything 5.1 or 7.1 is NOT needed.

Actually, I did hear a difference. Using "Headphone" in CS:S and Windows made it sound dull, and not very surround at all.

[PHJF]

You'd think it would need a surround-sound signal to process into a "3D" stereo signal, wouldn't you?

How does CMSS-3D know if a sound is supposed to be in front of you or behind you if all it's getting is a standard stereo signal?

[king-dubs]

Originally Posted by PHJF

You'd think it would need a surround-sound signal to process into a "3D" stereo signal, wouldn't you?

How does CMSS-3D know if a sound is supposed to be in front of you or behind you if all it's getting is a standard stereo signal?

Qft. I knew it was actually working, because CS:S sounds like sh*t without it set to 5.1. The game would only be sending out stereo sounds.

And it really is that good. In CoD2 just now, I nailed a couple of guys in the head that were BEHIND me, and I could hear them. I also thought again it was my speakers, but then I took off my headphones, and no sound

[BOYDIE-NI]

Cmss-3d is an up mix of a 2 channel signal.It wont work on 4.1 or 5.1 settings.Check this out for setup guide.

http://www.soundblaster.com/Applicat...&categoryID=13