How to Add Streaming Audio to a Web Page

Streaming audio allows visitors to your site to hear audio presentations, music or recordings. Streaming audio is different from 'live' audio, which requires expensive server space and broadcasting equipment. This eHow guides you to the different audio resources available for creating and broadcasting streaming audio.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Capture the Audio

1. Capture the audio. The audio you present must be clear and free of hiss, static and other interferences.
2. Have a professional transfer regular recordings, such as cassette tapes, to a compact disc or digital audio tape. This minimal investment will ensure your recording is free of scratchiness and audio interference.
3. Edit the sound, if necessary, using an audio editing program such as CoolEdit 2000. Consult the software's Help File for information on how to optimize your audio for the Web.

Choose an Audio Application

4. Choose an audio application once your sound is Web-ready. There are many different audio applications available, some of them free or low-cost.
5. Type 'streaming audio software' into a search engine like Google or Yahoo. Review the available options in depth before choosing an application.
6. Purchase or download the application and install it onto your computer.
7. Consult the application's Web site or help files for tutorials and information on creating, producing and storing audio files on your Web page.
8. Follow the application's directions for inserting audio onto your page.
9. Save the page and upload it to your Web site.
10. Upload the audio file to your Web site.

Add a Plug-In Link

11. Add a link to the plug-in site of a proprietary application, such as QuickTime or RealPlayer, so visitors can download the plug-in if they don't have it. Some browsers require manual installation of plug-ins that users don't already have.
12. Test the audio file extensively. Try it in different browsers and on different computers. Ask friends or family to listen to the file from your page and ask for their feedback on the sound and ease of use.

Tips & Warnings

• Other types of captured audio include speaking directly into a high-quality microphone or using sophisticated audio recording equipment, such as those found in professional recording studios.
• Some audio files can't be uploaded using certain FTP programs.
• Avoid copyright violation by not recording or posting audio that belongs to someone else without explicit permission. For example, you can post an audio file of your children giggling, but posting a song from your favorite CD is a copyright violation.