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PlayStation discs can contain CD-DA (Digital Audio) tracks that can be played on standard CD players. mkpsxiso supports two ways to include audio tracks:
  1. Referenced audio tracks - Linked to DA files in the data track
  2. Unreferenced audio tracks - Playable on CD players but not accessible from the game

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DA Files

DA files are special file system entries that reference CD-DA audio tracks. They allow games to access audio tracks through the file system. 
<directory_tree>
  <file name="SYSTEM.CNF" source="system.txt"/>
  <file name="GAME.EXE" source="game.exe"/>
  
  <!-- DA files must be at the end -->
  <dummy sectors="1024"/>
  <file name="BGM_01.DA" trackid="02" type="da"/>
  <file name="BGM_02.DA" trackid="03" type="da"/>
</directory_tree>

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DA File Attributes

​
name
string
required
The file name as it appears in the ISO. Must follow ISO 9660 naming rules and typically ends with .DA
​
type
string
required
Must be set to da for Digital Audio files
​
trackid
string
required
References the audio track with the matching trackid attribute. Must match a <track type="audio" trackid="..."> element
Critical placement rule: DA files should be placed at the end of the directory tree. Placing them before regular files may corrupt your ISO image.

​
Referenced Audio Tracks

Referenced audio tracks are linked to DA files and can be accessed by the game through the file system.

​
Complete Example

<iso_project image_name="musicgame.bin" cue_sheet="musicgame.cue">
  <track type="data" xa_edc="true">
    <identifiers
      system="PLAYSTATION"
      application="PLAYSTATION"
      volume="MUSICGAME"
    />
    <license file="licensea.dat"/>
    
    <directory_tree>
      <file name="SYSTEM.CNF" source="system.txt"/>
      <file name="GAME.EXE" source="game.exe"/>
      
      <dir name="DATA">
        <file name="LEVELS.DAT" source="levels.dat"/>
      </dir>
      
      <!-- DA files at the end -->
      <dummy sectors="1024"/>
      <file name="BGM_01.DA" trackid="02" type="da"/>
      <file name="BGM_02.DA" trackid="03" type="da"/>
    </directory_tree>
  </track>
  
  <!-- Audio tracks with matching trackid -->
  <track type="audio" trackid="02" source="audio/bgm01.wav"/>
  <track type="audio" trackid="03" source="audio/bgm02.wav"/>
</iso_project>

​
How It Works

  1. Define DA files in the <directory_tree> with unique trackid values
  2. Define matching audio tracks with type="audio" and the same trackid
  3. mkpsxiso creates file system entries pointing to the audio track LBAs
  4. Games can read the DA file to find the audio track location

​
Unreferenced Audio Tracks

Audio tracks without a trackid attribute are not linked to DA files. They exist on the disc and can be played on CD players but are not accessible from the game. 
<iso_project image_name="game.bin" cue_sheet="game.cue">
  <track type="data" xa_edc="true">
    <directory_tree>
      <file name="SYSTEM.CNF" source="system.txt"/>
      <file name="GAME.EXE" source="game.exe"/>
    </directory_tree>
  </track>
  
  <!-- Referenced track -->
  <track type="audio" trackid="02" source="ingame_bgm.wav"/>
  
  <!-- Unreferenced bonus tracks -->
  <track type="audio" source="bonus_track1.wav"/>
  <track type="audio" source="bonus_track2.wav"/>
</iso_project>
In this example:
  • Track 2 has a trackid and can be accessed via a DA file
  • Tracks 3 and 4 are unreferenced and only playable on CD players

​
Audio Track Requirements

​
Supported Formats

​
source
string
required
Path to the audio file. Supported formats:
  • WAV - Recommended, especially in Red Book format (44100Hz, 16-bit, stereo)
  • FLAC - Lossless compression, converted to Red Book
  • MP3 - Lossy format, converted to Red Book (quality loss)
  • PCM - Raw audio data

​
Red Book Format

For best quality and compatibility, use Red Book audio format:
  • Sample rate: 44100 Hz
  • Bit depth: 16-bit
  • Channels: Stereo (2 channels)
Non-Red Book formats are automatically converted, but this may introduce quality loss for lossy formats like MP3.

​
Track Ordering

Tracks are numbered sequentially starting from 1:
  • Track 1: Always the data track
  • Track 2+: Audio tracks in the order they appear in the XML
<!-- Track 1: Data track (automatic) -->
<track type="data">
  <directory_tree>
    <file name="TRACK02.DA" trackid="02" type="da"/>
    <file name="TRACK03.DA" trackid="03" type="da"/>
  </directory_tree>
</track>

<!-- Track 2: First audio track -->
<track type="audio" trackid="02" source="track02.wav"/>

<!-- Track 3: Second audio track -->
<track type="audio" trackid="03" source="track03.wav"/>

​
Pregap Configuration

Each audio track can have a pregap (pause) before it starts. The default is 2 seconds (150 sectors). 
<track type="audio" trackid="02" source="track02.wav">
  <pregap duration="00:04:00"/>
</track>
​
duration
string
Pregap duration in MM:SS:FF format:
  • MM: Minutes (00-99)
  • SS: Seconds (00-59)
  • FF: Frames (00-74, where 75 frames = 1 second)
The pregap is filled with silence

​
Pregap Examples

<!-- 2 second pregap (default, can be omitted) -->
<track type="audio" source="track02.wav">
  <pregap duration="00:02:00"/>
</track>

<!-- 4 second pregap -->
<track type="audio" source="track03.wav">
  <pregap duration="00:04:00"/>
</track>

<!-- 3.5 second pregap (3 seconds + 37.5/75 frames) -->
<track type="audio" source="track04.wav">
  <pregap duration="00:03:37"/>
</track>

​
Complete Working Example

Here’s a complete example of a game with both in-game music (via DA files) and bonus audio tracks: 
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<iso_project image_name="mygame.bin" cue_sheet="mygame.cue">
  <track type="data" xa_edc="true">
    <identifiers
      system="PLAYSTATION"
      application="PLAYSTATION"
      volume="MYGAME"
      publisher="MYPUBLISHER"
    />
    <license file="licensea.dat"/>
    
    <directory_tree>
      <!-- Boot files -->
      <file name="SYSTEM.CNF" source="system.txt"/>
      <file name="GAME.EXE" source="game.exe"/>
      
      <!-- Game data -->
      <dir name="DATA">
        <file name="LEVEL1.DAT" source="data/level1.dat"/>
        <file name="LEVEL2.DAT" source="data/level2.dat"/>
      </dir>
      
      <!-- XA audio streams -->
      <dir name="STREAMS">
        <file name="VOICE01.XA" type="xa" source="audio/voice01.xa"/>
      </dir>
      
      <!-- Dummy sectors to prevent drive runaway -->
      <dummy sectors="1024"/>
      
      <!-- DA files referencing CD-DA tracks -->
      <file name="BGM_TITLE.DA" trackid="02" type="da"/>
      <file name="BGM_STAGE1.DA" trackid="03" type="da"/>
      <file name="BGM_BOSS.DA" trackid="04" type="da"/>
    </directory_tree>
  </track>
  
  <!-- CD-DA audio tracks -->
  <!-- Track 2: Title screen music (referenced) -->
  <track type="audio" trackid="02" source="audio/cdda/title.wav"/>
  
  <!-- Track 3: Stage 1 music (referenced) -->
  <track type="audio" trackid="03" source="audio/cdda/stage1.wav"/>
  
  <!-- Track 4: Boss music (referenced) -->
  <track type="audio" trackid="04" source="audio/cdda/boss.wav">
    <pregap duration="00:03:00"/>
  </track>
  
  <!-- Track 5-7: Bonus soundtrack (unreferenced) -->
  <track type="audio" source="audio/bonus/track1.wav"/>
  <track type="audio" source="audio/bonus/track2.wav"/>
  <track type="audio" source="audio/bonus/track3.wav"/>
</iso_project>

​
Accessing DA Files from Code

DA files can be read like regular files from PlayStation game code. The file contains information about the track’s LBA and size. 
// Example C code (PSY-Q SDK)
CdlFILE file;
if (CdSearchFile(&file, "\\BGM_01.DA;1") != NULL) {
    // file.pos contains the track's position
    CdControlF(CdlReadS, &file.pos);
}

​
Common Issues

DA files in wrong location: If DA files are not at the end of the directory tree, your ISO may be corrupted. Always place them after all regular files and dummy sectors.
Missing trackid: DA files require a trackid attribute that matches an audio track. If the trackid doesn’t match any track, mkpsxiso will produce an error.
Missing cue_sheet: When using audio tracks, the cue_sheet attribute must be specified in the <iso_project> element.

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Next Steps

Tracks

Learn more about track configuration

File Elements

Explore other file types

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