Bioshock with EAX and virtual surround sound 🎧 (CMSS-3D Headphone)

Channel:

I Drink Lava - 3D Game Audio

Subscribers:

2,200

Published on March 20, 2018 9:26:36 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq6rda4oJac

Game:

BioShock (2007)

Duration: 43:13

3,167 views

32

Use headphones only with any virtual surround features turned off.

As I mentioned in the SWAT 4 video, almost every single game where Ken Levine was in charge had very poor 3D positional audio. Take for instance the first Bioshock. Although the game is configured to use OpenAL, it only uses it for the nice EAX effects. Everything else is handled by FMOD, the same middleware used for Clive Barker's Jericho. Just like in Jericho, the HRTF is almost non-existent. Literally the only places you'll probably hear it in this uncut footage are the turrets, cameras, and Big Daddy footsteps. (27:50)

Bioshock has a noticeable problem with its surround sound. Namely, it only seems to work in Quad speakers mode. Everything else just has flat Stereo in CMSS-3D. Even then, rear sounds are too quiet and usually lack EAX effects. You'll also notice that in general, Bioshock has really poor sound design for such a major AAA release. Ambient sounds are either very quiet (the waterfall in one of the lobbies) or just don't exist (most fires). I'd say this was done to emphasize all the Splicer dialogue, but considering both 2 and Infinite have normal ambience, it was probably just laziness.

I'm playing Bioshock with the Bioshock Physics Unlocker mod which removes the 30FPS lock on physics objects. If you're going to revisit this game anytime soon, don't play without it.

HRTF grade:
D- (some rear sounds are too quiet)

Settings:
Windows Control Panel: 7.1 speakers
Creative Audio Panel: Headphones
In-Game setting: Quad
CMSS-3D on
MacroFX & ElevationFilter: Auto
wrap_oal.dll renamed to OpenAL32.dll and placed in /builds directory.
Windows XP (Service Pack 2) compatibility mode
EAX: On
EAX Volume: 4.1dB (an accident; game's reverb is normally quieter)
MaxChannels=128
LevelOfAnisotropy=16 (in both locations)
[Default]
W=MoveForward | set Engine.PlayerInput MouseAccelThreshold 0.0 | set Engine.PlayerInput MouseSmoothingMode 0 | SetFOV 115.63
[Engine.PlayerInput]
MouseSmoothingMode=0
MouseAccelThreshold=0.0

Links:
http://satsun.org/audio/
http://forums.creative.com/showthread.php?t=432058&s=9fbde061fa1dd27496693ec002a0538b&p=470686&viewfull=1#post470686
https://github.com/TurtleHx/Bioshock-Physics-Unlocker/releases
https://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/BioShock
http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/File:Bioshock-logo.png
(Credit to IllusionofLife. Use of this logo falls under fair use laws.)

#virtualsurroundsound #binaural #hrtf #headphones #audiophile #gameaudio #eax #bioshock
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