Copyright: Copyright © 1998-2001. Creative Technology Ltd.   Creative AudioHQ Help (UDA) - Version 1.1
Citation: Copyright © 1998-2001. Creative Technology Ltd.


What is AudioHQ?

AudioHQ is Creative's new audio software control center.

The AudioHQ interface has the standard look and feel of the Windows Control Panel. It contains several control applets which 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 AudioHQ's 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 which support the selected applet.

  Related Topic


If You've Used AWE Control Before ...

AWE Control was dedicated to a specific audio card while AudioHQ is an integrated control center for multiple audio devices. Where AWE Control was the properties dialog box of a specific card, AudioHQ provides a high-level view of all the audio devices installed on your computer.

The advantages of AudioHQ over AWE Control are:

It is better designed.
The tabs in AWE Control have been regrouped into more intuitive functional applets and expanded.

In AWE Control	In AudioHQ

Synth, WaveFx and User tabs	SoundFont control applet

Effect tab	EAX control applet

Playback tab	Keyboard control applet

There are other control applets.

It is a window from which you can manage control applets on multiple audio devices.
Instead of being the properties dialog box dedicated to a card, AudioHQ provides two views: by audio device, in which all the control applets supported by the selected audio device is displayed; and by control applet, in which all the audio devices supporting that applet are displayed.

It shows only those control applets supported on a particular audio device. For example, if your audio device does not support the Keyboard applet, that applet is not shown in the view for that device.

It is easy to open all the control applets supported by an audio device because they appear within the same AudioHQ window.


Starting AudioHQ

To open AudioHQ from Control Panel

1	Click the Start button on the taskbar, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

2	Double-click the AudioHQ icon.
The AudioHQ window appears.

To open AudioHQ from the Sound Blaster menu

Click the Start button on the taskbar, point to Programs, point to your Sound Blaster menu, and then click AudioHQ.
The AudioHQ window appears.

To open AudioHQ from the taskbar

1	Place your mouse pointer on the AudioHQ icon in the taskbar notification area.
The name of the selected (that is, the last accessed) device appears.

2	If you want to switch to another device, use your right mouse button to click the AudioHQ icon, point to Select Audio Device, and then click the device you want.

3	Click the AudioHQ icon, and then click Open AudioHQ.
OR
Double-click the AudioHQ icon.


Removing the AudioHQ Icon from the Taskbar

To remove the AudioHQ icon from the taskbar

Use your right mouse button to click the AudioHQ icon, and then click Exit.

Note

To improve system performance, you may want to remove the AudioHQ icon from the taskbar. When AudioHQ is running in the background, it occupies your system memory and so may affect your system performance.

Tips

You can also make sure that the check mark next to the Show Icon On Taskbar command on the Option menu of the AudioHQ window is removed.

If you do not want AudioHQ to load at startup, go to the Option menu of the AudioHQ window and make sure that the check mark next to the Load On Startup command is removed.


An Important Note

AudioHQ allows you configure and audition all the Wave and MIDI audio devices on your computer. However, to make an audio device the one which Windows uses, you must use the Windows Multimedia applet to select the Windows preferred device.

AudioHQ allows you to directly access the Multimedia applet without first having to open Control Panel. See Opening Multimedia Control Panel through AudioHQ.


The Taskbar Icon Menu

The AudioHQ icon appears in the taskbar notification area when the Show Icon On Taskbar command on the Option menu of the AudioHQ window is checked.

When you click the icon, this menu appears:

Menu Command	Allows You To

(control applet)	Open the selected control applet.

Multimedia	Open the Multimedia Control Panel applet so that you can select the Wave and MIDI devices for use in Windows.

Turn Off Effect	Disable audio effect.
(if available)

Open AudioHQ	Open the AudioHQ window.

When you right-click the icon, this menu appears:

Menu Command	Allows You To

Select Audio Device	Select the audio device to configure its audio settings.

Refresh	Update the list of control applets shown when you click the taskbar icon. This applies more to power users who manually remove a control applet by deleting the corresponding .ahq file from the system.

About AudioHQ	View the version number, copyright notice, and so on.

Exit	Exit the program and remove the icon from the taskbar.

Note

When your mouse pointer is on the icon, the name of the last selected device appears.


Starting a Control Applet

To open a control applet from the AudioHQ window

In the AudioHQ window, double-click the control applet.

To open a control applet directly

Click the AudioHQ icon on the taskbar, and then click the control applet.

Note

The list of applets displayed varies according to the applets supported on the selected device.


Viewing Control Applets by Device

To view the list of control applets on a device

1	If the toolbar is not visible, click Toolbar on the View menu.

2	On the View menu, make sure the By Audio Device command has a check mark.
The control applets supported by the selected device are displayed.

3	To view the list of control applets supported by another device, select the device from the drop-down list on the toolbar.

Note

If while you are in this view, you manually remove a control applet by deleting the corresponding .ahq file from the system, the AudioHQ window will not reflect the updated status unless you refresh the view. To do so, on the View menu, click Refresh.


Viewing Devices by Control Applet

To view the list of audio devices supporting a control applet

1	If the toolbar is not visible, click Toolbar on the View menu.

2	In the drop-down list on the toolbar, click the control applet.

3	On the View menu, make sure that there is no check mark next to the By Audio Device command.
The audio devices which support the selected control applet are displayed.

Note

This view allows you to compare the settings of the selected control applet on the audio devices which are installed on your computer. To view the control applet settings for a device, double-click the device icon.


Opening Multimedia Control Panel through AudioHQ

To open Multimedia Properties from the AudioHQ window

On the View menu, click Multimedia Properties.

To open Multimedia Control Panel from the taskbar

Click the AudioHQ icon, and then click Multimedia.


A required xxx.DLL cannot be found.

Error Message	A required xxx.DLL cannot be found. Make sure that the file is in the correct directory.

Solution	Reinstall the package.


A required xxx.DLL is of an incorrect version.

Error message	A required xxx.DLL is of an incorrect version. Make sure that it is of the correct version.

Solution	Delete the file and reinstall the package.


Glossary

audio device

control applet


audio device

An audio device is strictly not an audio card; it refers more to an audio processor.


control applet

A small program that allows you to view and change a group of related properties of one or more audio devices. These are some of the control applets that may be found in AudioHQ:

This applet	Allows You To

EAX	Model an audio environment by specifying the master settings of the Audio Effects Processor's array of powerful effects, and saving them as an audio preset.

Speaker	Specify the speaker output and the corresponding  positional setup of audio input sources.

Mixer	Combine and manipulate sound from various audio sources.

Device Controls	Configure your audio devices according to your audio preferences.

Keyboard	Audition notes produced by an instrument in a SoundFont bank.

SoundFont	Load SoundFont banks, and configure instruments and the cache.