AWE32 - the pages of naked truth
Written by Mathias C. Hjelt
WHAT ON EARTH IS THIS?
This is, simply put, a whole lot of rare information about the AWE and how to use it. The main purpose
of it is to get the truth known and to help people take their cards
as far as possible. However, first you should know what these pages are not:
- they are not a replacement for the AWE's manuals, the official FAQ or other existing
Web pages. Read the FAQ, read the manuals -- after that, read this.
- they are not trying to hide any bad aspects and drawbacks of the AWE
- they are not trying to make the reader upset, nor trying to keep him/her happy by providing
false and thus more acceptable information.
WHO SHOULD READ THIS? AND WHATS'NEW?
These pages deal with things that every AWE user should be aware of, especially those
who are interested in getting the most out of the card in terms of sound quality, and those who want to know what
the difference between the AWE and a professional sampler is. Lots of stuff for new, to-be, and experienced
AWE users.
A major update was done on 19 Aug 95. A few new pages were added, and the old ones
have been more or less rewritten. The truth has sort of expanded and developed since the first
release, so if you care about accurate information, read it all even if you've browsed through
it before.
WHERE DID ALL THIS STUFF COME FROM?
Most of this stuff is based on my own research. Ever since I purchased my
AWE I've been examining it from all points of view, writing down what I found
out, and now I decided to make it all available on the net. However, I have of course
received lots of ideas, info, etc, from people around the net and the world
.
MAIN INDEX
- A short introduction to the AWE hardware
Watching the newsgroups, I realized that many of the questions asked could be avoided if people
knew a little more about how the AWE is built up, so here's a breif introduction to its hardware structure, including
a few comments on the other cards from Creative. Make sure you got it right.
- AWE tech - a look under the cover
Deeper information on various parts of the AWE's hardware and its inner workings. Covers things like
the programmability of the Effects Engine, the CSP, the S/PDIF output and more.
- How to get the best sound out of your AWE
This page contains the explanation of how I managed to get my AWE sound decent even
without an external DAC, and how I found out what actually is wrong with the AWE's sound output,
following the audio path from the source chips to the amp and speakers. It includes topics like
noise elimination, equalizing, etc). Also important for S/PDIF users!
- The EMU 8000 and the AWE - the beauty and the beast
Stuff like this probably isn't fun to read, but very good to know. Basically, this page
contains all you need to know about why the AWE doesn't qualify as a professional sample playback synthesizer.
Recommended for everyone.
- Sampling with the AWE - asking for trouble
For those who think 16 bits always are 16 bits. Contains some chocking figures regarding
the sampling quality of the AWE's A/D converter, plus a bunch of tricks for those who anyway want to
record samples using the AWE.
- Tricks for the user and the joker
A few practical tricks and ideas for the curious AWE user, plus some weird things to try out.
A reminder of the bright sides of life.
- To go S/PDIF or not
Everything you need to know about the possibility of expanding your AWE with an external DAC
for better sound.
- Should I buy an AWE or not?
The newsgroups and my mailbox are filled with questions like "should I go for an AWE?",
so here's my two cents regarding the problem. Various aspects of the AWE are discussed.
Remember that it is not my intention to provide the readers with a complete set of information
covering every detail of the AWE. There are manuals, FAQs and other Web pages that handle that
part fairly well. With these pages, I'm trying to fill out the missing parts of the picture, and
that's why I have concentrated on the odd stuff, the true stuff, the sad stuff - stuff that isn't
available on every little FTP and Web page out there. So don't expect to find solutions to all
your problems here. However, feel free to mail me if
there's anything you want to know, or if there's something on these pages you didn't
understand - in general I respond to 100% of the mail I get (but remember to configure
your mailer/browser with your real email address - many fail to do that!). A few more
comments regarding these pages are available -
click.