Sound Steps

ADDING SOUND TO YOUR WEB PAGE


Step One:
Think about it.


Sound is a lot of fun and in some cases necessary.

HOWEVER...

IF YOU STILL WANT TO ADD SOUND TO YOUR WEB PAGE...


Step Two:
Select, download and save a sound file.


WHAT TYPE OF SOUND EVENT WOULD YOU LIKE?...

WHICH SOUND FORMAT BEST SUITS YOUR NEEDS?...

Sound Format Comparison Chart

TYPENAMEEXTSIZECOMMENTS
AIFFAudio Interchange File Format.aif or .iefbigNo compression. Common for MacOS.
AUAudio File.aubigCompressed format for UNIX.
MIDIMusical Instrument Digital Interface.midsmallSynthesized sound. Sound card plays sound.
Sound doesn't load to disk.
Accommodates most users.
No speech capabilities.
MP3Motion Picture Expert Group.mpg or .mpegsmall
approx. 1MB per min.
Good quality compressed sound.
Very popular format.
QTQuick Time.mov
(video)
smallOriginally for Macintosh.
Now for Windows.
RAReal Audio.rasmallStreaming audio.
Plays back during download.
Adapts to user bandwidth.
RMFRich Music Format.rmfsmallCan contain recorded sounds and MIDI sequences at the same time. Requires Plug-Ins (Beanit).
SWAShockwave Audio.swasmallStreaming audio. Scaleable.
Audio quality level can be selected.
SWFMacromedia Flash.swfsmallCan be looped in background or triggered by event.
WAVWindows Audio Version.wavbigDigitally recorded sound. Takes a long time to load. Accommodates most users. Not good for background, but OK for short sound effects.
WMAWindows Media Audio.wmasmallStreaming capabilities. Allows speech.
Scaleable. High quality.

Here are some links to handy SOUND COMPRESSORS:

CoolEdit   SoundForge   TsunamiPro

Do you need some PLUG-INS?:

AudioTrack   BeatNik   Crescendo!   Digital Sound Engine   PlayerPRO   MORE PLUG-INS!

DON'T FORGET ABOUT COPYRIGHT CONCERNS...

Make sure you're not breaking any laws when you use that sound:

Copyright Basics   Digital Music Laws   Copyright and the Internet

USE A SEARCH ENGINE TO FIND A SOUND, OR CREATE YOUR OWN...

If you need help searching, try one of these tutorials:

Search Engines   Bright Planet   Sink or Swim

Here are links to a few of the many search engines available:

Google   AltaVista   WebCrawler

Check out these sites that offer free sound files:

WebPlaces   The Free Site.com   Caragraphics

Would you like to try creating your own sounds?:

MetaSynth   Cakewalk   Finale

TO LEARN TO DOWNLOAD AND SAVE A SOUND FILE...

Try one of these helpful tutorials:

About   Sympatico   SquareOne


Step Three:
Add the needed HTML code to your page.


DO YOU NEED HELP USING HTML?...

Perhaps one of these tutorials will work:

Davesite   HTML Goodies   HTML with Style

TO ADD A BACKGROUND SOUND, START BY CHOOSING A TAG...

The <BGSOUND> tag...

The <EMBED> tag...

THEN SELECT THE ATTRIBUTES YOU WOULD LIKE TO INCLUDE...

Some tags and attributes only work with specific browsers or platforms.
The Windows 98/MS Internet Explorer 5.5 combination was used while creating the following Attribute Chart.
Click on the example links in the chart to see the code in action.

Attribute Chart

ATTRIBUTEFUNCTIONVALUERESULTEXAMPLE
SRCIdentifies the filefilename.extPoints to the needed file.<BGSOUND>
<EMBED>
AUTOSTARTIndicates if sound should start playing when page is loaded.trueSound starts playing when page is loaded.<BGSOUND>
(no real difference
sound starts anyway)
<EMBED>
(no real difference
sound starts anyway)
  falseSound doesn't start playing when page is loaded.<BGSOUND>
(doesn't work
there is no way to start the sound)
<EMBED>
HIDDENIndicates if sound controls will be visibletrueSound controls are hidden.<BGSOUND>
(makes no difference
there are no controls to hide)
<EMBED>
  falseSound controls are visible.<BGSOUND>
(makes no difference
there are no controls to show)
<EMBED>
(makes no difference
controls already show)
LOOPIndicates if sound will play continuously.trueSound plays continuously.<BGSOUND>(doesn't work
sound plays only once)
<EMBED>
  falseSound doesn't play continuously. <BGSOUND>(makes no difference
the sound doesn't loop to begin with)
<EMBED>
(makes no difference
the sound doesn't loop to begin with)
  0Sound plays one time.<BGSOUND>
(makes no difference
the sound only plays once to begin with)
<EMBED>
(makes no difference
the sound only plays once to begin with)
  numberSound plays specified number of times.<BGSOUND>
<EMBED>
(doesn't work
sounds plays continuously)
  INFINITESound plays continuously.<BGSOUND>
<EMBED>
(doesn't work
sound only plays once)
  -1Sound plays continuously.<BGSOUND>
<EMBED>
CONTROLSMakes a control panel for the user.consoleCreates console for user to play, pause, stop and control volume<BGSOUND>
(doesn't work
no control panel is displayed)
<EMBED>
(no real difference
control panel already shows)
  smallconsoleCreates smaller console in Netscape.<BGSOUND>
(doesn't work
no control panel is displayed
<EMBED>
(no real difference
control panel already shows)
HEIGHTDetermines dimension for the console.number of pixels Sets the dimension for the console to specified number of pixels.See the
combined attributes
example below.
WIDTHDetermines dimension for the console.number of pixels Sets the dimension for the console to specified number of pixels.See the
combined attributes
example below.
VOLUMEDetermines sound volume.number
1-100
Sets the volume for sound playback. The default is 50.See the
combined attributes
example below.


Attributes may be combined (and some need to be) to form a variety of sound options.

EXAMPLE


TO ADD A SOUND EFFECT TO YOUR WEB PAGE...

The <A HREF> tag...

EXAMPLE

EXAMPLE


Step Four:
FTP the new files to your Website.


DO YOU REMEMBER HOW TO USE FTP?...

These FTP tutorials may come in handy:

Free Webmaster Tips   Columbia University   Webquarry

ARE YOU IN NEED OF FTP SOFTWARE?...

Here are some possible solutions:

Fetch Softworks   Ipswitch   GlobalScape

DON'T FORGET TO FTP THE SOUND FILES YOU HAVE CHOSEN...

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ADDING SOUND TO YOUR WEB PAGE...

Here are some helpful guides:

davesite.com   Urbanite   1st Site Free