Creative EAX

Background
EAX, an abbreviation of Environmental Audio Extensions, refers to a line of sound processing presets based on the DirectSound3D API, developed by Creative Technology and introduced after the introduction of the Sound Blaster Live! line of sound cards in 1998. It was used in most Sound Blaster cards during the early-to-mid 2000s, with the technology being also implemented on the NOMAD and ZEN lines of media players developed by Creative during the same era. EAX technology has been highly popular both for multimedia usage and video games. In 2007, the introduction of Windows Vista caused the DirectSound3D API to be deprecated, running EAX obsolete. There has been efforts to simulate EAX technology on more recent systems, most notably OpenAL's EFX.

Logo (2000-2005)


Visuals: On a black background is a gray rectangular border with a metallic square on the left, containing the shape of a typhoon and a crescent. At the right there's the Creative Technology logo, with "EAX" below. A bright light appears behind the logo and moves away to the bottom-right corner, and returns with the same shapes as shown on the square in front of it, zooming and rotating into the square. When the logos meet, a flash occurs as the shapes begin to look more carved. The letters of "EAX" flash one-by-one in bright blue, and the rectangular logos for Sound Blaster (a yellow/black rectangle with the purple "Sound" above and "BLASTER" in the same typeface as the Creative logo below in white), Creative Nomad (a dark gray rectangle with a silver border, having the small Creative logo at the top-left and the larger word "NOMAD" in white below it), and Cambridge Soundworks Speakers (another yellow/black divided rectangle containing in the upper half the word "CAMBRIDGE" inside a rounded blue rectangle and the word "S ound W ork S" below in blue serif, and the white "SPEAKERS" at the bottom half) appear below the logo. A shine then passes through all the four logos.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A weird pitch-modulated whoosh that's prolonged during the light animation, then a clearer whoosh effect plays, followed by a 3-note bell theme and a person whispering "EAX".

Availability: Included as the video file "eax.avi" on various Sound Blaster driver CDs since the Live! 5.1 line.