airpods with CD external drive

artmusic1 Said:

"airpods with CD external drive: My airpods are connected and selected as output. They work on downloaded songs and youtube but do not work with external CD drive music. Any advice?"

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Troubleshoot the Mac Audio:

What to Try:

• Unmute the App:

If an app has its own audio input and output settings, then perform things on the app itself.

• Remove External Devices:

Verify what your output item is.

• Disable Bluetooth:

If there are any microphones nearby, then they may be getting in the way via bluetooth.

• Go Here: Control Access to your Microphone on Mac.

See if an app is permitted to use your microphone.

• Reset the SMC and your NVRAM:

Sometimes when changes are made to the system(i.e. updates), system configurations (i.e. for Sound) become manipulated, technically. So, reset the SMC and NVRAM.  (Applies to Anted-Based Macs Only)

• Boot into Safe Mode:

When you boot into Safe Mode, items load by default, with certain settings and caches set aside. So, hold down the shift key upon boot. See what happens then.

• Create a New Administrator:

See if creating and logging in as a new administrator does the trick. There may be something misconfigured in your current user - something that is getting in the way. Go to: System Preferences > Users & Groups > Unlock > Click: "+" > Create the new administrator

“The Music app will not play any CD on the external drive when the AirPods are active and connected to the Mac. The play icon can be pressed or "Play" selected from the menu, and the app will not play.”

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Troubleshooting AirPods and Music App on a Mac:

I. Try what I mentioned in my original reply.

II. If that doesn’t work, perform the following…

A. Reset These:

Go Here: Reset your AirPods - Apple Support. If that doesn’t work, proceed with troubleshooting, proceed with the following…

B. Play Paid Music:

What happens when you play paid music that you paid for from the iTunes Store? Does it then work? If not, then it may be an issue with the Music App.

C. Try a Different Media Player:

What happens when you try a different player? Open the file with QuickTime Player, and then see if you can play it with that. You’ll find it in the App Store.

D. View System Information:

Hold down the option key and then click the Apple logo on the menu bar. Then, select System Information…. What do you see for audio devices? What do you see for Bluetooth devices?

E. Reinstall the macOS:

Nothing would be lost. It's just that misplaced items would be placed back to where they should be and corrupt system files would be replaced by clean files. Go Here: Reinstall macOS - Apple Support. Use the third bulleted method: [command + r]. To prevent data loss, be sure to back up your Mac with Time Machine, prior to the reinstall.

If nothing above works…

III. Restore From a Time Machine Backup:

Did you ever create a Create a Time Machine Backup of your Mac when all of this was working? If so, back up your Mac to an external hard drive today, and the restore your Mac from the older backup, using this link: Restore your Mac from a Backup - Apple Support, seeing if you see if you still get this error. Once tried, restore from the backup you created today.

My problem is with the Music app (MacOS Sonoma 14.5) when using an external CD drive. The Music app will not play any CD on the external drive when the AirPods are active and connected to the Mac. The play icon can be pressed or "Play" selected from the menu, and the app will not play. Putting the AirPods back in the case re-enables the play button in Music.