Adding Sounds

Adding sound to your presentation is something that most people do in one of two ways: too much or not at all. The trick with adding sound is to make sure it truly emphasizes a key point and is not simply being added for fun or shock value.

With PowerPoint 2007, you can embed only Windows Audio files (.wav) smaller than 100 kilobytes (KB) in a presentation. All other media file types-including larger .wav files-are linked. You can increase the .wav file size limit, but that will usually drastically increase the size of your file and is not recommended, especially when e-mailing presentations or using them over the Internet. Compatible sound file formats are as follows:

• Audio Interchange File Format (.aiff)

• AU Audio file (.au)

• Musical Instrument Digital Interface (.midi)

• MPEG Audio Layer 3 (.mp3)

• Windows Media Audio file (.wma)

The default sound option is usually to play a sound once, which is perfect for emphasizing a point. You can choose to keep a sound playing for the duration of your presentation or until you specifically stop it; go to the Custom Animation task pane to make these selections. (To open the Custom Animation task pane, on the Animations tab, in the Animations group, click Custom Animation.)

Troubleshooting

Is your sound or movie file not playing correctly?

If it isn’t-even though it has a correct file name extension-the correct version of the codec (a compression method) might not be installed on your computer, or the file might not be encoded in a format recognizable to your media player. For example, sometimes people change extensions without realizing that this does not change the actual format of the file. You will need to download and install the correct version of the codec or use a different version of the file. Search the Internet for updated versions of the codec that are compatible with your media player and operating system.

To add sound to your presentation, use these steps:

1. Select the slide on which you want to place the sound.

2. On the Insert tab, go to the Media Clips group. Click the arrow on the Sound button. Clicking the arrow on the Sound button will provide you with a menu of options. If you click the icon above Sound, the Insert Sound dialog box appears.

3. Your options are Sound From File, Sound From Clip Organizer, Play CD Audio Track, and Record Sound. For purposes of this example, click Sound From Clip Organizer.

4. In the Clip Art task pane, click the sound you want to add.

5. A dialog box appears and asks you how you want to start the sound. Click Show Help to learn more about the Automatically and When Clicked options. Then click Automatically.

6. Test your sound by clicking the Slide Show button next to the Zoom slider at the bottom right of your screen.

   You can also preview a sound by double-clicking the sound icon on your slide or by going to the Options tab under Sound Tools and clicking Preview in the Play group.

Troubleshooting

Has your sound effect or movie disappeared?

PowerPoint 2007 creates a link to a sound or movie file’s current location on your computer. If you move that sound or movie file, PowerPoint 2007 won’t be able to find it, and you’ll wonder where your sound effect or movie went. When you e-mail the presentation or use it from another computer, you must copy the linked files as well as the PowerPoint 2007 file into the same folder. One way to ensure your files are all together is to use the Package For CD feature-that copies your files to one location on a CD or in a folder and automatically updates sound and movie file links. The Package For CD feature is located on the Microsoft Office Button under Publish.