Creative 51 5300 Manual

							Installing Hardware 1-5
Step 3: Install the 
CD-ROM/DVD-
RO M  d r i ve
With Compact Disc Digital Audio (CDDA) extraction enabled for your computers operating 
system, you do not have to use an audio cable to connect your drive to your audio card. 
For information on how to enable CDDA, see “Enabling CDDA” on page 1-6. 
If you cannot enable CDDA on your computer, you should use an audio cable to connect your 
drive to your audio card as shown below. 
For analog CD audio output:
Connect an Analog CD audio cable from the Analog Audio connector on your CD-ROM/
DVD-ROM drive to the AUX_IN connector on the Sound Blaster Live! card as shown in 
Figure 1-4.
For digital CD audio output (available on some cards):Connect the Digital CD audio cable from the Digital Audio connector on your CD-ROM/
DVD-ROM drive to the CD_SPDIF connector on the Sound Blaster Live! card.
 The MPC-to-MPC (4-pin) 
Analog CD audio cable is  
available only with some 
models of the Sound Blaster 
Live! card.
 If the Sound Blaster Live! 
card is connected to both the 
CD SPDIF and CD Audio 
connectors on a CD-ROM or 
DVD-ROM drive, do not 
enable the CD Audio and CD 
Digital options at the same 
time in Surround Mixer.
 You may experience a 
decrease in audio quality 
when you use the AUX_IN 
connector for analog audio. 
Use CDDA instead for high 
quality audio playback.
Figure 1-4:   Connecting CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drives.
CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drive
Sound Blaster Live! card
1
2 OR 
						

							Installing Hardware 1-6
Step 4: Connect to 
power supply
1. Replace the computer cover.
2. Plug the power cord back into the wall outlet, and turn on the computer.
To connect your Sound Blaster Live! card to other devices, see “Connecting Related 
Peripherals” on page 1-8.
To install drivers and software, refer to “Installing Drivers and Applications” on page 2-1.
Enabling CDDA 
For Windows 98 SE 
1. Click Start -> Settings -> Control Panel.
2. In the Control Panel window, double-click the Multimedia icon.
3. In the Multimedia Properties dialog box, click the CD Music tab.
4. Click the Enable digital CD audio for this CD-ROM device check box to select it.
5. Click the OK button.
For Windows Me 
1. Click Start -> Settings -> Control Panel.
2. In the Control Panel window, double-click the System icon.
3. In the System Properties dialog box, click the Device Manager tab.
4. Double-click the DVD/CD-ROM drives icon.
Your computer drives will appear.
5. Right-click the disk drive icon. A menu will appear.
6. Click Properties.
7. In the Digital CD Playback box of the next dialog box, click the Enable digital CD audio 
for this CD-ROM device check box to select it.
8. Click the OK button.
For Windows 2000 and Windows XP 
1. Click Start -> Settings -> Control Panel. 
						

							Installing Hardware 1-7
2. In the Control Panel window, double-click the System icon.
3. In the System Properties dialog box, click the Hardware tab.
4. Click the Device Manager button.
5. Double-click the DVD/CD-ROM drives icon.
Your computer drives will appear.
6. Right-click the disk drive icon. A menu will appear.
7. Click Properties.
8. In the Digital CD Playback box of the next dialog box, click the Enable digital CD audio 
for this CD-ROM device check box to select it. 
						

							Installing Hardware 1-8
Connecting 
Related 
Peripherals
Connects to a telephone 
answering device Analog mode (where available): Connects to Center and 
Subwoofer channels by default.
Digital mode: Connects to digital speakers such as 
Creative Inspire 5.1 Digital Speakers via the miniplug-to-
DIN adaptor (included with your speakers).
Connects to powered speakers 
or an external amplifier for 
audio output
Figure 1-5:   Connecting Sound Blaster Live! to other devices.
DVD-ROM drive
*MPC-to-MPC (2-pin) 
Digital CD audio cable
Game pad Line-out Cassette or CD player, synthesizer, etc.
Microphone
Sound Blaster Live! cardLine Out Mic In
Rear OutLine In
*For cards with the CD_SPDIF connector
The joystick connector is a 
standard computer game control 
adapter.  You can connect any 
analog joystick with a 15-pin D-
shell connector or any device 
compatible with the standard 
PC joystick.  To use two 
joysticks, you need a Y-cable 
splitter. 
						

							Installing Hardware 1-9
Connecting 
Speaker Systems
Use a software DVD player with Sound Blaster Live! to watch movies with 5.1-channel 
surround sound. For analog sound, connect your audio card to a Creative Inspire 5.1 speaker 
system. Otherwise, use a Creative Inspire 5.1 Digital speaker system.
Playing Games and Music, and Watching 
Movies
with 5.1 Digital Speakers
Sound Blaster Live! card Digital
DIN Cambridge 
DeskTop Theater 
Digital or Creative 
Inspire 5700 
Speaker SystemMiniplug-to-DIN   
cable
Figure 1-6:   Connecting speakers to the Sound Blaster Live! card.
Playing Games and Watching Movies
with 5.1 Analog Speakers
Analog Front, 
Rear and Center/ 
Sub Inputs Cambridge DeskTop 
Theater Analog or 
Creative Inspire 5300 
Speaker SystemTriple stereo 
audio cable*Analog/Digital Out connector
*Digital Out connector on some card models 
						

							Installing Hardware 1-10
Connecting 
external consumer 
electronic devices
Connecting to External 
Consumer Electronic Devices:
Dolby Digital Decoder/Amplifier
Sound Blaster Live! card Dolby Digital 
Decoder/Amplifier3.5mm(mono)-to-RCA 
cable (not included)*Analog/Digital Out connector
Analog Front, 
Rear and Center/ 
Sub Inputs Discrete 
6-channel 
Amplifier 3 pairs of 
3.5mm (stereo)-
to-RCA cable
(not included)Dolby Digital 
(AC-3) 
SPDIF In
Connecting to External 
Consumer Electronic Devices:
Discrete 6-channel Amplifier Input
Additional information:
For connection to Center and Subwoofer 
channels using a 3.5mm (stereo)-to-RCA 
cable, connect the white RCA connector to 
the Center input and the red RCA connector 
to the Subwoofer input of the amplifier. Tip : Left / Center channel
Ring : Right / Subwoofer channel
Figure 1-7:   Connecting external consumer electronic devices to the Sound Blaster Live! card.
*Digital Out connector on some card models 
						

							Installing Hardware 1-11
Positioning Your 
Speakers
If you are using four speakers, place them to form the 
corners of a square with you in the center.  Angle the 
speakers toward you with the computer monitor 
positioned to not block the sound path of your front 
speakers.  For 5.1 speaker systems, the Center speaker 
should be placed at ear level or as close to ear level as 
possible. Adjust the positions of the speakers until you 
get the best audio experience.  If you have a 
subwoofer, place the unit in a corner of the room. 
With Cambridge DeskTop Theater 5.1 or Creative 
Inspire 5.1 Digital Speakers, you can experience 
crystal clear gaming sequences or music from the 
Digital DIN connection. A minijack-to-DIN cable is 
bundled with the speaker set for this connection.
Or, where applicable, connect an analog 5.1 channel speaker system (such as Creative Inspire 
5.1 Analog Speakers) or your 6-channel home theater speaker system.  Sound Blaster  Live! 
allows you to connect center and subwoofer speakers. 
Center 
speaker
Fr on t -le ft  
speakerFront-right 
speaker
Rear-left 
speakerRear-right 
speaker Yo u Sub-
woofer
Figure 1-8:   Recommended speaker positions. 
						

							Installing Software 2-1
2
Installing SoftwareInstalling Drivers 
and Applications
Prior to using Sound Blaster Live!, you will need to install device drivers and supporting 
applications. To install these drivers and the bundled applications, use the following 
instructions. The instructions are applicable to all supported Windows operating systems.
1. After you have installed the Sound Blaster Live! card, turn on your computer. Windows 
automatically detects the audio card and device drivers. If the New Hardware Found dialog 
box appears, click the Cancel button.
2. Insert the Sound Blaster Live! Installation CD into your CD-ROM drive.
The disc supports Windows AutoPlay mode and starts running automatically. If not, you 
need to enable your CD-ROM drive’s auto-insert notification feature. For more details, see 
“Problems Installing Software” on page B-1.
3. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation.
4. When prompted, restart your system.
This manual reflects a software 
installation in an unmodified 
version of the operating system.  
Your installation screens and 
procedure may vary slightly from 
what is shown and described.  The 
variations may be caused by other 
software/hardware installed on 
your computer, or the version of 
the Windows operating system. 
						

							Using Sound Blaster Live! 3-1
3
Using Sound Blaster Live!Creative Software
Sound Blaster Live! is supported by a full range of applications to help you get the most from 
your audio card. The following software is most important to the operation of your audio card:
❑Creative Surround Mixer
❑Creative AudioHQ
❑Creative Diagnostics
❑Creative Wave Studio
❑Creative PlayCenter
❑Creative Recorder
To run Creative PlayCenter:
1. Click Start -> Programs -> Creative -> Creative PlayCenter
2. Click Creative PlayCenter.
To run other Creative Software applications:
1. Click Start -> Programs -> Creative -> Sound Blaster Live!
2. Click the application that you want to open.
The applications included with 
Sound Blaster Live! may differ 
from the ones described here.  
						

							Using Sound Blaster Live! 3-2
Creative Surround 
Mixer
Creative Surround Mixer is the main application to use for the following tasks:
❑Testing speakers
❑Applying EAX-enabled audio effects
❑Mixing sounds from various audio input sources
❑Setting audio effects
Surround Mixer has two modes. Click the Basic Mode or Advanced Mode button to switch 
between the two modes:
In basic mode, the Mixer panel is displayed. You can:
❑mix sounds from various audio input sources when playing or recording
❑control volume, bass, treble, balance and fade
In advanced mode, the Surround Mixer and Mixer panels are displayed. In Surround Mixer, you 
can:
❑select audio effects
❑specify the speaker output 
❑perform a speaker test
For more information and usage details on Creative Surround Mixer, refer to its online Help.
Creative AudioHQ
AudioHQ is Creatives audio software control center.
The AudioHQ interface has the standard look and feel of the Windows Control Panel. It contains 
several control applets that allow you to view, audition or set up the audio properties of one or 
more audio devices on your computer.
As in Control Panel, you can view AudioHQs control applets in the main window as large icons, 
small icons, list items or detailed list items. You can also select all or invert the selection when 
you are in the Applet view. The number of items in the main window, however, varies with the 
control applet or device selected. The By Audio Device view shows only the control applets 
supported by the selected device. The Applet view shows only the audio devices that support the 
selected applet.
To restore Surround Mixer to its 
original settings, click Start -> 
Programs -> Creative -> 
Sound Blaster Live! -> 
Creative Restore Defaults.