THIS is what happens when you SLIDE - The Sega CD Audio Mixing Cable in action

[@reeyees50]

3:28 to skip the bs

[@ShawnS52]

lol thanks. I meant to put a timestamp somewhere to skip to the actual thing

[@ab8817]

@@ShawnS52 uh huh

[@ZiggyTheHamster]

What's happening is basically that when you have something plugged into the mixing port on the CD, it stops outputting over the expansion connector. So the volume slider is controlling only the Genesis side, and the rest is what the CD side is generating. The practical purpose of this is that the expansion connector's audio is not mixed very well with the native Genesis audio - the Genesis audio is much louder than the CD audio on some board revisions. By doing the mixing on the CD, it can deal with the difference in volume a lot easier.

[@ShawnS52]

It doesn't actually adjust the volume of Genesis-based sound effects next to CD audio does it? I don't remember it working that way as a kid and I only tested a couple discs so far but didn't experience that.

[@ZiggyTheHamster]

@ mixing doesn’t do this, but the amplifier and mixer built into the CD are tuned better for the levels expected. The issue is that the expansion connector’s audio input gets routed differently on different board revisions, making the CD signal more attenuated (quieter) than it should be. Letting the Sonic CD demo screens run with and without the mixing cable should make this obvious if your system is affected by the bad design. Any Genesis audio will be very loud and the CD audio will be quiet. Plug the mixing cable in and the levels will be more correct. The Triple Bypass also fixes this problem, if you have it installed. I also say more correct because it’s not perfect. Adjusting the volume with the slider will help balance it a bit better. What sucks is that it feels like voodoo because it depends a LOT on what the board rev is of the CD and the Genesis. A very early Japanese Mega CD hooked up to a Tera Drive is probably the worst I’ve heard in terms of how jarringly loud the MD audio is. Which makes sense because the Tera Drive has the later model 1 guts, and has this issue, and the original MCD sort of barely works at all, and then the Tera Drive mixes the CD audio in passively. End result is if you set the volume of your speakers so Sonic ~ You Can Do Anything is loud, when it drops into Palmtree Panic and Sonic grabs rings, those will pierce your eardrums. (Also, the Tera Drive doesn’t officially support the CD; the community is working on adapters, and I’m using a prototype PCB I designed that has other issues.)

[@ShawnS52]

That is an intense amount of information, and you typed that out so fast after my reply. Wow, thanks for explaining. Maybe I was just a dumb kid and didn't notice or lucked out. I most likely had the mixing cable in from Day 1 so I likely didn't notice as much. I honestly can't remember complaining about the audio mix in any SCD title.

[@ZiggyTheHamster]

@@ShawnS52 the mixing issue (when not using the cable) does not come up with many Genesis models. Mine is totally fine, to the point that I didn't really understand the point of the mixing cable. Then I experienced a bad model, and later the Tera Drive. And it's intensely noticeable because Sonic CD's sound effects are just SO much louder. Switching to FM synth on the stages that use it is also jarring.

[@mrburns366]

I was under the impression that without the mixing cable you couldn't hear any of the sound produced by the Sega Genesis.. The mixing cable was mandatory was it not?

[@greyicewaters]

Thanks so much for making this video cus I NEVER would have learned about this otherwise but I have a Model 1 and this is so up my alley!

[@ShawnS52]

That's great, glad you found it!

[@GameplayandTalk]

The Model 1 Genesis/Megadrive is really handy with its mixing option. It can be paired with a Sega CD Model 2 and do the same thing. I have noticed the Genesis audio on some games can be overpowering, so you can use the volume control to bring down the Genesis side a bit for a more even sound balance between the FM sound and CD audio.

[@AGwolf2097]

ngl, I've always prefered the US model 2 SCD bios theme, but that may be because I always loved the surreal/synth vibe of so many later genesis games... But the crunchy, energetic model 1 music has grown on me over the years. I love the PCM drums and samples, it reminds me of some of the classic Mac OS Sim City 2000 instruments. The Genesis portion of the music is delightful, cliche/predictable genesis synth

[@ShawnS52]

And the same in reverse for me, the Model 2 version was a big Nope at first but it's grown on me over the years as well

[@juancabeza5809]

I want one of these front loading Sega CD! Currently I have the top loading Sega CD and the mark 1 Genesis with the knob you're using here!!!

[@mukychip]

thats wild i'd never have guessed a random little feature like this was there

[@SuperFnLagers-ni6if]

I love obscure secrets like this and the memory recovery trick on PS1 that lets you restore deleted save files.

[@Cyberpunknut]

Sweet setup bro! My model 1 sega cd died before i even thought to try anything like this. Have a CD-X now.

[@ShawnS52]

@@Cyberpunknut died back in the and day? CDX has been a holy grail for a loooong time!

[@Tomsonic41]

In Europe and Japan the SegaCD used a different music track for its startup screen, and I think it was entirely generated by the SegaCD hardware. Back in the day I had a Genesis 1 connected to a Sega-CD 2, and only needed to use the mixing cable when I connected the SegaCD to an external amplifier via the ports on the back. The sound through the TV, and through the headphone socket itself seemed to be perfectly adequate for me.

[@rustymixer2886]

@@Tomsonic41 different bios

[@halo3odst]

It changes the volume of the sound produced by the genesis itself. Source: i own one.

[@hackwrench5583]

I got my Sega CD used back in the day, and it didn't come with the mixing cable. I find it funny how you can go into any store today and get an 'aux cable' but back then, they were impossible to find. You go into a store and start asking if they have a cable with a headphone jack on both ends, you'd get looked at like you were crazy. Anyway, I ended up getting two broken pairs of headphones, cutting off the cables, and I built my own. I actually still have the cable to this day.

[@ShawnS52]

Yes! I didn't know that kind of cable existed until that one came with the Sega CD. I also don't think I've ever seen one with such a huge ferrite core. I'm realizing now that there's some hum on all the cables I've used so far. At this point it's probably the age of the Genesis or something going bad inside :\

[@hackwrench5583]

@@ShawnS52 A hum is usually a grounding issue, with the most likely culprit being the power supply. It could be bad, or you could be using a model 2 power supply on the model 1. Hope that helps.

[@ShawnS52]

It turns out for me it is only audible when you turn the Genesis slider up with the mixing cable in place. So it seems like it's the Genesis side at least. Tried a few different cables and some of those bolt-on ferrite cores but no luck.

[@DontCallMeScooterrr]

Those model 1 volume sliders apparently get dirty and cause issues, the one on my childhood Genesis is very fussy about where I leave it or it crackles, hisses, pops, one channel cuts out. The old gal needs a tune up, hopefully just a cleaning and not a recap

[@vasopel]

is this some kind of a joke? you people couldn't find a simple cable in 1992-93? and the stores at your country didn't have cables? in what parallel universe was this going on?

[@davidnabbit]

Neat! I have the model 2 Genesis and Sega CD, so I never had any experience with the mixing cable.

[@ScorAXE007]

I can't believe this mixing slider was to shut up Sega genesis all along

[@alexskibicki2262]

Wow that’s amazing. I never knew you can isolate the sega cd tune that way. I’ve had a model 1 sega genesis and I’ve used the headphones feature one time and I thought it was pretty cool. It’s also pretty cool that you can hook it up to a stereo with it. Other than that, I’ve had great memories playing games on the sega genesis and sega cd 😎🎮

[@MrMegaManFan]

Holy s___ the volume control actually had a purpose!!

[@halo3odst]

I found it to be quite useful in games where the audio from the genesis seemed too loud for my tastes such as Lunar: the silver star.

[@tehFoxx0rz]

Love doing this with the first level music of Popful Mail.

[@tyjuarez]

The drum pattern by itself reminds me of Mothers Talk by Tears For Fears

[@ArtFluids]

good song

[@jozefdupre9952]

My literal first response when I heard the startup around the 2 minute mark was "My features form with a change in the weather"

[@emmettturner9452]

There’s no mystery. Some audio comes from the console, some audio comes from the Sega CD, and the only way for the Sega CD to get stereo from a Model 1 to combine the two is through the headphone jack. You wouldn’t get any audio from standard Genesis games without that connected. You’re literally just turning down the console’s audio. Of course, the BIOS music can’t use red book CD audio so it’s relying on additional sound channels in the Sega CD. 32X adds even more sound channels.

[@tangreen7267]

I remember dealing with this back in the day, thanks for the reminder. : - )

[@msd5808]

I always wanted more games to have magical 3D sprite warping graphics like that demo but few came out that showed it off. I SEEM to remember the volume slider oddity when all the way down but now it’s a distant memory (haven’t had a working Sega CD in many years). I wonder if anyone’s ever measured the Genesis model 1 headphone jack for its sound quality (like with Rightmark or Audio Precision). I used to enjoy Sega music the most out of that headphone jack, but never knew if it was colored like from high output impedance, distortion, bass boost, etc.

[@PetrolHead6901]

That's neat, I bought my first ever Genesis this year at an antique shop. Found a decent (but heavy!) crt to hook her up to and well see how it does.

[@bluecar5556]

240p gaming on a CRT is the way. Preferably a shadow mask tube over aperture grill for those long sessions with the lights off. Your eyes will thank me later.

[@PetrolHead6901]

@bluecar5556 Hmm never heard of doing that. Will have to add it to the to do with it. The CRT needs calibration, it's blurry for the wrong reasons. Suspicious its slightly collapsed on the right edge. Even in it's current state, I remember why they are so loved. The response times are so good. I hooked up a nintendo switch to it and even with the added latency of a converter, it was crisp!! The "pixel" response times are like non other. Hooked the Nintendo switch up to a 120hz 4k sony tv after that and my eyes hurt, the motion blur was making it hard to play. I finally remembered what it was like when I played as a child. Too afraid to open it and adjust dials. Unfortunately I don't believe it has a service menu, it's a 32in sharp, using a universal remote. Looking to hire someone to professionally look at it and extend its life.

[@bluecar5556]

@@PetrolHead6901 If you look at the back side of the tube, you might see magnets stuck to it. Some times what can happen is they will move or fall off. Buy new ones and move them around until it looks the best if it needs correction. Bad caps will do weird things as well. If you don't know what you're doing, do not go poking around a CRT with it on.

[@SilverSonic1992]

As someone who is currently working on a SEGA CD project, the sound balancing between the Genesis and the CD has been a persistent headache. Different emulators and different hardware setups affect the volume balancing. In Genesis Plus GX, for example, the SEGA CD is louder, while on my original hardware setup (SEGA Genesis Model 1 with SEGA CD Model 2) it is a lot quieter, and I have to adjust the volume slider so that the Genesis isn't so overpowering. At least the slider exists on the Model 1 though. It'd be quite unfortunate if you had a Model 2 Genesis with poor sound balancing!

[@bradbrown8759]

That's a cool feature. Or effect. Might make the headphones weird. But I just realized that the Sega CD 1 has a different song than the 2 does. I've only had the 2nd Genesis and CD. I think 2 is better. IMO.

[@skyevlyn]

10/10 setup!!

[@thubprint]

Certified bop

[@Mr.sand_man3990]

11/10 set up

[@lunitaproductions8290]

Did this with my model 2 Sega CD too!

[@soulchorea]

I tried to put myself back in '92 to remember when hearing these kinds of songs wasn't nostalgic, but instead were fresh and new --- I just can't do it 🤣 it seems like they were just ALWAYS old-school sounding!

[@technoman9000]

Oh so that's what that penguin from Fight Club was talking about

[@johneygd]

I know that back in 1988 and 1989 stereo tv’s weren’t all that common, so it’s actually somewhat understandible that sega didn’t bother to output stereo audio through the genesis video out and instead output stereo through the headphone jack. But at the other hand if sega just spended some extra pennies for an extra wire to allow stereo output through video out as well. Then there would,ve be no need for externally mixing genesis audio with the mega CD and/or 32X all just for stereo out the hard way. Had sega opted for stereo out on the genesis through it’s video out then they could,ve save a few buck for creating those addons. Look at the genesis 2 wich does have stereo out through it’s video out so theres no need to mix the stereo audio from those addons just to get full stereo out. Alltrough the headphone jack on the genesis can be handy for if you want to hear the audio without disturbing the rest in the house in case your tv lack a headphone jack. Glad i own a genesis 2 model, no rings bells & wissles just straigt plug & play for stereo audio😁

[@Jebbreh]

Model 2 music I loved.

[@AsilarWindsailor]

The music reminds me of the BGM in Ristar

[@jaysistar2711]

I do enjoy the original Sega CD startup music. I'm not sure why they changed it.

[@rustymixer2886]

Different bios diff music

[@RWL2012]

​@@rustymixer2886that doesn't answer the question of *_why_* they changed it though!

[@rustymixer2886]

@RWL2012 because they wanted different music for each of the 5 bios , music styles change every year you dont want to hear hairband rock in 1991 bios or 1992 pop music when you start 1994 or 1995 new sega cd bios you want it more to era

[@RandomlyDrumming]

Suhweet setup, my man. 🍺

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

hmmm i wonder if this also worked with the Mega CD II and and the Mega Drive Mk because that was My combo ? i never did the hook up like this back then but did connect my Mega Drive and the Mega CD to my stereo system and LOVED it.

[@ShawnS52]

You could connect the original Mega Drive up to a Model 2 Mega CD and still do the mixing but not a Model 2 Mega Drive

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

@@ShawnS52 Yeah naturally, the MD2 doesn't have the mic output jack ^_^ Something i will never understand since that was a cool feature but the MD2 overall felt like a cost reduced version. But it had the better RGB output i think.

[@TheRedCap]

dude I want a Model 1 SEGA CD so badly

[@jmullner76]

Now that is neat.

[@Metallumtenebrarum-jt7rd]

So with the headphones you can only hear the FM synth.

[@lumenights96]

i think the SCD has like no drm so you can just run burned games or smth like that I dont remember

[@ShawnS52]

Very true! When I discovered that in the early 2000s I burned some of the games I'd never gotten to play. Now something like the Mega EverDrive will let you play all the games from a Genesis cart. It's just a little expensive for me right now or I'd buy one!

[@ThomasBlithe]

That 50 dollar """"hifi"""" stereo brings me back. How come used ones always end up in garages covered in dust and paint?

[@Dbentzjr]

So wait a sec, is this actually like some cursed untimed and untethered midi stuff going on? splitting audio channels and track over 2 separate machines, and using a crossfader to fade the blend? I play around with untimed midi on my own with my keyboards n stuff but after a minute or two the sync goes off track. Im guessing the Genesis has a bit more involvement to keep that from happening. Still.... it seems in many ways very similar. So its basically iternal Genesis FM synthesis with external CD Audio blending. It all makes a bit more sense to me now after reading up on a few comments. Cool stuff. I just always figured the headphones jack was an all in one output on the Genesis. Interesting.

[@ShawnS52]

Yeah the guys that have commented so far could tell you a lot more. I'd forgotten even that the Sega CD had it's own sound hardware, I was happy enough moving the slider up and down, not knowing anything technical about what it's actually doing 😆

[@rustymixer2886]

Great video

[@ShawnS52]

Thanks! Thanks for those timestamps too. Most important parts! 😆

[@rustymixer2886]

@ShawnS52 I uploaded a boom bap beat I made from timestamps and my video features your video ;) just uploaded

[@mechanicalmonster2115]

Awesome

[@BeeBN]

So my assumption is because that's on the Genesis the slider can only control the midi side of sounds, but the rest of the sounds are generated by the CD portion of the hardware

[@shade221]

its the genesis sound hardware being controlled by the switch (which is FM synthesis and PSG, along with theoretical PCM playback in software that wasn't used much), while the sega CD's hardware is independent. in this example, the sega CD intro has the genesis using FM synthesis (and maybe PSG?) while the sega CD hardware is playing back PCM samples.

[@tehrobotjesus]

It doesn't sound like a crossfade to me. The Genesis' level increases, but the CD level doesn't drop. A crossfader would let you isolate one input at either extreme.

[@ShawnS52]

The audio on the startup screen isn't on a CD though, it's all synthesized

[@tehrobotjesus]

​@@ShawnS52 The drums and strings(?) are from the Sega CD. They're PCM samples stored in ROM, not synthesized. That has nothing to do with crossfading though. A crossfader would lower the volume of one input while raising the volume of the other.

[@ShawnS52]

Ohhh I see what you mean

[@ShawnS52]

What would you call what the volume slider does with the mixing cable in place? Literally just mixing, like the name of the dang cable?

[@tehrobotjesus]

@@ShawnS52 Yeah, it's mixing the Genesis audio in with the Sega CD's audio. You're changing the level with the fader. Doesn't make the effect any less cool. You could put both of them into a DJ mixer that has a crossfader, if you want the real crossfading experience.

[@LEESTLANE]

That's really awesome. I have to try how it sounds on the Mega Everdrive Pro running a Sega CD bios on Analogue Mega SG without the Sega CD addon. Very curious how is gonna sound.

[@ShawnS52]

I'm curious also, let me know if you get around to trying it

[@LEESTLANE]

@ShawnS52 I will indeed, just waiting for the Mega Everdrive Pro to be delivered. Just got today on their Black Friday sale.

[@DontCallMeScooterrr]

You got me curious, its pretty much the same deal as real hardware. Run a bios file like you would a game on everdrive pro, and the "mixer" slider in the MegaSG audio settings is "Cartridge & CD Audio volume". Cool stuff, I never would have found any of this!

[@LEESTLANE]

@@DontCallMeScooterrr Thanks for checking out and let us now. My Mega Everdrive Pro along with the FXPAK Pro haven't got to my address yet so I couldn't test it. I might change this setting that you mentioned later and leave around 87% or 95% of the volume.

[@Billy2600]

Should definitely try out the Sonic CD past music

[@ShawnS52]

That was one of the first ones I tried but it didn't slide

[@RWL2012]

The Sonic CD past music is entirely Sega CD PCM (RF5C164). In Sonic CD, the only sound from the Genesis is most of the sound effects on the YM2612. Try Silpheed and Popful Mail.

[@ShawnS52]

I have to try that again! Silpheed is the one I wanted to set this all up for in the first place. Working on that one next. Thanks for pointing out Popful Mail

[@mrburns366]

I understand why some people are nostalgic about the Sega CD but I remember it being the most disappointing gaming related purchase of my entire life. 🤷 I suppose the biggest reason was because I compared it to PC CD-ROM games of the time. My expectations were high and it fell drastically short. We basically got cartridge games with better music and horrible loading times.

[@ShawnS52]

Oh yeah, in comparison to PCs it was a huge downgrade but that was the only chance I had at the time to play some of those games, kneecapped as they may have been.

[@woovs101]

Lucky to get this for bday... I usually got shit for my bday

[@Oysterblade84]

I must be the only person who draws the complete audio signal out of the headphone jack of the Mega Drive and to a stereo amplifier RCA port. I find the mixing through the headphone jack is spot on so the mixing port on the back of the CD unit for me is useless.

[@glitchunicorn]

Nice

[@bettalinks]

This is called Dj Genesis

[@davisdomain2071]

YM2612FM(GEN)+PCM(SCD)=MIX

[@rosergio7227]

Sounds real weird 😂😂 Reducing "volume" by crossfading is allways interesting on old systems.

[@pistolpetereal]

I never really understand why this is the “correct” way to set this up. You can just put a 3.5mm to RCA cable in the headphone jack on the console and wire that to the TV. Works just as fine and less complicated

[@ShawnS52]

I didn't mean to make it sound like the "right" way to do it, it's just the way I did it and it's weird and neat that you can use the headphone port for an extra feature

[@illitero]

Is the "Model 2" the same as the all-in-one CD-X? That's what I had growing up

[@pistolpetereal]

@ Model 2 is the side loader one made later on, but before the CDX

[@DarthMotzkus]

You just muted the sound chips inside the megadrive and only the sound chips of Sega cd have sound. Nothing amazing. 😂😂😂

[@rustymixer2886]

3:27 3:33 3:57

[@rustymixer2886]

Ok uploaded video on my channel that features your channel. Did beat in 3 minutes after posting these timestamps ;)

[@rustymixer2886]

I uploaded a boom bap beat I made from timestamps and my video features your video ;) just uploaded

[@rustymixer2886]

Sega needed cd for 🥁 cuz 13bit pcm genesis was too meh

[@MaxxJagX]

The sound for the genesis is unique...not really good but unique. Personally I preferred the SNES colours and sound over the Genesis.

[@supergrafxengine4620]

Nothing incredible here. CD add-on music is split into 2 channels . Your volume slider is simply broken. My MD doesn't do what you show in the video at all. Next time before jumping the gun you better ask around. LoLz "this is what happens when you slide a broken slider." 🤦🏿‍♂️🤦🏼‍♂️🤦🏽🤦🏼🤦🏼🤦🏼‍♂️🤦🏿‍♂️🤦🏼‍♂️🤦🏽🤦🏽

[@RumyJCR]

I think you should do your research first and then post comments, because this is literally what happens on EVERY model 1 (including mine), either you don't have a model 1 or your slider is the one that's broken.

[@byronlaw6491]

@@RumyJCRI agree this happens on my modded model 1 set up also when I’ve got it in US mode. The PAL/Japan bio music is different.

[@hadamana]

Next time before jumping the gun you better ask around

[@theaquariancontrarian3316]

The headphones jack never worked on mine 🫤

[@valdilsonoliveira]

@ucolecionador