Audigy 2zs ruined Mass Effect for me

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Cliffs: Finished Mass Effect tonight. Bonus: No sound during the cut scenes.

Issue: Sound is fine in game play. Guns, voices, scenery, ambient sounds - all there.
During the cut scenes, however, there is no sounds except for the voices of the main on screen characters (or main radio I guess). I have no clue what I'm missing, but it almost seems to be the 3d sound.

Drivers: Most recent off of Creative's site for Vista (x64). Installed by uninstalling old drivers, running a driver cleaner program in safe mode, then rebooting, running CCleaner, rebooting then installing new stuff.

Creative Audio console settings:
SB Audigy 2 ZS [8C00]
Speakers/Headphones: 2/2.1 Speakers
EAX: No Effects, effect amount at 0%
CMSS 3D: Off. Stereo focus in the center
Decoder: Use built in decoder
SPDIF I/O: Input settings: Default, Digital Output 48KHz
Bit Accurate: Unchecked
Headphone detection: Optimize 3D effects for headphones when using headphones - checked
Mute Speakers upon headphone detection - checked


Is anything there that I should try? Should I try anything outside of that? Can't afford a new card at this time (I need a good one anyways, do guitar/drum recording).

Please help, thanks.
 
I'd be using the onboard sound if you're having that much trouble with the Audigy 2 -- Realtek HD I assume? Works very well for me. I sold my X-Fi a long while back for that very reason.
 
I'd suggest going on a mass effect forum and see if others are having the same problem.

Also, are you sure it's not something you have to turn on, in game?

EDIT: Try turning off the optimization of the headphones. I'm fairly sure CMSS-3D is turned on during headphone optimization for the 3D effect, and perhaps it altered the game sounds in same way.
 
Creative Vista Drivers have always been crap.
I'm playing ME on XP64 with an Audigy 2 ZS and it sounds fine, no problems with audio whatsoever.
I'd check out Creative and ME forums for a similar problem.
 
Yeah, we're playing ME under XP (Vista x64 is in the works) and my 2ZS sounds great.

Getting more nervous about Vista and 2ZS now, and getting more angry at Creative. If I need to replace it, I'll be getting an Auzentech Prelude or Asus Xonar - anything not Creative (even the the Auz has an X-Fi ASIC). They're screwing Audigy owners around with planned obsolescence and don't deserve my repeat business. (Soundblaster -> SB16 -> SBLive! -> SB Audgy 2ZS -> screw you)
 
My creative experience has left me never buying another sound card from them ever. I fought my Audigy 2 ZS a long time in XP, finally got it only crackling occasionally, and then when I tried to pull it into my new rig all hell broke loose in Vista. Its now in an ESD bag somewhere.
 
LOL, it seems there are so many issues with the Audigy 2 ZS and Vista! Everywhere you look there are complaints but then a select few that say they have no issues. :confused:

As something I have been battling myself, there is something I noticed here that triggered my memory.
You state that your card shows as "SB Audigy 2 ZS [8C00]" - That's what mine used to be listed as on my first computer I used it in. The past couple computers I have used it in since the first have identified it as a SB Audigy 2 ZS [9C00].

Wondering why? Could a driver I installed have changed any firmware on these cards?
 
Stupac said:
been there done that. don't mess with it. it will crash and not sound as good as it did in xp.
Click to expand...

In very limited testing, it's working "fine" with the brand new creative drivers. Of course they have no THX calibration, CMSS, mixer or any of that stuff. I don't care about karaoke but I'd sure like my THX calibration back.

Also going to look at those other drivers from Daniel (IIRC)?

I don't want to have to buy another sound card just to use Vista, just when everyone in the gaming forums was yacking on and on about no problems with Vista x64 whatsoever... bah.
 
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