Win7 x64 RC / BF2 audio problem

[Jaymz]

Problem summary,

• When I used Win XP : I had proper surround sound in BF2
• After I switched to Win 7 RC : Only stereo sound

Well, this has been going on for months now. Ever since I installed the Win7x64 beta, BF2 will only give me stereo sound. I've tried multiple drivers changes, uninstalling BF2 and re-installing it in XP compatibility mode, multiple different openal updates and multiple different BF2openal.dll's.

Now here's a few weird things to note...,

1. Windows 7 will not give me the option of selecting "headphones" in the playback devices menu (there's no icon or selection for it). Even though I've selected "optimize speaker output for headphones" in the creative console, windows still only says "speaker" in the playback devices.

2. I downloaded the openal SDK. And in it, I get full surround sound emulation in headphones just like I did in BF2 with windows XP. This is what BF2 uses ffs! But for some unknown reason, BF2 seems to think I'm only using a 2.1 speaker system.

NOTE : I'm specifically talking about OpenAL HRTF surround that is built into BF2. Basically, if you are using a hardware audio renderer, BF2 will simulate 3D surround sound with stereo headphones. I'm not talking about 5.1


Comp : Dell XPS M1730
Sound Card : Creative X-fi Surround 5.1 USB
OS : Win 7 RC X64

[Twisted Helix]

If its any consolation their 3D surround is kacked as well. Its the new WDM layer that MS implemented .... creative have been unable to get their drivers to work with it properly for some reason.

Createive X-Fi Surround 5.1 USB sound issues - Windows 7 Forums

Possible light in the tunnel ....

Working Sound Blaster X-Fi series Support Pack 1.0 - Windows 7

Updated one for the Win7 release

http://forums.creative.com/t5/Sound-Bla ... m-p/527485

[Robbi]

Yeah, Win 7 has fracked a lot of peeps up with their MMCS service, my end its network lag due to compensation for the service :/

Tis **** even more when the fixes dont fix :/

i'll check thiose links out Twisted, n1

[Jaymz]

Update

I tried out Jedi Academy (another OpenAL game) and headphone surround emulation works perfectly. So the OpenAL SDK works properly, Jedi Academy works properly, but BF2 doesn't....

It's looking more and more like a BF2 problem........

[Robbi]

What sound drivers are you running? Win 7 Beta Drivers or Win 7 release drivers?

Edit: What EAX version is Jedi Academy?

[Jaymz]

EAX is a different thing. It's to do with effects processing like reverb etc. For example, with Win XP, I could turn off EAX in BF2 and still have proper OpenAL headphone surround.

What I believe is happening is, the BF2OpenAL.dll is incompatible with the Win7 64-bit RC (at least when my sound card is involved).

[Robbi]

I know its my question of questions, but what Driver version are you running?

[Jaymz]

The latest Win7 beta driver for my card : "USB_PCDRVBETA_US_1_01_0098.exe"

Creative Worldwide Support

[Robbi]

Tried using Vista Drivers? It has been known to cure some Win 7 issues.

[Ser Jergen]

For some reason i can hear with my head phones but BF2 wont pick up my mic. It works for skype. is there anyway i can fix this?

[Snares]

I had some audio issues, and installing the latest OpenAL from here: http://connect.creativelabs.com/openal/ ... alinst.zip fixed it.

[ryan d ale]

Okay.

I'll be no doubt having a problem when my new desktop arrives

Thanks for the advice

[Ser Jergen]

yea that didnt work. I still cannot use my voice. I even got new headphones and the voice still didnt work. It doesnt work on any other game I have. But it works on Skype

[Ser Jergen]

ok so installed Ventrillo today. And now my voice works in game. Idk what changed but now it works!

[Jaymz]

bump,

I found my old X-Fi Noteboox card, this thing....



Plugged out the other one (X-Fi Surround USB), slapped in this one, installed the drivers for it (which are completely different, non-beta, drivers) and.......exact same problem. No virtual surround in BF2......

[VoXiNaTiOn]

Afaik X-Fi Xtreme Audio's don't have EAX5 and full CMSS3D, although that's just by me going by the generic picture from t3h interwebz. Is the notebook card you have an Xtreme Audio or a different model?


Actually come to think of it, the USB card was the same from what I've heard, but that then doesn't explain how you got surround in XP.


You mentioned the use of OpenAL SDK earlier, have you tried forcing it in BF2 using Creative ALchemy?

[Twisted Helix]

He got surround because it was a 2D positional algorithm thing from OpenAL ?

Its not real surround, its the illusion of it that you get produced by some weird phase magic. Was very popular before full surround became common place.

The problem now being I think , that the way the new Windows 7 audio drivers work is not compatible with the way that BF2 implemented the 2D surround (this would indeed be the case, as most manufacturers had to rewrite drivers etc etc).

Would require a BF2 1.6 I think

If its any consolation Jaymz , surround works fine with surround headphones

[Jaymz]

Afaik X-Fi Xtreme Audio's don't have EAX5 and full CMSS3D, although that's just by me going by the generic picture from t3h interwebz. Is the notebook card you have an Xtreme Audio or a different model?

EAX and CMSS3D are completely different things. EAX is environmental effects added to sounds on-the-fly in-game. CMSS3D is creative's absolutely horrific surround sound emulation.

What this is, is OpenAL HRTF. Which is very good imo.

VoXiNaTiOn;1217646']
You mentioned the use of OpenAL SDK earlier, have you tried forcing it in BF2 using Creative ALchemy?

Alchemy is only for Direct3D sound games. BF2 is OpenAL and doesn't require it.

Basically, I'm screwed. The problem is, like Helix said, BF2. The BF2Openal.dll is not working properly with Win7 RC 64-bit.