razer Maelstrom audio enGine

The evolution oF audio Unlike video technologies, which have seen a stream of new innovations over the years (color screens, ever improving resolutions, brighter LCD and plasma screens, various 3D vision enhancements for home and cinema, etc), stereo has been, since 1931, the predominant technology used for audio reproduction. 1877 – Monophonic sound reproduction is created and the phonograph is born. 1931 – Stereo sound is invented. By using balanced volume between right and left, it is possible to give the impression of a sound source's movement on a line between the two speakers. In effect, this is a one dimensional technology (one axis). 1940 – First documented use of surround sound using a multichannel audio application comprising of three audio channels. 1985 – To render more realistic audio for cinemas, multichannel audio standards are created. This allows for the reproduction of ambient sounds, such as rain or crowd noises, to the rear of the listener. However, the multichannel audio technology remains essentially the same as that of stereo: placing a sound between 2 speakers, and adding more and more speakers (5.1, 7.1, and even up to 12.1 today) which will add one more axis in which you can hear sound. Our perception of sound is a complex sense that actively seeks to detect the provenance of audio events that happen in the world around us. Since we are able to easily detect both the direction that a sound comes from, as well as its distance in relation to our position, we often use our sense of hearing as a guide to protect us from danger. However, recent years have seen a lack of improvements in audio technology that has led to the neglect of its proper use in gaming. Traditional stereo only allows the user to locate an event that occurs to their left or right. But with the advent of 3D gaming, gameplay is no longer limited to side-to-side scrolling and jumping from one's left or right. There is a disconnect between what a human's perception of audio is capable of and what traditional stereo or multichannel speakers are actually capable of. Because of this, the potential for creating a natural and true 3D sound system is enormous, as we are already trained to use audio cues and actively seek such cues to better orient themselves to the environment around us. Compare what you can hear when at …