The kX Project is an independent development project, focused on providing free WDM Audio Drivers for kX-Compatible sound cards. Read our Mission statement for a quick introduction.
The kX Audio Driver is an independent WDM (Windows Driver Model)
driver for all EMU10K1 and
EMU10K2-based soundcards manufactured by Creative Technology Ltd. and/or
E-mu Systems Inc., including the SoundBlaster Live! series, the E-mu Audio
Production Studio (APS) card, and the Audigy / Audigy2 series of cards.
(Full List).
The kX Audio Driver package includes driver system files and setup files as well
as a powerful audio mixer application (the kX Mixer), which acts as a
Graphical User Interface, providing access to many of the driver's internal
functions. The following features are either fully supported or partially supported in
the latest release of the kX Audio Driver:
The kX Driver is FREE and will remain FREE. Please note that you can always encourage development by making a donation to the kX Fund. As one of our contributors has pointed out, if all satisfied kX users made even a very modest donation (say $10 each), it would go a long way towards deferring our costs and would further encourage development of new features (and elimination of old bugs).
Development of the kX Driver is on-going and new features are continually being added; visit the kX Project website for news and updates.General
DSP
SoundFonts
Hardware-Dependent
OS-Dependent
Other Software
We highly encourage our users to participate in our project!
General
Installation / Uninstallation
ASIO
DSP
SoundFonts
Troubleshooting
Q. What is the kX Project?
A. The kX Project is a totally independent development project whose aim is to provide WDM Audio Drivers for newer operating systems for kX-Compatible audio cards. The kX Project is led by Eugene Gavrilov, Max Mikhailov and Hanz Petrov (full list of contributors here
).
Q. Is the kX Driver FREE?
A. Yes, the kX Driver is FREE and will remain FREE. However, you can support the development effort by donating to the kX Fund
.
Q. How do I install the kX driver under Windows 2000 or Windows XP?
A. Windows 2000 and Windows XP provide their own certified drivers for some EMU10kX-based audio cards. Our kX Audio Driver has not been certified by Microsoft (WHQL-ed) and thus a special installation procedure might be required. It is recommended that you first try running kXSetup, and if that fails, follow our Windows XP installation guide
.
Q. Will there be GSIF support?
A. GSIF is supported since 3533 release.
Q. Why am I experiencing serious CPU load when I use kX ASIO driver under Logic?
A. You should try disabling unused kX ASIO inputs and outputs. Logic opens all 16 inputs and 16 outputs by default.
Q. Why are the Front and Rear outputs swapped by default?
A. Refer to the Front and Rear outputs explanation
for details.
Q. Why do I experience clicks and data corruption while copying / burning CDs? I have a VIA 686B Southbridge chipset.
Please read our article Via 686B Southbridge and SBLive / Audigy issues
.
Q. Why does Windows tell me that I am missing required DLLs when I try to install the kX driver?
A. The kX Mixer and kX Setup are statically linked to certain Windows DLLs, which may or may not be found on every system. You can download the required files from the kX Download
page if they are not present on your system.
Q. How can I uninstall kX drivers?
A. Execute: Start Menu - Programs - kX Project - Uninstall or Re-install kX Audio Driver (Version xxxx) - and click 'Remove'. After the driver is removed, uninstall kX Project installation files by choosing 'Uninstall kX Project Package (Version xxxx)'
Q. What are the minimum system requirements for running the kX driver?
A. The kX driver will only install on systems running Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows Millenium Edition, Windows 2000 or Windows XP. At least one Creative Labs Audigy or EMU10k1-based soundcard, or E-mu Systems APS soundcard, is also required. DirectX 8 or newer should be downloaded and installed prior to installing the kX driver. A minimum of 32 MB of RAM and a video adapter capable of displaying HiColor (16 bit) or TrueColor (24bit) are also highly recommended (actually - required).
Q. Why do I get the following message: 'The ordinal 11 could not be located in the dynamic link library DSOUND.DLL'?
A. You have not installed DirectX 8 or newer.
Q. Why do I get the following message: "Error creating input buffer: -2147467263 (#0) [size=4096] ret=-2147467263"?
A. You have not set 'Hardware Acceleration' to 'Full' in the Control Panel.
Q. Why do I get the message that kxsetup.exe is linked to missing export SHELL32.DLL:SHGetSpecialFolderPathA?
A. Your Operating System is Windows 98 Lite - this OS is partially supported by the latest kX Driver releases.
Q. Why does Cubase cause Unrecoverable Application Error (Blue Screens) in the file emuaps.vxd
A. You haven't completely uninstalled E-mu APS drivers and removed all APS-related files from your Windows\System directory.
Q. Which soundcards can I use with the kX driver?
A. Currently, kX-compatible soundcards include all EMU10k1 and EMU10k2-based PC soundcards manufactured by Creative Technology Ltd. and/or E-mu Systems Inc., including:
The Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro is not fully supported yet. There are issues with the line in ADC.
24/96 support for the Audigy 2 and Audigy 2 ZS cards is under development.
Q. Will there be support for the Creative Labs Extigy and Audigy2 NX?
A. The Extigy and Audigy2 NX cards are NOT 10k1/10k2-based card (most of their functionallity is software-based), and since they are USB audio devices they are not kX-compatible. However, we are currently working on ASIO drivers for these cards. In order to finish we will need test samples -- please donate
to our kX Fund in order to help us to support both cards.
Q. Under which Operating Systems can I use the kX driver?
A. The kX driver conforms to the WDM (Windows Driver Model) specification and is therefore compatible with the following Microsoft Windows operating systems: Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows 98 (Second Edition only), and Windows Me. Windows .NET Server 2003 may also be supported, however, this has not been tested. Windows 98 (First Edition) will not be supported since it has no built-in support for WDM drivers (v1.1 or later).
Q. Why should I use the kX driver and not the drivers that came with my soundcard? What are the advantages of the kX Audio Driver?
A. The kX driver may or may not suit your own particular needs, although you have little to lose by giving it a try. The kX driver is part of an independent development project, and already offers most if not all of the same features included in the original manufacturers' drivers. In fact, the kX driver set is continually being updated and improved, with frequent driver and supporting application releases.
general advantages
Q. Are the kX drivers aimed at musicians or gamers or both?
A. At present the kX driver is aimed primarily at musicians, and especially those who wish to get the most out of their soundcards (and who have traditionally been left behind by the big soundcard manufacturers, who prefer to concentrate their efforts on the more lucrative gamers market). Features designed specifically for gamers will however be added as development of the drivers continues.
Q. Does the kX driver have ASIO support? ASIOv2?
A. ASIO v2.0 - based hosts are fully supported, however, some ASIO2 features are not implemented due to hardware limitations. 24-bit ASIO support is planned for 10k2-based boards.
Q. What kind of latency can I expect to see?
A. The minimum expected ASIO latency is expected to be 5.33 ms (and possibly as low as 2.66 ms, depending on your hardware/software setup).
Q. Will I get low latency with Cakewalk's Sonar?
A. The kX driver is a kernel-streaming WDM driver, and a latency as low as 10 ms can be expected under Sonar (depending on your hardware/software setup).
Q. Does the kX driver incorporate DirectX support?
A. Currently, DirectSound2D and DirectSound3D are fully supported. DirectSound3D support is under constant development, however it can cause issues with some games. Any offers to help with implementing support for DirectSound3D would be gladly accepted (skilled programmers only please!).
Q. Does the kX driver support multiple soundcards? How many?
A. Multiple soundcards are indeed supported by the kX driver. In theory, an unlimited number of soundcards could be used at once, but in reality you're likely to be limited by the number of PCI slots in your machine. Any combination of EMU10k1 and/or EMU10k2-based cards can be used with the kX driver (together with soundcards by other manufacturers, running their own drivers), provided the BIOS and the OS recognize the cards and assign the resources correctly.
Q. Can I use SoundFonts with the kX driver?
A. Yes, your soundcard will continue to function as a SoundFont-compatible device under the kX driver. SoundFonts can be loaded and unloaded via SoundFont-aware applications, or via the kX Mixer's SoundFont control page. Currently only SF2 files are supported, however SF1 (SBK) files can be converted to SF2 files using a freely available utility.
Q. Is there a SoundFont control panel included with the kX driver set?
A. Yes, the kX Mixer includes a SoundFont control panel, which allows loading and unloading of SoundFonts to compatible soundcards running under the kX drivers.
Q. Can I use the Vienna SoundFont editor with the kX drivers?
A. The current kX driver version provides support for the Vienna SoundFont editor (with the exception of 'wave playback' feature).
Q. Can I use the Alive SoundFont editor with the kX drivers?
A. The Alive editor is currently not fully compatible with the kX driver (improved support is under investigation -- please contact SoundFaction for details).
Q. Is there a 32MB limit on sample playback? Does this apply to the Audigy as well?
A. SoundFont sample playback is limited to 32MB of wave data at one time, although SoundFonts larger than 32MB can be loaded.
Q. Can I use the standard Windows Mixer with the kX driver?
A. Basic Windows Mixer functionality is provided, although the audio mixer (kX Mixer) included with the driver package allows access to many more features. The Windows mixer allows Master, Wave and Synth Playback and Record levels to be controlled. A Line-in slider has also been added for compatibilty with TV-card software.
Q. Is there a dedicated mixer included with the kX driver set?
A. Yes, the kX driver package includes a feature-rich audio mixer, the kX Mixer.
Q. What are the mixer features? Can I save and restore my mixer settings?
A. The kX mixer includes level controls for all inputs and outputs, full control over the AC97 Codec, separate record level controls, selectable digital output mode, etc., etc. The kX Mixer supports save, load and restore of all mixer settings.
Q. Are DSP effects supported by the kX driver?
A. Yes, the kX driver supports DSP effects, with Reverb and Chorus loaded by default for MIDI Synth compatibility.
Q. Is there an effects control panel included with the kX driver set?
A. The kX mixer includes a DSP control panel, allowing editing, loading, patching and unloading of custom DSP effects. A command-line utility is also included with the kX driver package, allowing direct access to many functions.
Q. Are there new effects included with the kX driver set?
A. Yes, in fact all effects included with the kX driver package are new, custom-programmed DSP effects. Currently, Reverb Lite, Stereo Chorus, Delay, Overdrive, M4Tube (TubeSound), Chorus, AutoWah, CL Reverb, ProLogica, RingMod, Eq10a, APS Flanger, APS AutoWah, Stereo/Mono Vocoders, Overdrive2, Encode4, APS Fuzz, Stereo Mix, Mono Mix, Pan, Pan x2, EQ Bandpass, EQ Highpass, EQ Highshelf, EQ Lowpass, EQ Lowshelf, EQ Notch, EQ Peaking, Frequency Splitter and Timbre effects are included with the kX driver package (full list is available here); other effects will be available in the near future.
Q. Can I write my own DSP effects for use with the kX driver set?
A. Yes, the kX driver package includes a DSP compiler and loader, allowing skilled users to program their own DSP effects.
Q. Where can I get support for the kX Audio Driver?
A. The kX Forums
have been set up to allow users to ask questions and exchange helpful tips and information with each other. kX developers and collaborators will sometimes drop in to answer questions, but on a limited basis (mainly due to time constraints :-P). Note that the kX Project email address should be used for Bug Reports and suggestions only - support questions will be referred to the kX Forums.
Q. Why do I experience shutdown problems with the kX Mixer?
A. This is a known issue with Windows 2000 / Windows XP. See Microsoft support site for details. Windows 2000 users are advised to install the latest Service Pack - this has reportedly solved the shut-down problem for many kX users.
Q. Why do I get 'Debug assertion failed' message (Expression 'SUCCEEDED(hr)&&gpPicture')?
A. This error indicates that your Internet Explorer installation is corrupted. In order to solve this, re-install Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher.
Q. Why can't I load large SoundFonts?
A. This is caused by Windows memory management restrictions. Try tweaking the following register keys (for Windows 2000 and Windows XP only):
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\ PagedPoolSize NonPagedPoolSize NonPagedPoolQuota PagedPoolQuotaPlease search our forum and Microsoft Knowledge Base for details.
Q. How do I tweak my computer for optimum performance?
A. Start by reading the following explanatory documents: W2k_XP_Optimize.pdf, pcopt.pdf and W2k_XP_Optimize.pdf.
Q: My MIDI playback is crackling no matter what SoundFont I use - what should I do? I have VIA chipset and AMD processor.
A: If you are using any cooling software like VCool, CPUCool, CPUIdle, etc you need to disable it(in VCool you need to disable NB Cool Bit, in CPUIdle disable 'AMD hardware-specific' options).
Q: Why is there no 'Wave 2/3' device?
A: 'Wave 0/1', 'Wave 4/5', 'Wave 6/7', 'Wave 8/9' are the only wave devices available for
WinMM / DirectSound applications. They are routed to the corresponding FxBusses, that is,
'Wave 0/1' is routed to 'stereo' mix which goes to 'front' output by default,
'Wave 4/5' is routed to front only,
'Wave 6/7' is routed to rear only,
'Wave 8/9' is routed to center and subwoofer.
Read our Routing guide
Q: Why is my CT4830/SB0090/SB0220 recognized as CT4832/SB0092/SB0222?? Does this affect sound quality?
A: The CT4830 and CT4832 are almost identical cards with different PCI IDs (as programmed into the onboard EEPROM). A CT4832 card is generally an OEM version of the CT4830, although both cards might be marked as 'CT4830'. Neither kX Audio driver performance nor sound quality are affected by the way in which these cards are recognized by kX (the same applies to SB0090/SB0092 and SB0220/SB0222 cards).
Q: Does kX support ASIO 2 Direct Monitoring?
A: When this option in the Audio System Setup dialog is activated, monitoring is handled by the actual audio hardware, that is, the monitored signal does not pass through Cubase VST. Instead, the ASIO driver for the audio hardware is instructed to send the audio from the monitored input directly back to a specified output, thus providing monitoring with practically no latency, i.e. ASIO2 Direct Monitoring simply provides zero latency monitoring of inputs. However, zero latency monitoring is already provided by kX ("direct monitoring" is enabled when you unmute an input on the kX Mixer's "Ins'n'Outs" page), so there is no reason to tax your CPU with ASIO2 direct Monitoring. Contrary to what many people believe, ASIO direct monitoring does not allow monitoring of the incoming signal with VST effects; it only provides monitoring of the dry input signal. In other words, this means that the only thing missing without ASIO2 "direct monitoring" in kX is the lack of direct control from Cubase (or other ASIO host) over hardware pan/level/peakmeter for unprocessed dry signal, although even these can be controlled via the kX Mixer. And of course you can always apply VST/DirectX plug-ins to as many input channels as you want using the kX ASIO driver.
Q:Why cannot kX Mixer find kxskin.kxs file, although it is in the same folder?
A: You should not try executing kX Mixer from the folder you have manually copied it to.
kX Mixer should be installed into your Windows/System32 folder by the setup application.
Do not try to install it manually - simply re-run the installation program.
Q:After installing kX Driver I cannot hear anything. Why?
A: Before you can enjoy the sound quality offered by the kX Audio driver you need to make
sure it is configured correctly. For example, Front and Rear outputs are swapped by default --
make sure you have your speakers plugged into the 'Rear' jack, or disable the
swap on the 'Master' page of the kX Mixer. If you have more than 2 speakers
(4.0/4.1 or 5.0/5.1 speaker set) - set the desired configuration in the 'Surrounder' window
(you can access it via 'Effects' submenu or by clicking the 'Surrounder' button on the main
page of the kX Mixer).
Q:Why do I hear audio feedback when using NetMeeting? How do I turn off the recording feedback?
A: kX Audio driver enables 'What you hear' recording mode by default. In order to
turn it off, open the kX Mixer, and set Wave and Synth recording levels to
the appropriate values on the 'Recording' page.
Q:Why do I experience clicks and audio artifacts in games?
A: Our 3-D Engine is under constant development and might be not 100% compatible with certain
games. In order to avoid audio artifacts either disable hardware acceleration in your game or
select 'Wave 4/5' as your preferred device.
Q:Why my audio application doesn't detect any ASIO inputs?
A: Select 48000 sampling rate. Due to hardware limitations, the recording functionality
is available for this sampling rate only.
Q:How to get quadrophonic MIDI out of an SBLive with SoundFonts using VMM?
A: Please follow this link.
Q:How to setup an SBLive for quadraphonic audio playback?
A: Please follow this link.
Q:Why cannot I hear any sound when using GigaStudio / GigaSampler?
A: kX Audio Driver fully supports GSIF specification. There are currently two GSIF driver sub-sets:
VxD and WDM-based. Since kX Audio Driver is a WDM driver, it supports WDM GSIF only.
Under certain circumstances, this causes certain compatibility problems with GSIF-aware applications
(such as GigaStudio and GigaSampler), especially under Windows 9x / Millenium.
Please upgrade your Giga application (and install any patches available from Tascam).
If this doesn't solve your problem, the solution is either install Windows 2000 / Windows XP or
use the original Creative VxD drivers.
Q:Where can I find additional information?
A: The main sources of information:
Q: Does kX Driver support SB Live! 24 Bit, Extigy, Audigy2 NX, Audigy LS, USB, Firewire or AC97 audio hardware?
A: NO. These cards are not compatible and there will be NO support for them.
Q: Where can I find the latest version?
A: A. The latest stable release can be found on the Downloads page.
If you are looking for the latest beta version, these releases are posted on the kX Forums. It is only recommended for experienced users to try these experimental releases.
kX Project is in no way affiliated, associated or connected with E-mu Systems Ltd. or Creative Technology Inc.
PLEASE READ THIS DOCUMENT
CAREFULLY BEFORE INSTALLING
THE SOFTWARE.
EUGENE GAVRILOV
SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT:
This is a legal agreement between you (individual
or entity, 'the Licensee') and Eugene Gavrilov
('the Author').
This Agreement states the terms and conditions upon
which Eugene Gavrilov offers to license the Software,
including, but not limited to, the executable programs,
documentation, drivers, libraries, DSP microcode
both in source and in binary form and data files
(including images, sounds, scripts and any binary
and text files) (collectively, the 'Software').
The Software is licensed, not sold, ownership remains
with the Author. By installing, copying, or making any
use of this Software you agree to be bound by the terms
of this agreement. If you do not agree, do not use or
install the Software -- immediately remove any and all
downloaded or installed versions from your computer
system and/or storage archives.
LICENSE:
The Author grants you a conditional license to use the
Software, subject to the terms included herein.
ASSIGN OR TRANSFER OF LICENSE:
License may not be assigned or transferred to another
person or entity, without prior written permission from
the Author.
COPYRIGHT:
This Software is the proprietary property of the Author
and is protected by Copyright Law. You do not acquire
any rights of ownership whatsoever.
DESCRIPTION OF RIGHTS AND LIMITATIONS:
You agree to not permit or cause any removal or
modification of copyright or proprietary notices,
file name changes, or any modification or additions
to the Software files of any kind. You agree the
Software may not be sold or included in any product
or package without specific written permission of
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Author are allowed to distribute this Software.
NO OTHER DISTRIBUTION IS ALLOWED.
DECOMPILING, DISASSEMBLING,
OR REVERSE ENGINEERING:
Except to the extent expressly permitted by this
Agreement or by the laws of the jurisdiction where
you are located, you may not decompile, disassemble
or otherwise reverse engineer the Software, or
engage in any other activities to obtain underlying
information that is not visible to the user in
connection with normal use of the Software.
Any human- and machine-readable form of the DSP
microcode ('dump') generated by any utility bundled
with the Software or by any third-party utility is
protected by the license agreement bundled with the
appropriate software package containing this microcode,
regardless the particular copyright notice is present
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date of this Agreement, he is not aware of any claim
or action alleging that the content of the Software
infringes any third party intellectual property right.
The Author, however, disclaims any obligation of
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TERMINATION:
The Author may terminate this agreement should you
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remove this Software from your computer system and
destroy any copies on hand.
DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY -- NO WARRANTY:
The Author expressly disclaims any warranty for this
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without limitation, any implied warranties of fitness
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Eugene Gavrilov does not warrant that the functions
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or that the operation of the Software will be
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For purposes of this paragraph, 'malicious code'
means any program code designed to contaminate
other computer programs or computer data, consume
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normal operation of the computer, computer system,
or computer network.
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY -- NO LIABILITY:
The Software is provided 'AS IS'. You agree to assume
the entire risk for any damage or result arising from
its download, installation and use, including the license
process. In no event will the Author (or his agents
and/or associates) be liable to you for any direct,
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damages or losses whatsoever, including but not limited
to loss of use, data or profits, damage to data,
property or profits, business interruption, arising from
any use, or from any inability to use said Software.
In no event will the Author (or his
agents and/or associates) be liable for use of this
software for any illegal / criminal purposes.
FINAL PROVISIONS:
This agreement and the interpretation thereof shall be
exclusively subject to the laws of Russian Federation
and International Copyright Law.
If any one stipulation of this License contract should
be or become invalid, completely or in part, this shall
not affect the validity of the remaining stipulations.
The parties undertake instead to replace the invalid
stipulations with a valid regulation which comes as
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Amendments, supplements and notices of termination
of this agreement must be made in writing. The
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Place of jurisdiction for all disputes is Moscow.
(c) 2001,2002,2003,2004-2007 Eugene Gavrilov. All rights reserved.
Contact information: www.kxproject.com