Web Audio Tips

Put Your Face on the Web

2010-01-21T04:45:00.000-08:00

Site Pal has created a new way to turn your photo into an avatar by using photo face. Simply upload you photo, type in some text and your animated character can speak on your website.

Click on the button below to watch this incredible new technology in action.

How to Add Audio to Your Web Site

2009-10-17T03:47:00.000-07:00

Are you looking for an easy way to add audio to your website?
Click on the link below and read an article I posted on EzineArticles.com
How to Add Audio to Your Web Site

Get Your Own Online Video Spokesperson

2009-05-27T07:33:00.000-07:00

How would you like to have your own video spokesperson on your website? You can now get a professional actor to appear on your website and promote your products or services. Many companies have started to provide the new service and very resonable rates. So to help you choose I have created a review website for you to compare.

videospokespersonreview.com

Web Audio Maker Version 3

2008-10-30T10:51:00.000-07:00

This is the first software review I have done for a while. Web Audio Maker is not only a Flash Audio Button creator but also a bulk conversion program. While it is not as easy to use as some of the other programs I have reviewed it has some nice features.
As well as the bulk conversion you can select what type of swf files you create, either embeding the Flash buttons and audio in the same file or using 2 separate files. To see the advantages of this see my comparision web page or the Web Audio Maker site.
I also like the slider type controls you can create, see my review page, as I find these are great for long audio messages. Another unique feature about this program is you can use your own jpg image for the audio control.
Check out my review page or download a free trial version and try it out for yourself.

Flash Audio Wizard Version 4 Just Released!

2008-10-14T11:01:00.000-07:00

The long awaited new version of Flash Audio Wizard has just been released. The new version has some great new features including built in background tracks and auto redirect.

The problem with the sound quality that appeared with the introduction of Flash version 9 with Internet Explorer has also been resolved, so in my opinion Flash Audio Wizard is now once again the best software available for adding audio to your web pages.

Take a closer look at www.flashAudioWizard.net

New Audio and Video Service

2007-12-13T11:43:00.000-08:00

Try the 30 day trail of Talkstream, the new multimedia software from Implix. (Owners of Getresponse and Website Wizard). I've had an inital look at this program and it seems to be great value for money and feature packed compared with other products.

Why pay $29.95 per month for your streaming audio and $29.95 per month for your streaming video when you can get both in one package for $19.95.

I will be writing a full review of this product in the very near future but why not take a free test drive yourself?

Find Out More About Talkstream

Flash Audio Wizard - New Version Released

2007-11-09T08:10:00.000-08:00

The new version of Flash Audio Wizard is now available from www.FlashAudioWizard.net
The new version has all the great features of the old version with one major difference, version 2.3 now uses javascript to overcome the Internet Explorer April 2006 update which makes users click on Flash objects to active it, making it necessary to click audio buttons twice to play them. Flash Audio Wizard was always my number one choice for adding audio to my web sites and now its even better.
Find out more at www.FlashAudioWizard.net

Creating Web Audio Buttons on a Coloured Page

2007-10-26T06:39:00.000-07:00

The audio software products I have reviewed on my web site all create good looking buttons if you are using a white page.

But what if your web pages have a coloured background?

I recently added audio to my web design website and found there was a problem. I have a pale yellow background and when I created an audio button with Flash Audio Wizard I found the button had a white border. After looking at all of the products on my review site I found that only one product, Sonic Memo, allowed you to change the button background colour to match your web page. Web Audio Plus does let you change the button background colour but there is a limitted choice of 48 colours.

So if you want to add audio to your coloured web page then I recommend Sonic Memo

Audio Video Riches

2007-02-28T04:18:00.000-08:00

I have just had a pre-launch preview of James James new product called Audio Video Riches. You won't be able to get your hands on this until March 15th but I can tell you that it is packed with information on creating audio and video for the web and also includes some free software and extra bonuses.

Section 1 - Video -35 part internet video course designed to help you simply and easily produce your own professional internet video presentations. Once you finish this course you will be producing your own stunning videos in record time.

Section 2 -Audio - 16 part internet audio course presented via easy to watch "screen capture" format. I will show you how to create your own attention grabbing audio presentations just like the pros do.

Section 3 - Resources – In this section you will find valuable sign-up bonuses, real life case studies from top marketers, user submitted content, my practical user’s guide detailing 20+ practical uses of internet audio and video, and much more.

If you want to be notified as soon as the product is released click on the link below where you can also claim you free multimedia profits report.

http://www.websiteaudioreviews.com/AVRiches

How to Add Audio To Your Blog

2006-11-20T04:54:00.000-08:00

Click to play button to listen to my audio.

There are audio blog services such as audioblogger which enable you to record your blog via telephone or hipcast.com which enables you to record via telephone, online or upload your audio files. Hipcast is a great service for podcasting and costs from $9.95.

You can post audio on a normal blog like blogger or wordpress but you will need to host the audio file somewhere else. This is OK if you have your own web space or you could use a free hosting service or a free media service like OurMedia.org or archive.org.

Simply create your audio buttons with a program like Flash Audio Wizard, upload the files to your server, or free web space, edit the html code that the program creates for you so the path name has the location of the files on your server, then paste the html code into your blog.

If you use WordPress for your blog you can use a free plugin to create audio buttons

How Easy Is It To Add Audio To My Web Site?

2006-11-19T05:14:00.000-08:00

This is a question that I have been asked a number of times. Everyone's perception of "easy" is different. If you are a computer programmer adding audio to your web site should be easy. If you are new to computers you may think it is difficult.

So let me lay it out for you.

If you are using one of the programs I recommend on WebsiteAudioReviews.com you don't need to know any html but you should have an idea of what it is. You will need to be able to paste some html code into your web page. This code is created for you so you don't need to understand it, just paste it into your web page where you want the audio button to appear.

You must also be able to ftp or upload files to your web server/host. So you will need to know how to do this.

So, if you know about how to paste html code and upload then adding audio to your web site can be "Easy"

7 Ways to Increase Your Web Site Profits

2006-10-26T07:36:00.000-07:00

There are numerous ways to use audio on the Internet. Read my latest article to find out 7 ways that will increase your profits.

Click here to read the article

How To Add Background Music To Your Web Audio

2006-10-18T05:10:00.000-07:00

If you listen to ads on the TV or radio they normally have some kind of background music behind the voice track. There is a good reason for this. It sells more!

Adding background music to your web audio gives your web site a more professional sound and can improve your sales, so, how is it done. The simplest way to and background music to your web audio is to use a program called Impact Web Audio. It comes with 12 background tracks built in. All you need to do is select which background track you want and Impact Web Audio does the rest. If you want to add your own background loop you can upgrade Impact Web Audio to the Pro version.

Web Audio Creator is another program that has 5 built in background tracks and you are allowed to use you own with the standard program.

If you want a bit more control over your audio you can use Flash Audio Wizard which comes with audio editing software and a selection of intro and outtro music.

How do I add a wav file from a radio spot to my website?

2006-10-14T08:53:00.000-07:00

Hi Christine,
I tried to email you with this but it was bounced.

Thank you for your question.
To transfer a file to your web site you will need to use ftp (file transfer protocol). You can either use an ftp program like CuteFTP, AceFTP etc or if you use Windows you can use "My Network Places" or even Internet explorer.

"My network places" is probably the easiest way.
1. Open up My Network Places
2. Click on Add network place
3. Click next and next again.
4. Enter your ftp server name and click next
5. Enter your user name, click next
6. Give the network place a name, click next then finish
7. Enter password when required

This will open up a new window which will show all the files on your web site. Simply copy from your computer.

You will need a host name (ftp server name), account name and password which your hosting company will supply.

As wav files tend to be quite large I recommend that you convert your wav file to an mp3 file before you upload it to your web site. To convert your wav to mp3 search in Google for "convert wav to mp3"

Hope this helps

Do I Need Audio Editing Software?

2006-10-09T09:30:00.000-07:00

When you add audio to your web site you may be using a Flash Audio Button creator like Flash Audio Wizard. Some of these programs have built in recording software so all you need is a microphone attached to your computer. These programs are great if you just want to record a few minutes of your voice.

If you are creating audio that is longer than a few minutes I recommend you use some kind of audio editing software. Say you are recording a 10 minute track and half way through you make a mistake, if you are not using audio editing software you will need to start again. If you have editing software you can simply repeat the last sentence and carry on. You can then edit out the mistake later.

Another thing you can do with audio editing software is mix in background music or an intro.
A popular audio editing software package is Sony SoundForge which costs $69.95. You can get a similar product for free, see below.

If you want to learn more about how to edit audio take a look at Instant Audio Mastery which is a set of 8 videos that can teach you "How To Quickly & Easily Master Creating And Working With Audio For Your Own Websites And Products" and "How To Get World Class Audio Recording & Editing Software For Free!"

7 Questions To Ask Before You Buy Flash Audio Streaming Software

2006-10-03T03:24:00.000-07:00

I recently received an email from someone who had bought audio software but was having a problem with the time it took to load. After looking at the web site I discovered the audio file was just over 10 minutes long. All I could say was that they were using the wrong software. The popular software being used is fine for short audio tracks but for longer tracks they would get much better results from different, but similar package.
So if you are seroius about adding audio to your web site read "7 Questions To Ask Before You Buy Flash Audio Streaming Software"

How Can I Make Sure My Audio Works On Slow Connections?

2006-09-27T10:10:00.000-07:00

This is a common question quite a few people has asked me. Its all about getting a good balance between sound quality and file compression. Jay Jennings, the creator of Sonic Memo has written an article about this subjuct, you can read the full article by clicking on the link below.
The Secret to Streaming MP3 Files That Even Dial-Up Users Can Hear

Which program do you recommend for Mac users?

2006-09-24T10:37:00.000-07:00

There is not a great choice for Mac users but one of the best web audio programs on the market in Sonic Memo which work on Macs and PCs.
The other option you have is to use a subscription service like AudioGenerator. With this there is no program to download, all you need to do is paste some html code into your web page, the audio files are stored on the AudioGenerator server.
If you are interested in trying out Sonic Memo but don't want to spent $97, Jay Jennings the creator of Sonic Memo is offering a lite version for a limited time only. To get your free copy of Sonic Memo Lite click here.

How can I make my web audio playable and downloadable?

2006-09-13T05:23:00.000-07:00

In the previous post I talked about stopping visitors from downloading your audio.

But what if you want them to be able to download your audio as well as letting them click on a button to play your audio on line?

If you want to offer your visitors both methods you need to be a bit selective with the web audio software you choose. Some software creates audio buttons with the audio embedded in to Flash file (.swf) and others create the buttons in the Flash file and use a separate mp3 file for the audio.

If your web audio software uses a separate mp3 and you want the audio to be downloadable, simply create a link to the mp3 file and instruct your visitors to right click and "save target as".

If your software does not use a separate mp3 file you will need to upload an additional mp3 file to link to.

Web audio software packages that do not embed the mp3 in the Flash (.swf) are
Total Web Audio
Impact Web Audio
Webmaster Media Maker
Sonic Memo (mac compatible)

If you want to prevent visitors downloading your mp3, use one of the following programs which embeds the audio with the Flash file or use a javascript as in the previous post.
Flash Audio Wizard
Web Audio Plus

Please note that all programs with the exception of Sonic Memo work on Windows PCs only

How To Prevent Your Audio Being Downloaded

2006-09-05T02:59:00.000-07:00

A quick and easy way to make it difficult for people to download your audio is to use javascript. Some of the audio programs reviewed on WebsiteAudioReviews have this build in (Total Web Audio, Impact Web Audio and Sonic Memo) If you have a program that does not use javascript you can use Fast Object Fix which is a free program that can create the javascript for you.

How Quickly Does Audio Load?

2006-09-01T10:34:00.000-07:00

Load times depend on the type of file and the connection speed of your web site visitor.
If you use .wav files for audio the file will have to be downloaded completely before it will play. If the visitor is using a 56k modem this could take 3 or 4 minutes to downlaod a 1 minute audio file. Wav files are about 10mb per minute.
If you use mp3 or flash files they are compressed by around 10 to 1 so they are around 1mb per minute. These files also stream so they don't need to be downloaded completely before they play. The files are downloaded in sections into a buffer so once the first section has been download it will start to play. This is normally just a few seconds depending on the connection speed. mp3 files require an external play like Windows Media Player and Flash files require a browser plugin.

How To Add Audio To Your eBay Listing

2006-08-31T00:40:00.000-07:00

Adding audio to your eBay listing is a great way to describe your product in your own words to your potential bidders. It will increase your credibility and enable you to build a rapport with you bidders.

Unfortunately eBay will not host your audio files on their web site so you will need to have your own web site. You can easily use free hosting for this.

The simplest way is to record your audio using the windows sound recorder, upload the wav file to your web site then create a link in your eBay listing to the wav file. This is probably not the best way as wav files can be quite large and they need to be downloaded before they can be played.

A better way is to use mp3 format. Either convert your wav file into mp3 (free converters can be found on the net) or record in mp3 format. I use Audacity which can also be found on the net. Mp3 files can be 10 times smaller than wav files so they won't take so long to download.

If you really want your eBay listing to look and sound professional you can add a Flash Audio button. Using one of the programs reviewed on Website Audio Reviews you can upload the flash files to your web site and paste the html code into your listing.

How To Send Audio Emails

2006-08-31T00:23:00.000-07:00

Audio files are normally too large to send via email. Servers will bounce or block your emails if they are larger than a few megabytes. Also if you are sending an audio email to a friend with a slow Internet connection you don't want to clog up their computer downloading your large email.
So one way to overcome this is to create a simple web page or audio postcard, with your audio button on it and email your friend a link to your new audio postcard page.
If you are really in a hurry and don't want to create a web page take a look at this free new service which allows you to send audio or video emails directly. http://www.springdoo.com/

Is every host able to accomodate audio?

2006-08-27T05:07:00.000-07:00

If you are using Flash for your audio any standard hosting company should be able to accomodate you. Only if you are using RealAudio will you need to get a dedicated streaming server.

Will Audio Require an Increased Hosting Bandwidth?

2006-08-25T04:08:00.000-07:00

MP3 or SWF files sizes are around 1MB per minute of audio for resonable quality. Therefore if you have a 10 minutes of audio on your website and you get 10,000 visitors per month the bandwidth required for your audio would be 10MB x 10,000 = 100GB.
My hosting company charge $5.75 per month for 300GB per month bandwidth. Any additional bandwidth costs $1 per month per 4GB. If I start to exceed my bandwidth I will consider another hosting company (some can provide upto 1,000GB bandwidth per month for less then $8.00 per month) or a monthly audio service like Audio Generator.
Work out how much audio you are going to use and estimate your number of visitors and you can then work out your bandwidth requirements. Don't forget to allow for bandwidth for your web pages and images.
If necessary you can reduce the size of your audio files by decreasing the bit rate but this will reduce the quality of the sound.