Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live! Platinum

by Creative

Product Details

Product Manual [2.83mb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00004SYWB
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1999

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Powered by the EMU10K1 audio processor, the Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live! Platinum sound card manages audio and effects in real time for recording and playback of digital files and engaging gameplay. The card plays DVDs or video clips on your computer, lets you hold Internet voice chats, and connects digital, analog, and MIDI devices to your PC. When connected to multichannel speakers, the Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live! processes digital surround sound. The EMU10K1 manages audio signals with full 32-bit processing power. Full 320 Kbps encoding and up to 5x MP3 acceleration allow you to copy CDs and other audio files into MP3s.

Plug-and-play installation gets you up and running quickly. Creative Labs' digital audio system comes with a front drive bay, making connectivity to external devices a snap. There's also convenient connectivity to S/PDIF in, S/PDIF out, microphone in, headphone out, MIDI in, MIDI out, and dual line-ins.

Creative's Lava! software adds music-synchronized video to audio files. There is plenty of software to enhance your PC studio. Learn to play virtual instruments, sequence music, edit WAV files, and mix like a DJ. You can even host a karaoke party if you dare. Full versions of Descent, Need for Speed 4: High Stakes, and Thief: The Dark Project are also bundled.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Make an educated purchase., July 28, 2000

By 

Blake Watson "===Blake===" (Winnetka, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live! Platinum (Personal Computers)

I have a Live! Value and a Live! Platinum (SBL!P) and I can confirm that the sound quality is the same between the two.

The platinum may deliver just the right value for you if you like to tinker with music. (The serious electronic musicians I have talked to use more dedicaated cards and equipment, but the SBL!P seems like a pretty good hobbyist's toy.)

Keep in mind that the controls in front are for =musical= instruments, not game controllers or the speakers themselves (which must be plugged into the back, as always).

Also keep in mind that the Sound Blaster Live! isn't particularly good for DOS games. It can be far less clear how to adjust the sound settings with a Live! than it ever was in the old DOS days. (Some of the Diamond Monster sound cards, like the MX80, work specifically with old SB-type cards and allow you to use them for DOS games and use the newer card for newer games.)

So, before you buy: decide how important musical instrument access is to you; decide how much time you want to spend mucking around with your old DOS games.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Some things to know... then buy this card, July 13, 2000

By 

"gdatlanta" (Atlanta, Georgia USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live! Platinum (Personal Computers)

The only drawbacks to this card are: 1. Windows 98 auto-detect did not seem to like the setup CD (but the drivers did load up later). 2. Some of the bundled software is kid's stuff (then again, some of it is extremely powerful!) 3. The headphone jack in the front is not amplified: it gets loud enough but not loud. 4. There were minor software issues concerning getting the microphone to work with my existing audio software. 5. The software loads with a +20db "mic boost" effect, which lead to distortion and feedback until I figured it out. Regardless, none of this outweighs the good things about this card and these issues were easy to overcome. The sound editing software is incredible. MIDI and SPDIF i/o ports make it a snap for cyber-musicians. The front jacks make everything easier - no more "reach-around" to plug in a headset combo. Plus, the front jacks are 1/4" stereo as opposed to the standard 1/8" jacks on most cards - and a stereo 1/4" to 1/8" converter is included. The card also supports 4-speaker surround sound with awesome positioning software, tons of needless effects and comes with a cheap PC microphone. Comes with 3 full version games, SoundForge XP 4.5, a synthesizer emulator, Cakewalk Express, MusicMatch Jukebox, etc. The software alone validates the price, plus try to find a decent MIDI interface for a PC for under $100. I don't think there's any way to be disappointed by this card.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a card, May 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live! Platinum (Personal Computers)

Well worth the money. If you're a sound enthusiast, and want top notch performance for little cost get this card. The Live! value is another good bet, don't waste time w/ the MP3+ or X-gamer, spend the extra money or save the extra money.