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First, you need a sound file. Sound files
come in many flavors. Not all browsers support all sound files,
but any recent browser that supports plug-ins should be able to
play most sound files. You can get a sound file off of the web or
record your own sound file.
There are two ways to add a sound
file to a web page. One way is to link to the sound file, so that
the user downloads and plays it when they click on the link. The
other way is to embed the sound file so that it begins to load when
the page loads, and a plug-in will play it automatically when the
sound file finishes downloading. (Keep in mind that embeding sounds
can be very irritating to people who prefer to have the option of
listening to the sound or not...when possible, give people a choice!)
To
link to a sound file using Dreamweaver:
The
sound file usually need to be downloaded to the same WWW directory
as the web page it will be linked to. Sometimes you will be able
to link to a sound file somewhere else on the internet. Remember,
most of us have difficulty staying within our quota anyway, and
sound files can be very large....So I will assume you have transferred
the sound file to this directory.
- In
the Document window, select the text or image that you want to
make into a link
- In
the Properties Inspector, typoe the pathname for the sound file
in the Link text box.
- Press
Enter (Return).
- Save
and preview the page in a browser. The selection will be linked
to the sound file.
When
the user clicks on the link on your page, one of three things will
happen:
- an
external program, called a "Helper App" will launch
to play the sound file,
- the
browser will play it using its own capabilities or thos of a plug-in,
or
- if
the browser doesn;t support or recognize the file type, and error
will occur
To
embed a sound file so that the sound plays automatically
- View
the document you want to attach the sound file to in the Document
window.
- Click
to place the insertion point at the place in the document where
you want the sound controller to appear. For invisible sound files,
you can place the file anywhere, although at the top or bottom
is usually more convenient.
- View
the HTML source for the page in the HTML Inspector by selecting
Window > HTML from the Document window menu bar
- For
a sound file with no controls showing type the following line
of code:
<embed src="yoursound.wav" autoplay="TRUE"
hidden="TRUE"> </embed>
but substituting the name of your sound file for "yoursound.wav"
in this example.
- Save
your changes to the page, and preview the page in a browser to
test whether it works.
To
record sound:
- To record
sound, you need to log onto a Macintosh in the Mac lab (it does
not work on either of the ITRC machines).
- Under the
Macintosh hard drive, select the folder titled Applications.
- Then select
the Macromedia Director 6 folder.
- Now select
the folder SoundEdit 16 Version .
- Now select
SoundEdit 16. The program will open.
- The control
panel should be open. If it is not, go to View, and then select
Show Control Panel.
- Before you
record sound, make sure the sound properties are set up right.
See below for instructions. Hold the microphone up to the stereo
or someone's mouth. DO NOT hold the microphone directly up to
the stereo or mouth, it should be an inch or two away.
- Hit the
record button to record.
- Hit the
stop button to stop.
- You can
edit under the Edit menu item.
- To save,
go to File and then Save As. Select the appropriate folder to
save it in, name it, and make sure the file type is WAVE.
- Hit Save
To Add Sound
to the Web Page:
An example
of the code you need to enter in the page is:
<EMBED SRC = "rent4.wav" AUTOSTART = true LOOP = 1 HIDDEN = true
VOLUME = 50>
This line of
code should go right before the start of the body.
If AUTOSTART is set to true, the music will play as soon as the
web page is open.
Loop is the number of times that the sound file will play.
HIDDEN Hides the code.
VOLUME sets the volume.
Sound Properties
on the Macintosh
- To change
sound properties, go to the Apple in the upper left corner of
the screen.
- Select Control
Panel and then Monitors and Sound.
- Adjust the
volume as you like it. Make sure mute is not selected.
WARNING:
Please be careful not to violate copyright
laws!
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