Waves MaxxBass Enables Gaming Audio Reference Standard In Xbox 5.1 Surround Sound System

24-Mar-04

WAVES LTD. announced that its MaxxBass technology is enabling the Spherex Xbox 5.1 Surround Sound System to make the audio in video games and home theatre systems sound dramatically better than ever before. MaxxBass is a Wavesí patented audio technology that dramatically extends the bass frequency response of a loudspeaker system. The Xbox 5.1 utilizes a six channel MaxxBass implementation to enable both extended subwoofer frequency response as well as mid-bass frequencies on the satellite channels lacking in other home theater systems. When combined with Spherex/API's patented Omnipolar satellite speaker design, the Xbox 5.1 system provides sonic realism for video game and home theater applications. Waves will demonstrate its MaxxBass technology from March 24-26, 2004 in Booth #1447 at the Game Developers Conference in San Jose, CA. The Spherex Xbox 5.1 system subwoofer uses a custom 8-inch, 100 Watt RMS system. This type of driver typically plays down to 50 or 60Hz, which is common in home theater systems. However, with MaxxBass processing on the Xbox 5.1 system sub-woofer, it can reproduce frequencies down to 25Hz, providing much deeper, richer and more emotionally powerful sound during game play and action movies. Producing this type of frequency response normally requires a 12 or 15 inch driver with much more power, which dramatically increases the size, weight and cost of the system. Each of the Xbox 5.1 system's five satellite speakers also includes MaxxBass pro-cessing to fill the mid-bass frequency hole found in home theater systems. Normally, small satellite speakers roll-off at over 200Hz, making them unable to reproduce the frequencies be-tween the subwoofer crossover at 120Hz and the 200Hz roll-off. However, the Xbox 5.1 system's satellite speakers use MaxxBass technology to fill this hole and provide continuous frequency response.ìAs a gamer myself for the last 30 years, I've always been frustrated by the poor sound quality of gaming audio both in software and matching reproduction systems,î said Alex Romanov, President and CEO of Spherex Inc. ìToday's action packed games now provide wide frequency and dynamic range, but the audio systems have not kept up. The Xbox 5.1 system solves these challenges by using Waves MaxxBass. Furthermore, our Omnipolar satellite speakers radiate sound in a 360 degree pattern to provide a dramatically improved sweet spot for gaming and home theater.î Waves MaxxBass, sold as a plug-in for developers under the name Renaissance Bass, has been a standard development tool for many years. ìIf you are working in game audio, there are a few plug-ins that have risen to the top of the heap that no sound designer or mixing engineer should do without,î said Tim Larkin, an Audio Director who has created music and sound design for Lord of the Rings, Middle Earth, Roberta, Prince of Persia, and many more. ìIn my opinion, the Waves L1 and Renaissance Bass plug-ins have helped game audio and music more than any other signal processing tools. Audio from computer systems has long been the nemesis of any game composer or sound designer from a perspective of perceived loudness and bass response. We have had to do battle on these fronts harder than any other industry, and I canít imagine doing this without the Waves tools.î Larkin, who has more than ten years of experience in the game audio industry, is currently the audio director for Cyan Worlds, the makers of Myst, Riven, and now Uru: Ages Beyond Myst.MaxxBass is not a bass boost technology, but instead uses a Waves patented psychoacoustic algorithm to allow you to hear bass far below the physical limitation of the speakers by taking advantage of the latest research in how sound is perceived. MaxxBass allows you to hear frequencies up to 1.5 octaves below what is generated. This enables subwoofers to generate much lower frequencies, allowing them to dramatically shrink in size.  For more information on MaxxBass, please visit http://www.maxxbass.com; For more information on Xbox, please visit www.xbox.com.

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