Creative Launches Sound Blaster Live! MP3+

Creative Technology has announced the availability of the Sound Blaster Live! MP3+ audio card, a comprehensive solution that allows Internet music enthusiasts to seamlessly create, organize and play MP3 and other audio files at CD-quality fidelity. The Sound Blaster Live! MP3+ also features the genre-expanding technology LAVA! (Live Audio Visual Animation), an innovative visual music animator that creates 3D "music videos" in real time for the enhancement of MP3 and other Internet music files.

Based on the award-winning Sound Blaster Live! introduced last year, the Sound Blaster Live! MP3+ utilizes the unrivaled power of the EMU10K1 audio processor to give music fans and artists alike the ability to create and manipulate studio-quality sounds with digital-to-digital processing and playback of MP3, MIDI, WAV, Internet and CD audio files. The Sound Blaster Live! MP3+ allows users to easily 'rip' songs from their personal CD collection and convert them into MP3 files at up to 5X acceleration for easy storage and access on their PCs.

"MP3 has changed the way the world listens to music, but until the release of the Sound Blaster Live! MP3+ audio accelerator, there has not been a complete, user-friendly solution that integrated all of the tools necessary to really enjoy MP3 encoding in a fully digital environment," said Sim Wong Hoo, chairman and chief executive officer of Creative Technology Ltd. "By including LAVA! in our new audio card we are empowering MP3 enthusiasts, consumers, and artists alike to personalize their Internet music experience by creating a compelling interactive 3D music video. Sound Blaster Live! MP3+ and LAVA! are powerful but easy-to use solutions that will change way Internet music is promoted and experienced."

LAVA!

Bringing an entirely new dimension to Internet music, LAVA! (Live Audio Visual Animation) allows users to create a compelling visual montage that animates internet audio music files such as MP3 with synchronized 3D images. Recently debuted at Woodstock 99, the LAVA player generates images in real-time that respond to different frequencies in the music, creating an "instant 3D music video."

Taking up less than 100KB of hard disk space, LAVA! gives visual expression to music, throwing open a new door of creativity. LAVA! challenges MP3 enthusiasts, musicians and artists alike to develop inspired uses for this breakthrough technology. Choosing from a set of eight different templates, users can then customize LAVA files with various elements such as band logos, album art and rendered text. Once applied to an MP3 file, the integrated music and image package can be sent to friends or housed on a web site for download and viewing. Developed at the Creative-Emu Technology Center, LAVA uses a sophisticated combination of audio analysis and hardware accelerated graphics to generate a new visual language for Internet music applications.

Key features of the Sound Blaster Live! MP3+

• EMU10K1 Digital signal processor: Processes every audio signal at full 32-bit resolution providing for clarity and accurate 3D positional audio. The digital output connector enables a pure digital connection to Creative's FourPointSurroundFPS2000 Digital speaker system.
• Creative Digital Audio Center Software: Allows users to encode, decode and archive MP3 files, as well as convert an unlimited number of CD tracks from personal CD collections and catalog them according to preference. The Digital Audio Center software bundle also includes the following software: Mixman, CakewalkExpress, Sound Forge, and Media Ring Talk '99.
• CD-Quality sound: Features a full 320k encoder and up to 5X acceleration for generating MP3 files with superior sound quality that can be downloaded to a portable MP3 device, such as Creative's NOMAD digital audio player. Creative's patented 8-point interpolation improves the quality of music playback.
• Integrated software package: Comes complete with all of the necessary software to create and organize MP3, MIDI, WAV and Internet Audio files.
• Environmental Audio support: Enables users to encode and playback MP3 and other audio files with extensive effects such as "concert hall" or "tunnel" and more. Using pre-sets, users can instantly add or access desired effects on the fly for a customized listening experience.
• LAVA!: With LAVA, MP3+ users can incorporate visual animations into their audio files, creating "instant music videos" for sharing with friends or promoting songs and bands.
• LiveWare Support: Creative's online resource keeps hardware through upgrades -- new features, formats and functionality for authoring, playback and gameplay.

Pricing and Availability

The Sound Blaster Live! MP3+ is now available through Creative's extensive network of distributors and resellers worldwide at an estimated street price of US$99.99.

You can learn more at Creative Lab's Sound Blaster Live! web site, located at www.sblive.com