Value vs. Annoyance
Before you add audio to your site make sure it is appropriate to your topic and adds value to the presentation.
Otherwise it may distract or annoy your visitor.
Types:
There are two basic types of audio:
Non-streaming audio requires that the entire sound file be downloaded to your user's desktop before sound begins.
Helper Apps
When a browser detects a file that it cannot handle it calls a "helper" or "plug-in" application.
That application deals with translating the file for the browser.
There are two conditions for successful use of a helper app.
The standardized list of file extensions is known as MIME - Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension. The standard extensions for audio are:
Optimizing Sound Files
Sound files can be huge. Digital sound files are measured in terms of the sampling rate;
the number of times the sound is digitized in a given span of time. You will be asking the user
to download an entire sound file in order to hear it, so keep it small. You can do this by:
Copyright Issues
Be careful. It is a copyright violation to post somebody else's music or CD contents to your site without permission.
Either get permission or record your own sounds.
Sources of Audio Clips
Here are some sources for audio clips:
Sources of Audio Tools
Here are some sources for audio tools:
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