TITLE
    Audio CDs: FAQ
Article ID:
Created:
Modified: 		30300
12/10/97
9/10/98
TOPIC

    The following questions are discussed in this article.

      1. Audio CDs show up on the Desktop, and seem to be playing in the AppleCD Audio Player, but I do not get any sound.
      2. I insert an audio CD, and the computer will not recognize it (typically asking to initialize it).
      3. I have an external CD-ROM drive, and cannot get audio CDs to play from there.

DISCUSSION

    Question 1: Audio CDs show up on the Desktop, and seem to be playing in the AppleCD Audio Player, but I do not get any sound.

    Answer: For non-PCI based Macintosh computers, you have to select your source for sound input. Go to the Sound control panel, choose Sound In from the pop-up, hit Options, and chose Internal CD as your choice - then click the box labeled Playthrough. If you have the Monitors & Sound control panel, it's easier: under Sound, chose Internal CD under Input, and make sure Listen is checked.

    You can use Apple Guide to help you with this - for System 7.5.x, it is called Macintosh Guide and appears under the menu marked with a question mark in the upper right corner. or Mac OS 7.6.x, it is called Mac OS Guide, and appears in the same location. For Mac OS 8, it appears in the Help menu, and is simply called Help.Locate it and open it, the choice in the list of topics called CD-ROM Discs is the one you want. You can choose "How do I play an audio CD", and proceed from there. PCI-based computers should handle this for you, but check the settings described above if you have difficulty.

    NOTE: When using Mac OS 8, there is a specific issue with Power Macintosh 6100, 7100, and 8100 models where the Monitors & Sound control panel does not retain this setting through a restart. This will be corrected in an upcoming system software update, but in the meantime, here is the work around.

    Install the Sound control panel and use it to select your desired setting. You can install it by using the separate OS 8 installer in the System Software folder of the Software Installers folder on the CD, and choosing Custom Install instead of Easy Install. You can safely keep both control panels in your System Folder.

    Question 2: I insert an audio CD, and the computer will not recognize it (typically asking to initialize it).

    Answer: You need two supplemental files to play audio CDs (beyond your CD driver software). These files are Foreign File Access and Audio CD Access, and normally reside in your Extensions folder. Check your Extension Manager control panel to make sure they are active. If they are missing, you can use the Custom Install option of the system software installer to add them back in (choose CD-ROM software in the list of custom install choices).

    Question 3: I have an external CD-ROM drive, and cannot get audio CDs to play from there.

    Answer: External CD-ROM drives cannot play audio tracks back through the SCSI chain. You have to attach speakers to the sound output of the external drive to listen to audio tracks playing there. You can also plug a sound cable from the output of the CD drive to the sound in jack of your computer. Many models support using the microphone jack as the sound input source, however, the sound quality will not be as high as using external speakers directly connected to the CD drive.

Document Information
Product Area: Apple General Information
Category: Product Information
Sub Category: General Topics

Copyright © 2000 Apple Computer, Inc. All rights reserved.