E-MU

At the bottom of the page https://drivers.us.com/audio/e-mu, you can download free drivers for E-MU sound cards for two groups of models from a special page on the official website. For another card, you can also download a sound driver for Windows. The first group is PCI, PCIe Audio, MIDI Interfaces: E-MU 0404, 0404 PCI, 1212M, 1212M PCI, 1616, 1616 PCI, 1616M, 1616M PCI, 1820M, 1820M. The second group is USB Audio, MIDI Interfaces: 0202 USB, 0404 USB, 0404 USB 2.0 White, Xmidi 1x1, Xmidi 2x2, Tracker Pre USB 2.0. The updated drivers for Creative E-MU Professional sound cards contain improvements and fixes to improve quality and increase performance. The manufacturer also recommends installing the latest version of the PatchMix DSP application.

For those who have already managed to download the latest version of Creative Professional E-MU drivers for free on a computer or laptop, it is recommended to close all running programs before installation. During the installation process, a dialog box may display a message that the drivers have not been properly tested and do not have a digital signature of Microsoft Windows drivers. This is true, since the drivers do not support some audio functions, but it is completely safe to install them on your computer. Do not install drivers from unverified sources. We strongly recommend that you download the E-MU drivers for Windows (32-bit and 64-bit) for free from the special page of the official website. The link to this page is located at https://drivers.us.com at the bottom of this text. After installation, for 1616 and 1616M products, turn off and turn on MicroDock.

There is no need to pre-install the software from the original Digital Audio System CD that comes with the audio device. It is enough to download the E-MU drivers for free to your computer or laptop from the official website using the link from https://drivers.us.com/audio/e-mu at the bottom of this text. This software package will either install the Digital Audio System sound drivers completely or update the existing version. It may also require installation of the latest version of Microsoft DirectX, appropriate for your hardware configuration and operating system version.

History of E-MU products

E-MU Systems was founded in 1971 by Dave Rossum and Scott Wedge to manufacture music synthesizers. The company soon became known for the quality of its products, and at various times produced: the 25th, created in 1971, the Modular System, produced from 1972 to 1981, the Emulator I, introduced in 1981, the Drumulator in 1983, and the Emulator II in 1984. The Emulator II sampler could work with software from Digidesign. Until 1980, a polyphonic hybrid synthesizer, the Audity, was developed, but never went into production. In 1987, as a result of improvements, the Emulator III was designed. Emax, released in 1988, received 12-bit DACs and 8-bit sampling. From 1989 to 1996, the following products were released: Emax II, Emulator IIIX, IIIXP, IIIXS, Proteus, Morpheus, Classic Keys, ESI-32, Emulator IV, Darwin.

In 1993, E-MU merged with Creative and improved Sound Blaster for the computer. In 1998, as a result of the merger with Ensoniq, previously acquired by Creative, the E-MU APS was created, close in technical characteristics to the Creative Sound Blaster Live sound card. Audio Production Studio consisted of an E-Card, similar to SBLive!, and an E-Drive unit for a five-inch slot on the computer. The main chip of the board was the EMU10K1 audio processor, significantly superior in functionality to the G-Chip. Sampling frequencies from 8 to 48 kHz were supported. In 1999, the following products were released: ESI-2000, Proteus 2000, E4XT Ultra, E6400 Ultra, E5000 Ultra, E-Synth Rack, Audity 2000, Emulator 4 Ultra, E4 Platinum with support for RFX-32 cards. In 2002, E-MU Systems was officially closed. The following year, 2003, PCI Digital Audio Systems began trading under the Creative Professional E-MU brand.

Initial PCI DAS products: 1212M, 1820, 1820M. Later, the Digital Audio Systems model range was supplemented with PCI, PCIe Audio, MIDI Interfaces models: E-MU 0404 PCI, 1616 PCI, 1616M PCI; and USB Audio, MIDI Interfaces: 0202 USB, 0404 USB, 0404 USB 2.0 White, Xmidi 1x1, Xmidi 2x2, Tracker Pre USB 2.0. In addition to these sound cards, from 2004 to the present, the following products have been distributed: Xboard 25, 49, 61, Proteus X, CardBus Digital Audio Systems, PIPEline, LongBoard61, ShortBoard49, Emulator X, X2 and X3 and other products.

PatchMix DSP

The drivers have two parts. First, you need to download the E-MU PCI/USB drivers for Windows (x86 and x64) for free. Then you should download and install the sound control panel.
Screenshots https://drivers.us.com
To get started, you will need to configure PatchMix DSP, or connect a preset with one click of the mouse. The PatchMix DSP interface cannot be called complicated, although it looks unusual, as for a sound card driver. A user with any level of training will be able to get everything he needs from the card.

In the settings from the available 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4 or 192 kHz, you should select the sampling frequency and other parameters of the current session or use a ready-made preset. The control panel of the sound card drivers offers advanced features for routing and special effects. You can create and delete a Mixer Strip, change the settings, use special effects.

E-MU Card Features

The Creative E-MU family of professional audio solutions has two generators, and the drivers have the ability to select a reference frequency of 44.1 or 48, 96, 192 kHz. Sampling frequencies of 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192 kHz with a bit depth of 24 bits or 16 bits. Oversampling modes are supported in ASIO. High-quality playback of 44.1/48/88.2/96/176.4/192 kHz in Winamp, AIMP and Foobar2000 players is possible with ASIO plugins. RMAA and Audio Precision 2 tests show high results corresponding to the characteristics specified in the documentation. Visually, the frequency response is slightly reduced at high frequencies. Subjectively, the sound of the E-MU 1820M is similar to the Lynx Two. On the included CD you can find drivers, a control panel, and some audio programs. The number of included programs may vary.

The most expensive E-MU 1820M is assembled from two blocks, equipped with top-end digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital converters AKM AK5394 and CS4398, respectively, and JRC2068 operational amplifiers. The use of high-quality components allowed us to achieve record-breaking input values: THD+N -110dB, DR 120dBA; and outputs: THD+N -105dB, DR 120dBA. Such characteristics are comparable with more expensive cards from LynxStudio, RME, Digidesign. At the same time, the price of 1820M is available to many semi-professionals and amateurs who choose products from M-Audio, ESI, Terratec. The high-quality characteristics of 1820M are complemented by a huge number of channels: 18 inputs and 20 outputs with professional routing of streams.

The cheap 1212M is equipped with the same operational amplifiers, DAC and ADC as the 1820M. The simplest E-MU 0404 has a unique design. The single-module card does not have a FireWire port; switching is carried out via an adapter. Two unbalanced jacks for output and input, S/PDIF via optical and coaxial, MIDI are responsible for switching.

Creative Professional E-MU drivers free download

Last update: 01/05/2025.

Free download drivers: for E-MU sound products from the official website
Updated drivers for Creative E-MU Professional sound cards and the latest version of PatchMix DSP. PCI, PCIe Audio, MIDI Interfaces: E-MU 0404, 0404 PCI, 1212M, 1212M PCI, 1616, 1616 PCI, 1616M, 1616M PCI, 1820M, 1820M. USB Audio, MIDI Interfaces: 0202 USB, 0404 USB, 0404 USB 2.0 White, Xmidi 1x1, Xmidi 2x2, Tracker Pre USB 2.0. It is also recommended to install the latest version of the PatchMix DSP application.