CD Audio Does Not Play Through Sound System Speakers (96859)

SUMMARY

Audio signals from a CD-ROM drive emulating a CD player (through Music Box or Media Player) cannot play through a headphone or set of speakers attached to the Microsoft Windows Sound System card unless an external connection is made between the headphone jack of the CD-ROM drive and the line-in jack on the Windows Sound System card. Waveform (.WAV) and MIDI (.MID, .RMI) files that are opened from a CD-ROM by an application such as Sound Finder or Quick Recorder will play without this connection.

Page 180 of the "Windows Sound System User's Guide" provides an illustration of how this connection should be made.

MORE INFORMATION

When Quick Recorder, Sound Finder, or Sound Recorder play a sound file from a CD-ROM, the data describing that sound is loaded into memory from the CD-ROM drive through the data ribbon cable and CD controller. This data is ultimately transferred to the Windows Sound System through the computer's data bus. The Sound System then plays the sound.

When Music Box and Media Player play an audio CD, the audio signal is produced in the CD-ROM were it is made ready as analog output at the CD-ROM's headphone connector or as digital output on a digital connector if available. No data is sent to the data bus or to the Sound System directly.

If a patch cord with a 1/8-inch male stereo mini-plug at each end is used to connect the headphone jack of the CD-ROM drive to the line-in jack on the Windows Sound System card, the audio will play through the Sound System speakers or headphones.

Some audio cards can act as CD-ROM controllers. These cards usually have an internal attachment to control digital input from a CD-ROM. The Windows Sound System card does not function as a CD-ROM controller and does not have this connector; it requires the external connection.

Reference(s):

"Windows Sound System User's Guide," page 180