Modded PS1; Skippy streaming audio/video with CD-R backups

[OMorty]

Ok, as many who own modded PSOnes know, PSOnes are very finicky when it comes to CD-Rs. They are very picky when it comes to functioning well with certain brands, discs burnt at higher speeds, etc. Simply put, getting a PSOne backup to function perfectly is a very trail-and-error affair.

However, the main reason for me making this post is because I have a dilemma. For as long as could remember, my modded PSOne (the most recent PlayStation model, the mini-one) has had trouble playing burnt CD-Rs without skipping. Very few copies work perfectly (only the ones of games that don't utilize streaming audio/video; sampled/synthesized audio runs fine), which caused me to assume the CD laser needed adjusting. However, upon further inspection, I found out that the CD-Rs I have been burning games to--Sony CD-Rs--are extremely variable in their quality. The ones I happen to own are made in Taiwan, but I don't know if they are the bad Sony CD-Rs or the good ones.

Basically, I am in a rut: do I buy some top-of-the-line CD-Rs made by Taiyo Yuden? Or does the CD laser need adjusting? I burn all of my games at 4X, by the way.

[Ziggy]

Try burning even slower, if you burner/media allows you to, and clean the CD lens.

[OMorty]

I have already cleaned the CD lens, and I cannot burn any slower. (The slowest speed I can get is from a laptop that I can use but isn't mine--it can only go 4x at the slowest.)

[CRTGAMER]

CDR music fast forward and play fine? I have pretty good luck with TDKs.

[BigTinz]

When I had a modded PSone I only used Phillips cd-r.

I used IMG burn and wrote at a very slow speed and never had any problems. I remember playing through Policenauts, Resident Evil and many other cut-scene heavy titles with no lag.

Phillips discs can be found at most Big Lots stores, since they are not a very popular media.

[emwearz]

If your sure your media is good, I would do a pot tweak. When I got my PS1, it skipped on Fmv's (and crashed sometimes), tried burning slower, tried many brands (I use TDK/Phillips for most things), nothing worked.

Little pot tweak and she runs good as new.

[OMorty]

I just want to add that my legitimate PS1 games run perfectly, minus the usual skipping due to a scratched surface.

And now to answer questions...

CRTGAMER: The CD audio tracks play perfectly.

BigTinz: I haven't heard of Phillips CD-Rs being any good, but I will give them a try. (Unfortunately, I don't know if any Big Lots are in my area...)

emwearz: The problem is that I am unsure of the quality of my media. Sony switches manufacturing plants from time to time, which makes the quality of their CD-Rs very hit-and-miss.

The games I have burned have no problems booting up or anything; I just worry about the fact that every single game that heavily utilizes streaming audio (XA)/video ends up skipping so much that I simply just shut the game off out of irritation. Adding to that, most of my games have been burnt with Sony CD-Rs, which further complicates the matter of finding the source of my problem.

[emwearz]

I have used some really cheap Chinese media, burnt it at 4X speed and had no issues. If I was you I would try a little pot tweak, I am sure it will solve your issues.

Decent Media, Slowest Speed = I would pot tweak.

[OMorty]

So I most likely need to do a pot tweak, yes? I suspected that from the start, seeing as every single burnt game I have in my possession has the same problems with streaming audio/video...

[emwearz]

Its really simple, just turn it a tiny bit, try a game that has a FMV intro, test it, if it skips, turn it off turn it a tiny bit more and so on.

2 minute job.