E-MU 0404 PatchMix DSP ASIO Driver Fix

(Posted 3/15/09) - If your trusty Creative Labs E-MU 0404 PatchMix DSP console shows your input WAV source is received but your sound card outputs are non-functioning, it may well be that you've got an ASIO (Application Stream I/O) Driver problem. The problem appears to be related to Windows SP3 fixes that came out in 2008 and which destabilize the 2005 release of E-MU driver software.

After storing my digital studio (a PC with an E-MU 0404 card running E-MU PatchMix DSP software) throughout most of 2008, I fired the beast up just last week. My E-MU software appeared to work just fine at that point. Then I updated to SP3 patch level and the card ceased to provide analog outputs!

Searching the internet I discovered that in 2008 a number of E-MU 0404 users complained of a similar output failure. It appeared that in some cases there were ASIO driver incompatibilities between Microsoft patch releases and the 2005 release of the E-MU product.

I searched the Creative.com website for the E-MU 0404 product and found that they released a new version (V2.1) of their ASIO driver in 2008. Here is a link to the download page I used to get a new ASIO driver.

I downloaded the driver package, ran it, and after a successful install restarted my PC. My E-MU came back to life and has been functioning fine since.

Just for your entertainment, here are four sample arrangements produced with my old casio WK-1500 midi-synth and a Jammer Pro drum track w/ synth bass. The analog guitar I'm playing is a classic '64 Gibson SG-Standard (which still sounds pretty mellow in my opinion). These songs are strictly jazz -- in the sense that I'm ad-libing over chord sequences to create a melodic and rhythmic texture that feels satisfying. To me this is music; your mileage may vary. Jonny's Raggae , Happy Hour, Wake Up Call, Stridey Dreams .

These songs were produced using the E-MU with Cubase LE.