Monster MX400 User manual

Brand: Monster

Model: MX400

Category: Audio cards

Type: User manual

ONSTER

OUND

MX400

SER

’

UIDE

Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc.

Corporate Headquarters:

2801 Mission College Blvd.

Santa Clara, CA 95052-8058 USA

Table of Contents

NTRODUCTION

............................................................................................................. 1

About Monster Sound MX400.......................................................................................................1

MX400 Features ................................................................................................................................1

About ESS Canyon3D



..................................................................................................................3

NSTALLING THE

ONSTER

OUND

MX400 ............................................................. 4

General System Requirements.......................................................................................................4

Hardware Installation .......................................................................................................................5

Software Installation .........................................................................................................................7

Installing Software Extras.................................................................................................................11

ENSAURA

ECHNOLOGY

............................................................................................. 12

Sensaura Technology Overview ....................................................................................................12

ONFIGURING

OUR

ONSTER

OUND

MX400 ..................................................... 14

Hardware.............................................................................................................................................14

Software...............................................................................................................................................17

OFT

DVD....................................................................................................................... 18

Introducing SoftDVD........................................................................................................................18

SoftDVD Features .............................................................................................................................18

ROUBLESHOOTING AND

ENERAL

Q & A.............................................................. 21

PDATING

OUR

RIVERS

............................................................................................ 22

Update Wizard...................................................................................................................................22

ONTACTING

S3/D

IAMOND

........................................................................................ 23

PECIFICATIONS

.............................................................................................................. 24

LOSSARY OF

ERMS

..................................................................................................... 26

Monster Sound MX400 Glossary..................................................................................................26

RADEMARK

ARRANTY AND

ERTIFICATION

NFORMATION

.............................. 29

NTRODUCTION

Welcome to the world of Monster Sound MX400! Based on groundbreaking

technology from ESS and Sensaura, Monster Sound MX400 adds a whole new twist

to your gaming experience by adding vertical positional audio. Now you can hear

sounds on a whole new axis



above and below you, true quad output, and Dolby

Digital



surround sound for PC home theater.

The Monster Sound MX400 series is designed to fit the needs of both the hardcore

PC gamer and digital audio enthusiasts who want nothing less than the ultimate in

PC gaming and entertainment experience. Play the hottest new 3D games, or view

the latest DVD titles to hit the market with sense shattering sound!

This chapter introduces you to Monster Sound MX400 and its features.

♦

BOUT

ONSTER

OUND

MX400

♦

MX400 F

EATURES

♦

BOUT

ESS C

ANYON



BOUT

ONSTER

OUND

MX400

The MX400 PCI digital audio card gives you fully immersive 3D interactive audio.

Using the ESS Canyon3D



controller and Sensaura's MultiDrive



true 3D multi-

speaker technology, Monster Sound MX400 pinpoints every individual sound in 3D

space for incredibly realistic gaming and listening experiences. Monster Sound

integrates scorching 3D positional audio, enhanced DS3D support, Dolby Digital

surround sound with external Dolby Digital decoder, and quadraphonic playback.

Monster Sound MX400 also boosts your video entertainment with cinema quality

DVD and MP3 tools for fiery digital Internet audio.

MX400 F

EATURES

Powerful features include the following:

♦

Advanced 3D Positional Audio

♦

Digital streams are processed independently on X, Y and

Z-

axes, enabling

audio effects from multiple positions simultaneously

♦

Enhanced support for DirectSound3D with Sensaura’s MacroFX and

EnvironmentFX

⇒

In order to mimic reality in a gaming environment, MacroFX creates

special close-up 3D “near-field proximity effects,” so that sounds seem to

be very close to the game player (i.e., whispering in the ear, wind noises

and ultra close fly-by).

⇒

EnvironmentFX takes PC audio to the next level of realism. Not only the

sounds, but also the acoustic contribution of the environment envelop the

listener and give vital clues about the positions of the sound sources.

♦

True Quad Speaker Output - Quadraphonic playback for games

♦

Incorporates Sensaura’s powerful MultiDrive technology for true quad speaker

output

♦

Sensaura 3D positional audio technology incorporates a patented multi-

speaker capability for creating 3D sound fields using four or more

loudspeakers. This is achieved by using each speaker pair to create a

complimentary sound field, each addressing the front and rear hemispheres so

that any number of virtual sound sources can be made to move around the

listener, controlled by DirectSound3D.

♦

Dolby Digital for PC Home Theater - Turn your PC into a home theater system

with Dolby Digital surround sound

♦

Features S/PDIF Out for playing back high quality DVD movies on your PC.

Combined with an external Dolby Digital decoder

and

surround sound

speaker system, the MX400 delivers full six-speaker (5.1 channel) audio

support.

♦

Also includes software SoftDVD that delivers the Dolby Digital home theater

experience at a fraction of the cost

♦

High-Performance PC Audio Acceleration

♦

System power and efficiency are optimized to ease the audio processing

burden on the CPU, thereby allowing several applications to be opened

simultaneously, without the threat of audio interruption

♦

Cool Utilities and Free Music

♦

MPEG-1 Layer 3 (MP3) and Liquid Audio music files and utilities included

♦

Studio quality software wavetable for musicians

♦

Real-mode DOS for legacy game support

♦

3-year warranty

BOUT

ESS C

ANYON



The Canyon3D technology, which supports the Microsoft DirectSound3D (DS3D) API,

uses HRTF algorithms from Sensaura Technology for each of the four individual

speakers to provide the vertical sound cues needed for total PC game immersion.

Canyon3D's vertical sound positioning for each speaker outperforms other four

speaker processors that only use simple 2D panning techniques to attempt to

simulate a true 3D environment.

NSTALLING THE

ONSTER

OUND

MX400

This chapter provides an overview of the MX400 hardware and instructions on the

MX400 hardware and software installation.

♦

ENERAL

YSTEM

EQUIREMENTS

♦

ARDWARE

NSTALLATION

♦

OFTWARE

NSTALLATION

♦

NSTALLING

OFTWARE

XTRAS

A –

Installation CD

C –

MX400 PCI card

B –

Software Extras

D –

CD Audio Cable (MPC3)

ENERAL

YSTEM

EQUIREMENTS

The following minimum requirements are recommended:

♦

Pentium 90MHz or faster (PII 266MHz for SoftDVD support)

♦

16MB of system memory

♦

Windows 98/95, NT 4.0 or Windows 2000 (when available)

♦

50MB free hard disk space

♦

One available PCI 2.1 compliant slot

♦

Powered speakers or headphones

Contents

Your Monster Sound MX400 kit includes the MX400 card, installation CD, CD audio

cable, and additional software applications.

To make the MX400 installation proceed smoothly, install the Monster Sound

MX400 hardware, install the software drivers from the installation CD disk, and then

install the optional software.

ARDWARE

NSTALLATION

To install the MX400 card, shut your computer down, and complete the following

steps.

Before you install the Monster Sound MX400 card:

♦

Review the System Requirements for Monster Sound MX400

♦

Verify the operating system you have (Windows 98, Windows 95, or Windows

NT 4.0) and what version you are running

♦

Be sure that Windows 98/95 or Windows NT 4.0 is installed and functioning

properly. Windows NT 4.0 users should be updated to the latest Service Pack.

You can download the latest Service Pack from Microsoft’s Web page at

www.microsoft.com.

♦

Ground yourself by touching the power supply case

♦

Remove your existing sound card(s) or disable any on-board audio. If available,

use your previous sound card's driver removal utility.

Installing the Monster Sound MX400 Card

Install your Monster Sound MX400 according to the following directions. Please

note that the illustrations provided in this section are for instructional use only; the

card shown may look different than the one you purchased.

Caution

—Static charges can damage electronic components. Ground yourself by

touching the computer's metal case before handling any card. Remove your card

from its protective bag. Handle it by the edges and do not directly touch internal

components or connector contacts.

To install your peripheral card:

With the power off, remove your computer cover

and locate an available PCI slot (light color slot).

Remove the screw attached to the bracket cover

and remove the bracket plate.

Position the card directly above the PCI slot.

Note—

Cards are designed to fit one way only. Be sure

your card is properly aligned.

Insert the card firmly into the PCI slot.

Take care to press it evenly and snugly into its

slot.

Do not force

Once you are certain your card is installed properly in its slot, secure it to the

computer frame with the bracket screw you removed in step 2.

If your computer has a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, connect the CD-ROM audio

cable to the internal connector labeled

CD In

on your Monster Sound MX400

card.

Reattach any previously removed cables. Next, attach any external speaker(s),

joystick, and microphone connections to the Monster Sound MX400 card. See

Configuring the Monster Sound MX400,

for cable setup and connection

information.

Secure your computer cover and reboot your computer.

OFTWARE

NSTALLATION

Now that you have installed your new Monster Sound MX400 digital audio

accelerator card and rebooted your computer, complete your installation using the

following directions.

There are two ways to install the software for your Monster Sound MX400:

♦

Take advantage of Diamond’s installation utility and make installing your drivers

and Diamond software quick and easy. See

Quick Installation of Diamond Drivers

and Utilities

♦

Install the drivers for your card manually. See

Manual Installation of Diamond

Drivers

Quick Installation of Diamond Drivers and Utilities

This section covers the installation of your Diamond drivers and Diamond utilities

under Windows 98/95 and NT 4.0.

After Windows 98/95 reboots, the plug-n-play feature detects your new card and

gives the message that new hardware was found. Windows 98/95 may then compile

a driver database. The

Add New Hardware

Wizard appears under Windows 98, and

the

Update Device Driver Wizard

appears under Windows 95. When you see the

Wizard, under Windows 98/95, begin with step 1 below. Windows NT 4.0 users

should go to step 2 below:

Click

Cancel

. Your computer will finish booting up.

After your computer boots, insert the Diamond installation CD disk into your

CD- or DVD-ROM drive. If your computer is set to “auto play,” the Diamond

installation program will start, go to step 5. If not, continue with step 3.

Double click on

My Computer

, then double-click on the letter of your CD- or

DVD-ROM drive. The Diamond installation CD opens.

After the Diamond installation CD opens, double-click on

Setup.exe

. The

Diamond installation program is launched.

You should now see the Language Selection screen for your Diamond product.

Select your preferred language from the list. Click

The Monster Sound MX400 Welcome screen appears. Click

You should now see the Online Manual screen. Click

Install

to install the Adobe

Acrobat Reader, if not already installed, or click on

Manual

to view the online

manual.

Click Next to continue installation.

Select the software you would like to install.

Note—

Diamond Drivers must be installed the first time you install a Diamond

product.

10.

Select the

Drivers

installation option to install the Diamond audio driver for your

card.

11.

Select the

Standard

installation option. Click

12.

Please review the Release Notes that may appear onscreen—they contain

important last minute information.

13.

Click

to continue installation.

Note—

If you are prompted to keep or replace existing files, keep the newer files.

14.

After the installation is complete, click

to restart your computer, or click

Cancel

to install additional software.

Congratulations, you have successfully installed your Monster Sound MX400 digital

audio accelerator card! Continue with the section

Installing Software Extras

Manual Installation of Diamond Drivers

To install the drivers for your Monster Sound MX400 manually, follow the

procedures below for your operating system. If you need to update your drivers,

please see the chapter on Updating Your Drivers later in this user's guide.

Windows 98

After your system boots, the

Add New Hardware Wizard appears

. The Wizard

displays the text

This wizard searches for new drivers for: PCI Multimedia Audio

Device.

Click

You are prompted with two options for finding the drivers. Select

Search for the

best driver for your device

. Click

You are offered several search options. Select the

Specify a location

check box.

Insert the Monster Sound MX400 Installation CD into your CD-ROM drive and

set the path in the install window to

D:\Win9X\English\Drivers

(or replace

with the letter that corresponds to your CD-ROM drive). You can also click

Browse

and navigate to your CD-ROM drive.

Windows confirms that it has located the drivers for the

MX400 Series Device

Manager

. Click

Note—

If the drivers could not be located, click

Back

and verify that the correct path

to the Monster Sound MX400 installation CD has been entered.

Windows 98 now copies the Monster Sound MX400 driver files to your hard

drive and informs you when the task is completed. Click

Finish

Additional drivers will now be installed. Please wait until Windows 98 finishes

loading all drivers—which may take an extra minute or two.

Congratulations, you have successfully installed your Monster Sound MX400 digital

audio accelerator card! Continue with the section

Installing Software Extras

Windows 95

There are several versions of the Windows 95 operating system. Verify your version

of Windows 95 by clicking

Start > Settings > Control Panel

. After the Control Panel

directory opens, double-click

System

. The designations

4.00.950 B

4.00.950 C

indicate you are using one of the OEM Service Releases of Windows 95. Be sure to

follow the instructions below for the appropriate operating system you are using.

Notes—(1)

You may need your original Windows 95 CD to complete this installation.

If you are using one of the OEM Service Releases, go to the following section,

Windows 95 (versions OSR2.X)

(2)

Windows may request the original Windows CD

to update or install some necessary files. Remove the Monster Sound MX400 CD and

insert the Windows CD into the CD-ROM drive. Once Windows has installed the

necessary components, the Monster Sound MX400 installation requests the Monster

Sound MX400 installation CD. Remove the Windows CD and reinsert the Monster

Sound MX400 installation CD.

Windows 95 (version 4.00.950)

After your system boots, it will inform you that it has found a new

PCI Multimedia

Audio Device

and prompts you with selections:

Select the option

Driver from disk provided by hardware manufacturer

from

the

New Hardware Found

dialog. Click

Insert the Monster Sound MX400 Installation CD into your CD-ROM drive. In the

space

Copy manufacturers files from

, type

D:\Win9X\English\Drivers

(or

replace

with the letter that corresponds to your CD-ROM drive). You can also

click

Browse

and navigate to your CD-ROM.

Windows 95 now copies the Monster Sound MX400 driver files to your hard

drive. Click

You may be requested to reboot your computer. If so, please restart your

computer now—leaving the installation CD in the CD-ROM drive.

Congratulations, you have successfully installed your Monster Sound MX400 digital

audio accelerator card! Continue with the section

Installing Software Extras

Windows 95 (versions OSR2.X)

This section provides driver installation procedures for the OSR2 releases (version

4.00.950 B

4.00.950 C

) of Windows 95.

After your system boots, it will inform you that it has found a new

PCI Multimedia

Audio Device

and display the

Update Device Driver Wizard

Click

. Windows now searches for the location of the driver files. Wait a few

moments until you see the

Other Locations

button. Click

Other Locations

Insert the Monster Sound MX400 Installation CD into your CD-ROM drive and

set the path in the install window to

D:\Win9X\English\Drivers

(or replace

with the letter that corresponds to your CD-ROM drive). You can also click

Browse

and navigate to your CD-ROM drive.

Click

, then click

Finish

. The driver files will be copied to their destination

directories. If you are prompted for the Monster Sound MX400 Installation Disk,

Click

. The

Copying Files…

dialog appears.

Enter

D:\Win9X\English\Drivers

(or replace

with the letter that corresponds to

your CD-ROM drive) in the

Copy files from

box. You can also click

Browse

and

navigate to your CD-ROM drive.

Windows 95 now copies the Monster Sound MX400 driver files to your hard

drive. Click

You may be asked to reboot you computer. If so, please restart your computer

now—leaving the installation CD in the CD-ROM drive.

Congratulations, you have successfully installed your Monster Sound MX400 digital

audio accelerator card! Continue with the section

Installing Software Extras

Windows NT 4.0

The following steps instruct you on how to install the MX400 drivers and software.

To install the Monster Sound MX400 Drivers under Windows NT 4.0:

From the Windows Taskbar, click

Start > Settings > Control Panel

. The Control

Panel directory opens.

Double-click

Multimedia

and select the

Devices

tab.

Click

Add

and select

Unlisted or Updated Driver

from the list box. Click

. The

Install Driver

dialog appears.

Set the path in the

Install Driver

dialog to

D:\NT4\English\Drivers

(or replace

with the letter that corresponds to your CD-ROM drive). Click

. The

Add

Unlisted or Updated Driver

dialog box appears.

Select the

Diamond

Monster Sound MX400 Series

driver from the list and click

The MX400 drivers are now loaded into your system.

Note—

The system

Restart

prompt may appear. Reboot your system at this time.

Congratulations, you have successfully installed your Monster Sound MX400 digital

audio accelerator card! Continue with the section

Installing Software Extras

NSTALLING

OFTWARE

XTRAS

Your Monster Sound MX400 kit may contain additional software applications on

individual CD disks. Choose a CD of interest and install a game or application.

ENSAURA

ECHNOLOGY

S3/Diamond Multimedia Systems has partnered with ESS Technology and Sensaura,

to deliver the latest and most realistic audio system possible for your PC. With

unique support of true 3D gaming with Sensaura's MultiDrive



technology into the

ESS Canyon3D controller, the MX400 audio accelerator has a compelling feature set

that enables consumers to experience up to six-speaker, theater sound quality from

their PC. Sound as low as a whisper or as intense as a freight train will attain a new

realism never before experienced in PC entertainment.

This chapter describes Sensaura's 3D audio technology that is at the heart of your

Monster Sound MX400 card.

ENSAURA

ECHNOLOGY

VERVIEW

Sensaura MultiDrive is a true 3D multi-speaker technology. The Monster Sound

MX400 audio accelerator uses Sensaura's MultiDrive technology to provide complete

360-degrees vertical and horizontal position 3D sound effects, from each of the four

speakers independently in a multispeaker PC gaming environment.

Sensaura's 3D audio technology allows for highly realistic simulations of spatial

acoustics and real-time audio environments. With Sensaura's support of the DS3D

API, the Monster Sound MX400 allows for an amazingly realistic and immersive 3D

audio experience for PC gamers.

Your MX400 audio system aims to digitally reproduce a highly realistic sound field.

To achieve the best possible effect, Sensaura's system recreates all of the listening

cues to which a human ear responds: outer ear effects, occlusions, reflections, and so

on. A typical first step to building such a system is to capture the listening cues by

analyzing what happens to a single sound as it arrives at a listener from different

angles (see following illustration).

Once captured, the audio cues are synthesized in a computer simulation for

verification.

Sound source

Reflection

ONFIGURING

OUR

ONSTER

OUND

MX400

The Monster Sound MX400 hardware and software can be configured in a variety of

ways. This chapter outlines the connections and some basic setups you can use to

get the most from your Monster Sound MX400 card.

♦

ARDWARE

♦

OFTWARE

ARDWARE

The Monster Sound MX400 card provides a number of ways for you to connect

external devices such as headphones, microphones and speakers. The following

illustration describes the Monster Sound MX400 card connectors.

Figure - Connecting External Devices

Audio Output: 2 or 4 Speakers

The Monster Sound MX400 card has three separate audio output jacks labeled

S/PDIF

F L/R

and

R L/R

respectively on the mounting bracket (see the following

figure).

Note—

Powered speakers are required to connect to the audio outputs.

The MX400 processes A3D (1.0 emulated), DirectSound 3D and SoftDVD multi-

channel sources and automatically virtualizes the signal for 2 or 4 speaker

configurations. Connect your speakers to the MX400 card in the following manner:

♦

Use

F L/R

with 2 speakers

♦

Use

F L/R

and

R L/R

with 4 speakers

If you are using a four-speaker setup, A3D, DirectSound 3D and SoftDVD signals are

virtualized such that sounds that come from the “front” are output to

F L/R

; sounds

that originate from the “rear” are output to

R L/R

S/PDIF Connector

Monster Sound MX400 offers coaxial S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interchange)

format output for the ultimate home theater experience. Combined with software

DVD support, an external Dolby Digital decoder, and digital speakers, it gives full

six-speaker (5.1 channel) Dolby Digital audio support.

Connect the

S/PDIF

connector on the Monster Sound MX400 to the RCA (Coaxial)

IN on your external decoder. With this configuration, the Monster Sound MX400

can provide true digital signal to your home theater system.

Note

—The Monster Sound MX400 S/PDIF interface is limited to Dolby Digital and

stereo PCM digital output only.

Using Headphones

Attach your headphones to the

F L/R

connector only.

Figure – Side view of external MX400 I/O connector

MPU401 MIDI/game port

connector

MIDI Output

The MX400 card can output and accept General MIDI data from your PC to external

MIDI-compatible devices. Use your favorite music software to control MIDI devices

through the MX400 card. You can also use the powerful, built-in MX400 wavetable

to produce concert quality instrumental music directly from music software. MIDI

cables must be purchased separately.

To connect an external MIDI device to MX400:

With the computer off, insert a MIDI connector into the

MIDI/Joystick

port on

the MX400 card.

Attach the opposite end of the MIDI connector to your MIDI compatible device or

MIDI patch bay.

Restart your computer.

Legacy DOS Game Support

The Monster Sound MX400 card supports full DOS game compatibility through three

hardware implementations: PC/PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect), DDMA

(Distributed DMA), and TDMA (Transparent DMA). Full DOS game compatibility is

achieved over the standard PCI 2.1 bus without additional sideband signals.

The PC/PCI hardware implementation serves as a bridge between the motherboard

and Monster Sound MX400 card to deliver Sound Blaster compatibility for real-

mode DOS games. If you desire to use the PC/PCI hardware implementation, the

jumper configuration is needed only for TX chipset-based motherboards.

To configure for the PC/PCI hardware implementation, you must connect one end of

the PC/PCI cable to connector J8 (PC/PCI) on the Monster Sound MX400 card, and

the other end to the PC/PCI connector on your motherboard. Please consult the

motherboard documentation for information on where to locate the PC/PCI cable

and connector on your motherboard.

OFTWARE

Audio InControl Tools

The Monster Sound control panel is installed when you select Audio InControl Tools

from the Monster Sound MX400 installation program. It allows you to configure

your audio output and verify proper speaker configuration.

There are two ways to launch the Monster Sound control panel:

⇒

Notice the icon at the lower right side of the Windows Taskbar—the Diamond

Monster Sound musical note. It appears by default. To open the Monster Sound

control panel, double-click the Diamond Monster musical note from the Taskbar.

The Monster Sound control panel is displayed.

⇒

From the

Start

menu, go to

Programs > Diamond > Audio InControl Tools >

Audio InControl Tools

. The Monster Sound control panel is displayed.

Set your MX400 configurations using the control panel. You can also test your

speaker selections before exiting the program.

OFT

DVD

Your Monster Sound MX400 supports SoftDVD. This chapter describes software DVD

and the requirements necessary to run SoftDVD.

♦

NTRODUCING

OFT

DVD

♦

OFT

DVD F

EATURES

NTRODUCING

OFT

DVD

SoftDVD is a software application that allows playback and navigation of DVD-

Video discs. SoftDVD decrypts, navigates, and decodes the audio and video data that

a DVD-Video contains. This allows you to enjoy the latest DVD-Video titles, without

the high cost of dedicated DVD-V hardware.

The SoftDVD software was chosen for its excellent video quality and graphic card

support. In addition, the SoftDVD software was written with the Monster Sound in

mind, because it can direct the DVD-V's audio out to the Monster Sound MX400's

S/PDIF output. When the S/PDIF is connected to a Dolby Digital decoder, you can

experience true 5.1 channel audio as it was meant to be.

OFT

DVD F

EATURES

The SoftDVD technology supports the following features:

♦

Parental settings to "lock-out" unsuitable titles. Parental settings may be

implemented from the

Settings

screen.

♦

“Chapter” division. Similar to tracks on an audio CD, you can skip to the

previous or next chapter.

♦

Multiple language subtitle support

♦

Multiple language audio support

♦

Multiple camera angle support. This function allows you to choose the viewing

angle of scenes that were shot from different cameras (limited to DVD discs

recorded with multiple camera angles).

♦

Play a video CD disc using the Media Player and ActiveMovie Control utilities.

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Monster MX400 User manual

Brand: Monster

Model: MX400

Category: Audio cards

Type: User manual

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Monster MX400 User manual

Monster MX400 User manual

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