Mega-CD / Sega Saturn dumping

[gigadeath]

Hi, I need some info about Mega CD dumping

I used to mantain the No-Intro Megadrive dat (I had a 2 years pause but I'm still working on it), I found this website and since a have many MegaCD discs too I think it's time to dump them.

I looked at the dumping guide, is it valid for MegaCD too? Will the dumps be perfect without missing info? I ask this because AFAIK the disc structure is different between the systems.

Also who I need to contact to give the info to?

[p_star]

MCD Dumping absolutely same as PSX Dumping.
If you have Pal MCD Discs, is quite probable, that gaps between audiotracks will be equal 0.
To show the additional information on a disk, you should look the first 16 sectors by means of ISOBuster or CDRWin.

[gigadeath]

I have only japanese discs.

I tried dumping a disc (Record of Lodoss War) but when I proceeded deleting the pregap attached the the first track (2 seconds) i noticed that i was deleting actual data too. Both CDRWin and EAC tells that there's a 2 seconds pregap, but if you look with an hex editor the silence is less than 352800 bytes.

[gigadeath]

Another issue. When searching for the disc offset, I should look for end sector of the data track and then take away 150 sectors (352800 bytes) which are the pregap.

The resulting sector (x-150) is full of data! And the next too! The zeros begin only 2 sectors ahead of the calculated one.

[gigadeath]

cdrwin report this

FILE "AB.BIN" BINARY
  TRACK 01 MODE1/2352
    INDEX 01 00:00:00
  TRACK 02 AUDIO
    PREGAP 00:02:00
    INDEX 01 00:44:55
  TRACK 03 AUDIO
    INDEX 00 01:53:28
    INDEX 01 01:55:27
  TRACK 04 AUDIO
    INDEX 00 03:03:64
    INDEX 01 03:05:63
  TRACK 05 AUDIO
    INDEX 00 03:36:42
    INDEX 01 03:38:41
  TRACK 06 AUDIO
    INDEX 00 04:59:07
    INDEX 01 05:01:06
  TRACK 07 AUDIO
    INDEX 00 10:30:00
    INDEX 01 10:31:74
  TRACK 08 AUDIO
    INDEX 00 15:58:48
    INDEX 01 16:00:47
  TRACK 09 AUDIO
    INDEX 00 21:43:67
    INDEX 01 21:45:66
  TRACK 10 AUDIO
    INDEX 00 26:40:19
    INDEX 01 26:42:18
  TRACK 11 AUDIO
    INDEX 00 31:47:38
    INDEX 01 31:49:37
  TRACK 12 AUDIO
    INDEX 00 37:06:03
    INDEX 01 37:08:02

eac reports the same gaps

[gigadeath]

eac reports this

[gigadeath]

So which software should I use to get a clean data track without gaps and without having to use "resize" tool?

Isobuster? CDMage?

[gigadeath]

I think I got the data track process. If you use CDMage with a full CDRWin image to extract the data track, you get it without gap already, 352800 bytes smaller than a data track ripped directly with CDRWin or IsoBuster.

It seems to me that EAC appends correctly the gap at the beginning of the first audio track, using the "appends gaps to next track" option. All the discs I have report this gap info with EAC:

Track01 (data)      Gap 2:00
Track02 (audio)    Gap 2:00
Track03 (audio)    Gap 1.74
Track04 (audio)    Gap 1.74

etc. etc.

From the third track on, the gap is always 1.74 seconds, while the first 2 gaps are 2 seconds.


The most confusing thing is the offset issue. AccurateRip reports my drive has +6 offset, so 6-30 = -24

Every disc has a different offsent, usually it's huge because the calculated sector which should end the first track is full of data, silence begins after a couple sectors, 6000+ bytes after the calculated end.

For example Record of Lodoss War has 6796 bytes after the end calculated by CDRWin, 6796/4 = 1699 samples

So the offset I should put in EAC is  1699 = (-24) + x ; x = 1723   right?


I get strange results, for example :

Funky Horror Band       +1686
Record of Lodoss War   +1723

Is it normal to have such high offsets? Are my calcutions wrong?


I think it would be great to have other dumps to compare my results with. I have the following original discs, all japanese, if someone has them too can he help me comparing?

Yumemi Yakata no Monogatari
Wolfchild
Lunar the Silver Star
Heavy Nova
Dennin Aleste
Rise of the Dragon
Prince of Persia
Super League CD
Sega Classic Arcade Collection
F1 Circus CD
Heavenly Symphony
AX-101
Ranma 1/2
Quiz Scramble Special
Vay
Funky Horror Band
Sega Games Can Vol. 1
Burai
Silpheed
Earnest Evans
After Burne III
Sangokushi III
Nostalgia 1907
Record of Lodoss War
Jikochushinha 2
Sonic CD
Shining Force CD
Tenkafubu

[p_star]

The resulting sector (x-150) is full of data! And the next too! The zeros begin only 2 sectors ahead of the calculated one. I get strange results, for example :
Funky Horror Band       +1686
Record of Lodoss War   +1723

Thats right. The Offset is realy big. For Example: I Have JAP Saturn discs whit offset +2000 and more.

I have only japanese discs.

Its bad. Jap discs for sega saturn or MCD is hard to correctly copying.

First. Pregap of 2 Track in 99 % of cases it will be equal to 2 seconds. The unique method of detection correct pregap - to look in CDRWin or IsoBuster the end  of data track. The place where comes to an end date and begins garbage or zeros -  is the beginning pregap.

Second. Much more JAP discs have gaps between audiotracks of 1.74 seconds. While we cannot tell, that it is a mistake of record of a disk. Perhaps it is mistake EAC Therefore it is very important to check up gaps time on various drives, at various " gaps detection methods ".


The third. The part of last audiotrack JAP disks is in many in the field of Lead-Out. That are correct to copy last audiotrack, you should take advantage of a drive with negative offset. A minimum, that you should make - to copy an audiotrack on two drives and to compare them.

Every disc has a different offsent, usually it's huge because the calculated sector which should end the first track is full of data, silence begins after a couple sectors, 6000+ bytes after the calculated end.
For example Record of Lodoss War has 6796 bytes after the end calculated by CDRWin, 6796/4 = 1699 samples
So the offset I should put in EAC is  1699 = (-24) + x ; x = 1723   right?

Right Offset in EAC to correct copying is +1699.

[p_star]

gigadeath, You can copying here data from last sector with garbage?