Lord Myn wrote on Yesterday, 15:45:

Hello,

I've just bought an Audigy 5/RX PCI-E soundcard, but when I tried to use an EAX supported game ( I set it in Alchemy) there are no EAX effect, and dsounlog.txt has a line: DirectSoundCreate : Failed to initialize Creative ALchemy, falling back to dsound.dll. Can you help me to make it work?

I've installed Alchemy 1.45.20 & OpenAL and set EAX effect in control panel to 'No effects'.

Find ALCapsViewer 32 and 64bit utility
This is a Creative utility that checks the correctness of OpenAL files, registry entries, and hardware compatibility.
Separately for X86 and AMD64 targets

https://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file … 5-openal-tools/

Thanks, it's a handy tool, it shows my SB Audigy device OK:

------------------
System Information
------------------
Report Time: 2025/9/20 10:55:36
BIOS: ALASKA - 1072009 3208
Processor: ~4342MHz AMD Ryzen 5 8600G w/ Radeon 760M Graphics
Memory: 32 GB
Default Audio Device Name: SPDIF Out (Sound Blaster Audigy 5/Rx)
Audio Driver Filename: {0.0.0.00000000}.{419ff71e-5da9-43cd-ba44-e49155f95449}
Audio Driver File Version:
Audio Driver Product Version:
ALCapsViewer Version: 1.0.3.0

-----------------
OpenAL Components
-----------------
Name Path Real Path Version
OpenAL32.dll C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\ C:\Windows\SysWOW64\OpenAL32.dll 6.14.357.25
ct_oal.dll C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\ C:\Windows\SysWOW64\ct_oal.dll 6.0.301.63
wrap_oal.dll C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\ C:\Windows\SysWOW64\wrap_oal.dll 2.2.0.7

--------------
OpenAL Devices
--------------
Name: SB Audigy 5/Rx [EFC0]
Sample Offset: Yes
Linear Distance Model: Yes
Exponent Distance Model: Yes
Capture: Yes
Enumeration: Yes
EAX 2.0: Yes
EAX 3.0: Yes
EAX 4.0: Yes
EAX 5.0: No
X-RAM: No
Enumerate All: Yes
EFX 1.0: Yes

Name: Generic Software
Sample Offset: Yes
Linear Distance Model: Yes
Exponent Distance Model: Yes
Capture: Yes
Enumeration: Yes
EAX 2.0: Yes
EAX 3.0: No
EAX 4.0: No
EAX 5.0: No
X-RAM: No
Enumerate All: Yes
EFX 1.0: Yes

sharangad wrote on Today, 00:55:

Which version of Alchemy have you got?

Since I can't link to image alone, I'm writing this pointless text where I express I feel admins of this place should be replaced.

UCyborg wrote on Today, 11:14:

Since I can't link to image alone, I'm writing this pointless text where I express I feel admins of this place should be replace […]
Show full quote

sharangad wrote on Today, 00:55:

Which version of Alchemy have you got?

Since I can't link to image alone, I'm writing this pointless text where I express I feel admins of this place should be replaced.

In "control panel->add remove programs "OR "settings->apps->installed apps" it should list creative alchemy version x.xx.

[EDIT] Alchemy isn't offically supported on the RX, at least not anymore. This lists supported cards including the AE-9 and Audigy FX but there's no RX.
https://support.creative.com/kb/ShowArticle.aspx?sid=28967

The available downloads for the Audigy RX:
https://support.creative.com/Products/Product … Audigy&CatName=

Even soundfont bank manager isn't supplied anymore.

[EDIT2] Does anyone have a copy of the driver CD?

There it says 1.45. But that's just the app ALchemy.exe, which doesn't do much interesting other than copy dsound.dll around and change registry for dsound.dll to be loaded properly for games that load it via COM. That dsound.dll (2019) is newer than ALchemy.exe (2017), which version is written as 1.4.5.0 in the EXE.

I do have a version of dsound.dll from February 2017 and a bunch of others, there are multiple so called 1.45 versions, the February 2017 version is from installation package which has SoftwareVersion = 1.45.15 written in Version.ini.

UCyborg wrote on Today, 12:04:

There it says 1.45. But that's just the app ALchemy.exe, which doesn't do much interesting other than copy dsound.dll around and change registry for dsound.dll to be loaded properly for games that load it via COM. That dsound.dll (2019) is newer than ALchemy.exe (2017), which version is written as 1.4.5.0 in the EXE.

I do have a version of dsound.dll from February 2017 and a bunch of others, there are multiple so called 1.45 versions, the February 2017 version is from installation package which has SoftwareVersion = 1.45.15 written in Version.ini.

I tried 1.45.20 which is the last version released (~2020). It didn't work.

sharangad wrote on Today, 12:09:

I tried 1.45.20 which is the last version released (~2020). It didn't work.

There are a few older versions of ALchemy still available for download on Creative's website.

Try this page though I'm not sure how well the link will work, since their website is a bit messy.

OK worked out the problem. The newer versions don't work in older games like NFS HS. There's no DS3D/EAX option when using it there. With Alice it does work with newer dlls but there's a directsound error followed by using default OpenAL and the game reports that EAX 2 is in use. NFS HS *might* be EAX1.

sharangad wrote on Today, 12:43:

OK worked out the problem. The newer versions don't work in older games like NFS HS. There's no DS3D/EAX option when using it there. With Alice it does work with newer dlls but there's a directsound error followed by using default OpenAL and the game reports that EAX 2 is in use. NFS HS *might* be EAX1.

EAX Unified can sometimes help with older EAX versions.

Try installing that if you haven't already. I've linked it a few pages earlier.

Joseph_Joestar wrote on Today, 12:56:

sharangad wrote on Today, 12:43:

OK worked out the problem. The newer versions don't work in older games like NFS HS. There's no DS3D/EAX option when using it there. With Alice it does work with newer dlls but there's a directsound error followed by using default OpenAL and the game reports that EAX 2 is in use. NFS HS *might* be EAX1.

EAX Unified can sometimes help with older EAX versions.

Try installing that if you haven't already. I've linked it a few pages earlier.

Tried EAX Unified, but nope, it only works with Alchemy Universal and not official releases.