Anyone using a dedicated Sound Blaster card having issues since yesterday or so? (No audio at all)

[N1ck0]

Since Windows 10 build 2004 update, no audio with my Sound Blaster Z only with this game.

And my sound card still works 100% with everything else; games, movies, music. Analog, digital mode, doesn't matter.

Only doesn't work with theHunter CotW, no matter what mode I use. With, or without Encoders. If I switch device, and use HDMI Direct, or my SBX H7T headset, which has it's own DAC, audio in theHunter CotW works 100%.

And let's be honest, theHunter CotW is kind of sensitive software to say the least.

I uninstall the audio drivers anyways, and re-installed, but no luck. I verified game's files' integrity in the process too, and it didn't fix my "no audio with SBZ" issue

I know the source of the issue is not the game itself, but it's still the only software so far where I experienced no audio issues with my SBZ since I updated my OS.

[N1ck0]

Good call moving to technical issues. Sorry about that. Just posted in general because I don't think the issue comes form the game itself. But it's the only one suffering from it so far on my end.

[JPSGT40]

I use a Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi Gamer edition
No problem with sound in CotW or any other game.
This card is 11 years old but still works perfectly with every game I've ever played.

Possibly related to your problem...
Some people have recently posted that CotW was giving them troubles and they figured out that changing their audio bit-rate and/or sampling rate solved it. You'll have to do some searches for the exact info, but it had something to do with 32-bit vs. 24-bit and high sample rates.

I have my SoundBlaster set to 16-bit, 48000Hz (DVD quality) via the Windows Sound control panel. I also do not enable SB enhancements like DTS Neo PC or CMSS 3D, I just let the games' sound sound engine play as the dev's intended without additional artificial post-embellishment.

[N1ck0]

You know what, I've thought about it but didn't try it. Because it always worked fine at 24bit 96kHz. But some games like Bioshock will not work at anything above 48kHz.

So for some reasons it may be that it worked at 96kHz at one point (CotW), but now refuses to. So I'll test it tonight after my workout. Thanks for reminding me of that one.

24bit 96kHz works when using my SBX H7T headset with it's own DAC, but who knows?

I've already tried disabling DTS Connect though. But I'll try lowering the frequency. If it doesn't work, also the bitrate. I'll report back after that.

[N1ck0]

Nope. Doesn't work. 16bit, 24bit, 41kHz, 44kHz, 48kHz, doesn't matter. None work. Makes sense, since those frequencies/bitrates work fine on other devices. I can even go as high as 192kHz over HDMI no problem, still works in CotW.

But I want my Sound Blaster's DSP back. Otherwise there's no point, Might as well just play over HDMI. Sounds good enough. Just nowhere near as good as with the SBZ to me. Clear lack of proper EQ on HDMI too.

[N1ck0]

I think that's what I'll do for now though (play over HDMI audio). Don't feel like putting headphones on tonight. Real surround is always the best too. Virtual surround with headphones isn't all that great.

Again, my Sound Blaster Z works 100% everywhere else. Just stopped working with CotW since that last Windows update.

[JPSGT40]

If you can figure out which Windows update is causing this you might be able to roll it back to the previous stable version.

This may be a long-shot, but is there any newer firmware update for your SoundBlaster? Sometimes driver updates alone are not enough to get things running stable.

[N1ck0]

No, mostly never any firmware updates for internal DACs, mostly only external ones. Trying to figure out which update caused the issue is too much trouble, especially since it was a cumulative update. There's an SMB worm attack circulating out there right now anyways, too risky.

I would maybe go through the headache of pin-pointing which update it was (if it indeed is really coming from an update), if it affected other things than this game alone. But I'll just play the game on HDMI audio or headset for now. IF it ever goes back to normal. Maybe my SBZ is dying off, but I don't think only CotW would be affected in such scenario. Thanks for trying to help though.

[N1ck0]

Sorry to bump this thread, but isn't there anybody with this particular sound card model playing this game having this issue also, or having their's work okay?

Because it's really the only game that doesn't work with my sound card, and it's only since the latest Windows 10 updates since 1 month or so.

[PicSoul]

Perhaps contact the makers of the sound card or see if they have a forum to ask for assistance?

Not many use sound cards anymore so getting a response from anyone here may take a while or never happen.

Good luck!

[N1ck0]

Originally posted by PicSoul:

Perhaps contact the makers of the sound card or see if they have a forum to ask for assistance?

Not many use sound cards anymore so getting a response from anyone here may take a while or never happen.

Good luck!

Thank you! Yes, I have reported the issue on the Creative Reddit's forums. But there are already a bunch of other more widespread issues that they need to fix. This issue is too isolated.

I'm pretty positive it is a Windows' update that changed something in their audio layer (again) that triggered this.

I updated Windows about a month ago, and noticed the loss of audio with the Sound Blaster Z right after. So it's not a game patch.

Major Windows' updates often break the drivers' functionality of many sound cards, but this time, it didn't for me for the rest of the software/games I use.

So this particular game must have some special offset when it comes to audio that makes this particular sound card not work with it anymore since changes in the OS have been made.

HDMI audio works 100%, same for audio with my Sound BlasterX H7T headset, which uses it's own DAC. So it is kind of complicated as it seems to be a mixture of the changes in the OS, the particular drivers of the SBZ, AND this game audio offset that makes it not work.

I was just hoping someone here was using this particular model to know if they have the same problem. It's so isolated that I doubt it will ever get fixed. Maybe only by chance, and most likely it would come from another Windows' update.

I would have to report on the Microsoft's boards, but I doubt it is important enough that it would be looked at anyway.

It's very weird that it seems only this sound card model is affected. Anyhow, I reported it was only this particular game that didn't work with the SBZ on Reddit, and no responses there either.

It's either here gamers don't use this sound card with the game, or SBZ owners on the Reddit boards don't play this particular game.

But thanks for the suggestion anyway. I searched Google for "Sound Blaster Z Call of the Wild issue", and it's this forum that comes up on top. So nothing there, but at least if someone else got this issue, it comes up on Google.

So it's not completely lost. Audio sounds fine over HDMI anyway, so not that big of a deal.

[furious_corpse]

Are you sure its definitely using the correct playback device? the newest windows update for me switched my from my onboard audio to the output on my monitor (effectively using nVidias audio output) It annoyed the hell out of me as not only did it switch it but it dropped the default volume to 70% so my amp seemed quiet when I did manage to solve it!

To change it, search sound and then sound control panel.

[N1ck0]

Originally posted by furious_corpse:

Are you sure its definitely using the correct playback device? the newest windows update for me switched my from my onboard audio to the output on my monitor (effectively using nVidias audio output) It annoyed the hell out of me as not only did it switch it but it dropped the default volume to 70% so my amp seemed quiet when I did manage to solve it!

To change it, search sound and then sound control panel.

No offence but, I mentioned the game works with HDMI audio and my SBX H7T Headset, and tried different playback sample rates, so of course I know how to change playback device, and know which one is being used...Thanks for tying to help though.

[furious_corpse]

Apologies for the previous post seeing as you've tried a lot have you tried disabling all other output devices? I'm wondering if the game is overriding your default output settings. It has been know to switch from external GPU to Onboard GPU after updates, wonder if its doing the same to your sound card.

[N1ck0]

Originally posted by furious_corpse:

Apologies for the previous post seeing as you've tried a lot have you tried disabling all other output devices? I'm wondering if the game is overriding your default output settings. It has been know to switch from external GPU to Onboard GPU after updates, wonder if its doing the same to your sound card.

No problem, happy you understand. Very good idea you are proposing now though. It worked before without having to do so, but maybe since the last major Windows update, it is what is happening. I am playing right now, so I don't want to disrupt my session.

But when I'm done, I will try what you suggested and come back to tell you if it worked or not. Thank you!

[N1ck0]

Tried your tip, and it unfortunately doesn't work. I have 3 Playback Devices when my AVR is not on HDMI mode. Nvidia HD Audio (HDMI hooked to my TV), Sound Blaster Z Speakers (for Analog audio), and SPDIF-Out (for digital optical audio).

Thing is, to have 5.1 over optical, the signal needs to be compressed. So basically what the sound card does is use Encoders (DTS or Dobly Digital) to compress the signal in real time.

But since SPDIF is 2.1 only, it needs to trick Windows into thinking the digital signal goes through Analog. So I need to have Sound Blaster Z Speakers selected, and can't disable SPDIF.

I could disable Nvidia HD Audio without loosing video signal to my TV though. But disabling it didn't help.

But I remember trying the game over SPDIF directly too, and it didn't work. When I minimise the game, I don't see any green on any audio indicators.

So it doesn't seem to use another Audio Device as you suspected. It seems to try to use the default one, and just doesn't work when it is the sound card selected.

I have another HDMI cable coming out of the motherboard itself, using the Intel IGP. It only appears in the Audio Devices when I put my AVR in Blu-Ray mode.

Otherwise it doesn't appear, so I didn't have to disable that one anyway. That's the one I use now that my sound card doesn't work with the game anymore though (this one, or my SBX H7T headset, which is disconnected also when not used). The plus side is the signal isn't compressed like when I use optical with the sound card.

And I can use 192KHz signal instead of 96KHz. The downside is I have minimal Digital Sound Processing. Fortunately, Windows' Loudness Equalization works great in theHunter. Not so much in other games though.

Thus why I prefer using the sound card most of the time. Crystalizer, Smart Volume and Dialogue Plus are pretty handy. Plus I get direct control over the EQ.

Thanks for trying to help again though. Never hurts to try new things.