Audio Board - Analog CD Audio Output not working ?

[Kasreyn]

Hi,

I recently picked up two audio boards ( from https://shop.onegeekarmy.eu/index.php/product/bluescsi-ultra-audio-board/ ) and decided to try one with the BlueSCSI Ultra - Narrow 50 pin. But so far, I have been unable to hear anything on the 3.5mm headphone output jack.

This being my first attempt, I went with a Pentium II Windows XP machine. I eventually got a Half-Life multi track audio cue / bin merged using binmerge (the tool @ https://github.com/putnam/binmerge seem to work). The CD is set up and detected, I can browse the files and SCSI BIOS report the correct size (bigger size than what just the data track would be). Opening the drive in windows media player I can visually see audio working, but that's digital audio sent directly to my internal Sound Blaster which outputs it on the card's analog out jack.

I then try JETMOTO.cue / JETMOTO.bin and can also hear that it works. So yes, the BlueSCSI is sending audio tracks directly to my Sound Blaster, just not analog audio out from the audio board.

So, I tried going into device manager "unticking" the digital audio feature, it even says you can try analog audio if you are having trouble with digital, but again, no dice.

I have tried rotating the I2S connector both ways but it never made a difference. A note from shop.onegeekarmy.eu said you cannot damage the audio board from rotating the 6-pin I2S connector. I hope that's correct.

This being a new BlueSCSI Ultra - Narrow it already had FW v2026.04.27 when I got it.

Is there anything else I should try to make analog audio work ?

I know there are plenty of settings in bluescsi.ini but I also think the defaults do a good job of configuring the BlueSCSI to have audio board support by default.

The log mentions that the BlueSCSI sets a base clock that should work with the audio board, and that the bin / cue is being set up as a multi track CD, with like, a dozen tracks. So everything looks good from the log, just, no actual audio out from the 3.5mm jack.

NOTE #1: Others have asked if multiple files .bin is supported

I only tried single .bin split as multiple tracks under assumption that doing so is a necessary limitation.
But I get the impression that multiple .bin files already works by placing them inside a folder, is that correct?
e.g. "CD1" folder can contain multiple .bin files connected to a the same .cue ?

I did notice that the name of .bin files must be an exact match with text inside the .cue. That's why placing everything inside a folder helps, it's just so easy to forget to edit and add a prefix "CD1-" inside the .cue file.

NOTE #2: You really should have a listen to Jet Moto's soundtrack (or play the game.. with CD audio!) it's really quite excellent.

[Kasreyn]

The audio board is now working.. in Windows 98.

Analog CD Audio in Windows XP is less reliable it seems, even after I unticked the digital option in device manager and rebooted it refuses to work.

I have to mention that it "takes a while" in Windows 98. It briefly locks up the OS after pressing play in CD player.
And that, "messing with bluescsi.ini audio specific options" is probably a bad idea. I set some values to 200 instead of the default 255 and could hear a lot of clipping as a result.

[Kasreyn]

I have some new findings.

1. Support for multiple files .BIN to.CUE is indeed supported
   Just make sure to place them all inside a folder e.g. "CD1"
2. For analog audio playback in Windows 98 "CD Player", the access LED on the BlueSCSI should NOT be blinking constantly as it only does so with digital audio playback. I suggest to prefer the translucent mount bracket or some other way to diffuse light from the BlueSCSI.
3. There is a store page typo that caused confusion
   "Standard PC CD/DVD audio header (input)" is actually incorrect (it is an output)
   https://shop.onegeekarmy.eu/index.php/product/bluescsi-ultra-audio-board/
   This means BlueSCSI can send ANALOG audio to the internal sound card (just like a standard CD-ROM drive would).

Using the audio board's standard header (not 3.5 mm) it is actually difficult to impossible to tell whether the audio is sent using digital or analog, Especially because Windows XP's controls doesn't help and seem to silently prefer digital.