CD XA Audio Now Added to the PSX Core

[Xbytez]

Another amazing update from Robert for the PSX core Now you can enjoy FMV, background music and dialog sound.

Nightlies:

https://github.com/MiSTer-unstable-nigh ... /releases/

Latest Build:

https://github.com/MiSTer-unstable-nigh ... tBuild.zip

[Sigismond0]

This is awesome! Watching the Chrono Trigger FMV is pure nostalgia.

This core's getting awfully close to completion.

[pgimeno]

Awesome!

For those who wonder, CD-DA (Red Book) audio is still not working. For example, no BGM in Sentinel Returns yet, and no menu music in Tomb Raider.

I've also had serious trouble with memory cards with this build. Saving corrupts the MC, and loading does not always work. I don't know when this began happening, though.

[sardine]

abes oddysee..............wow

tomb raider fmv works but cant get into game stuck on black screen.

[MostroW]

this core is tugging along so fast!

Robert if you read this, sorry to ask but i'm curious.
Will the core eventually be able to load compressed images or does it already and did i miss something?

[Mr. Encyclopedia]

Do you mean compressed CD images like CHD? That's a planned feature but isn't implemented yet and isn't high on the priority list.

[Neocaron]

abes oddysee..............wow

tomb raider fmv works but cant get into game stuck on black screen.

Both T3 and 4 will get you in game, or in the Manor for T3
You will even get the music in the Menu. SO GOOOOOOD!!

[annette]

Once again this is just amazing work thank you.

[lamarax]

It's been amazing what's happening so fast!

[pgimeno]

tomb raider fmv works but cant get into game stuck on black screen.

To be clear, yes, TR hangs when trying to start the game, but the menu works and the main theme should play while in the menu, if CDDA were working.

[Neocaron]

tomb raider fmv works but cant get into game stuck on black screen.

To be clear, yes, TR hangs when trying to start the game, but the menu works and the main theme should play while in the menu, if CDDA were working.

For me sound in the menu is only in T3 and T4 currently. However neither T3 or T4 hang, they are both playable.

[pgimeno]

For me sound in the menu is only in T3 and T4 currently. However neither T3 or T4 hang, they are both playable.

Yeah, my point is that regular CD audio isn't working. TR3 and TR4 have no CD audio tracks; they probably use CD-XA for audio, which is what has been implemented. TR and TR2 *do* use CD audio tracks, and they have no menu sound, besides the fact that the game doesn't start (maybe for a related reason, I don't know).

CD-XA makes many soundtracks work (like Silent Hill, which is now 100% working to the best of my knowledge, yay!), but until we have CD-DA, the soundtracks that are based on CD audio won't work, and that includes TR and TR2.

[Neocaron]

For me sound in the menu is only in T3 and T4 currently. However neither T3 or T4 hang, they are both playable.

Yeah, my point is that regular CD audio isn't working. TR3 and TR4 have no CD audio tracks; they probably use CD-XA for audio, which is what has been implemented. TR and TR2 *do* use CD audio tracks, and they have no menu sound, besides the fact that the game doesn't start (maybe for a related reason, I don't know).

CD-XA makes many soundtracks work (like Silent Hill, which is now 100% working to the best of my knowledge, yay!), but until we have CD-DA, the soundtracks that are based on CD audio won't work, and that includes TR and TR2.

IT's also true for Alien Trilogy, which doesn't have in game music because it's uses Cd audio. Still it's awesome to see so many games already having musics!

[BCB]

Thanks Robert, having so much fun testing my favourite games and excited to see so many working, your hard work is truly appreciated!

[MostroW]

Do you mean compressed CD images like CHD? That's a planned feature but isn't implemented yet and isn't high on the priority list.

I don't mind it being one of the last things to do, but it's nice to know that it will be implemented.
It makes so much difference for some games that take up 650~700MB of drive space now, but compressed it's like 1/3 or less of that.

Makes much more sense that the core needs to reach full working status before the final adjustments will be made.

[softtest9]

I tried reading about CD-XA and CD-DA and the information I got is that CD-XA is mixed mode (data + audio tracks) but CD-DA is a pure audio CD. But this doesn't make sense if there are PS1 games that are CD-DA (they wouldn't have any data). Does anyone have more information about this?

[virtuali]

I think it's related to the error correction and sector length, CD-DA audio has less error correction and have slightly bigger sector size, while CD-XA is a CD-ROM format and, since it's normally used to store the program data, which is supposed to be exact, so it uses more data for error correction.

Some games use audio in CD-XA mode, other use real audio tracks, which should work in a regular ( non CD-Rom ) audio CD player.

[pgimeno]

The CD-ROM format uses track 1 for data. The rest of tracks can be regular audio (CD-DA) tracks. Some PSX games, like Tomb Raider, use the audio in these tracks. If you put the TR CD in a CD audio player, and skip the track 1, you can listen to the soundtrack. Some old CD audio players don't detect the data flag in track 1, and play noise when track 1 is reproduced. Later players just play silence.

CD-XA, on the other hand, is data mixed with audio in the same stream, not in separate tracks. That allows for video + audio, for example. It needs to be decoded and can't be played by a regular CD audio player.

[metalfacemark]

Has this changed other sounds? I was getting audio in the boot menu and in ridge racer but now no sound at all (1 stick i might add)

[Chris23235]

Has this changed other sounds? I was getting audio in the boot menu and in ridge racer but now no sound at all (1 stick i might add)

You don't need a second Ram-stick. For me RR has all sounds except the music, this was also the case with earlier unstables.

[metalfacemark]

Yeah I don’t understand why my audio has disappeared

[alessiman]

Looking forward to when CD-DA is supported. For no other reason but to listen to audio CD's on the PSX core

[caad]

Has this changed other sounds? I was getting audio in the boot menu and in ridge racer but now no sound at all (1 stick i might add)

I also have no sound whatsoever (maybe a slight crackle now and then) with recent core builds. All other cores still work, and I've checked volume etc. One SDRAM.

[Chris23235]

Just tried it again to double check core 20220202 sound in Ridge Racer works (no music but that's expected), I also tried R4, which has a CD XA soundtrack. This also worked. Single RAM MiSTer connected over HDMI.

[held]

At this point I don't care what works or not. It seems to get better so fast that I just practice patience while I'm playing XA only

[metalfacemark]

i deleted and reinstalled the build and working fine.

I was playing parappa, a game that has been butchered on the ps4 version with laggy controls, was so nice to play in time! Sound messed up on the second stage but the first stage was perfect!

[vanfanel]

i deleted and reinstalled the build and working fine.

I was playing parappa, a game that has been butchered on the ps4 version with laggy controls, was so nice to play in time! Sound messed up on the second stage but the first stage was perfect!

You were lucky, I got sound screwed on the first stage: after a while, music stopped playing!
Ohhh!

What a library this console has, just incredible, it has everything for everyone, and a LOT of artistic games that wouldn't have been done today.
Parappa is a good example of creativity and playability! What a nice and fun game, makes me laugh everytime I play it

[pgimeno]

I've also had serious trouble with memory cards with this build. Saving corrupts the MC, and loading does not always work. I don't know when this began happening, though.

Pilot error. I was mixing US and EU versions of the same game. Dumb me.