Some Sound Advice (& Hints for Using Audio on Web Pages) Find a topic of interest on the list below & enjoy!
[Session 1] [Session 2] [Session 3] [Session 4] [Session 5] Having trouble hearing the sounds? Hardware issues. The simplest solution to some sound file problems is to make sure audio is on and the volume is turned up sufficiently on your computer. Different manufacturers have placed volume controls in a variety of places. here are a few places to check:
Software issues. In order to listen to sound files, the browser you're using probably needs to have certain plug-in or helper applications installed. This may have happened automatically when you installed your browser. If you get error messages saying you lack some necessary software, though, when trying to access a sound file, there are two possible things to do. First, check to make sure your browser's preferences are set to play the sound file with an available plug-in. In Netscape, for example, this may be done by accessing Preferences (under the Edit menu) and then selecting "Applications". Scrolling through a list of file types, it is possible to "Edit" the application selected by default to deal with AU files or WAV files, etc. Second, if there is no sound application already on your computer, download one from the Internet. The World Wide Web Virtual Library contains links to software that may be downloaded free or as shareware to listen to audio files. Of course, after downloading and installing the nifty software or plug-in, make sure the Preferences setting mentioned above is also set properly! A reminder about copyright & appropriate use: Sound files are among the most frequently plagiarized on the Internet. Be very careful about choosing to use an audio file that is from copyrighted songs or audio tracks from television or movies! Recording your own sounds is fairly easy to do with software available for both Mac and PC - just don't use it to record sounds from CDs, radio, television, etc. With this advice in mind, there are some places listed below that do have sound files in typical formats (such as AU, MIDI, or WAV). Internet indices like Yahoo have many links to sound files, too, but it is likely that many of them break copyright laws. Also, the care one should take to avoid inappropriate graphics in working with students applies to sound files, too. There are archives containing (and possibly even dovoted to) inappropriate language or sounds of a "suggestive" nature. Some places to get sounds & helper applications & plug-ins
A newer method for transmitting sound files on the Internet called User Datagram Protocol (UDP) works much faster than TCP (Transmission Control Protocol). It does not wait for a confirmation of receipt of information before sending the next packet of data. It results in the ability to send audio and listen to it in real-time, not waiting for the file to be downloaded. On the other hand, streaming audio and other forms of real-time audio have a major drawback that they consume huge amounts of network bandwidth. Computer users on a local area network will slow down the work for everyone. Users with an ISP (such as America OnLine) also slow down these larger networks. Listening via network or dialup access both can contribute to more sluggish service for all on the Internet. With that said, here are some places you can get to streaming audio: [Session 1] [Session 2] [Session 3] [Session 4] [Session 5]
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