Chapter 15: Adding Sound

Overview

In This Chapter

Working with audio formats

Understanding the Speech codec

Importing sounds into Flash

Adding sounds to buttons and frames

Using sound behaviors

Understanding Sync options

Using compression in the Publish Settings

Customizing compression in the Library panel

Working with VBR MP3

Getting tips on exporting

One of the more neglected — or perhaps understated — aspects of multimedia development is sound. Because the majority of people who use Flash or create multimedia come from graphic-arts backgrounds, it's no surprise that sound is often applied as the last effect to an otherwise visually stunning presentation — there may be little or no consideration for the soundtrack in early stages of development. Moreover, it's the one element that is usually taken from a stock source, rather than being original work by the Flash designer. (Exceptions exist, of course, as Flash designers have demonstrated time and time again.)

Note 

It goes without saying that as Web projects or applications grow in scope, production teams tend to include specific members responsible for unique tasks, from graphic design to user interface design to sound design.

You can use sound in Flash movies to enhance interactive design with navigation elements, such as buttons, to layer the visitor's experience with a background soundtrack, to add narration, or for more experimental uses. In this chapter, we focus on the fundamentals of importing and integrating sound files into your Flash project. We also discuss the intricacies of controlling audio output, with particular attention to MP3 bit rates. You'll learn how to use the Publish Settings dialog box and compare it with the enhanced control that is available for customizing compression from within the Sound Properties dialog box of the Library. This chapter guides you through using audio within a Flash document and suggests tips for getting the most bang per byte in the final Flash movie file (.swf).

Cross-Reference 

You can read more about sound in Appendix C, "Digital Audio Basics," which is included as a PDF file on this book's CD-ROM. To learn how to load external MP3 files into a Flash movie at run time, read Chapter 28, "Sharing and Loading Assets."