How to Import Music to Second Life

Listening to music is a common component of social lives in Second Life

Second Life is MMORPG or a "massively multiplayer online role-playing game," in which nearly all of the content is user-created. Listening to music is a common social component of the Second Life experience. There are two ways to import music into Second Life. The first is as a .wav file for use in gestures and other user-created objects within Second Life. The second is to stream music from your computer via a Shoutcast or Icecast server and then linking the stream to a land parcel within Second Life so that it can be accessed via the streaming media option in the Second Life Browser.

Instructions

Uploading an Audio File Into Second Life

1. Convert the song to .wav format. Make sure that it is a 16-bit, 44.1 kilohertz file.

2. Cut the music file into 10-second chunks using a .wav file editor. Second Life only allows you to upload 16-bit, 44.1 kHz files no longer than 10 seconds playing time. If you only want to use a short clip (10 seconds or less), select the portion of the song using your .wav editor.

3. Upload the file(s) to your Second Life account via the Second Life browser. Click the "File" menu and select "Upload," "Sound," or click the "File" menu and select "Upload," "Bulk." Each file will cost you 10 Lindens.

4. Rejoin your .wav files into the full-length song using a joiner script, such as the free ones available in Second Life from Acoustic Alchemy.

Streaming Music into Second Life

1. 

   A broadband Internet connection is necessary for streaming music into Second Life.

   Rent a Shoutcast or Icecast streaming service. Although there are many providers on the Internet, for Second Life purposes, renting from one of the many providers within Second Life is easy and provides you with someone knowledgeable about the game for technical support. Search for "streaming music" or "Shoutcast" from within your Second Life browser.

2. Set the streaming music URL on the parcel of Second Life land if people are to be able to access the stream from Inside Second Life. Click the "World" menu and select "About Land," "Media." Enter the URL or IP address, including the port number of the stream that was provided by the Shoutcast or Icecast server vendor.

3. Open the music software on your computer to stream the music to the rented streaming music server. On a PC, a common combination is Winamp and Shoutcast. On a Mac, the comparable software pairing is iTunes and Nicecast. Programs such as Traktor and SAM Broadcaster have the built-in capability to send the music to your Shoutcast or Icecast server without the intermediate step of Shoutcast or Nicecast.

4. Enter the bit rate of your rented stream, the sample rate of the music to be streamed (44.1 khz is standard, but if the stream stutters, try a lower rate) and the password of the rented stream into the software on your computer that will stream to the rented Shoutcast or Icecast server.

5. Press the "Transmit" button on the Shoutcast or Icecast streaming software on your computer that will send the data to the Shoutcast or Icecast server.

6. Play the music file in your music player and stream away.

Tips & Warnings

• There are several good free audio file editors available for both Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, including Audacity, WavePad, and AVS Audio Editor.

References

• Second Life: Streaming Music

Resources

• Audacity: The Free, Cross-Platform Sound Editor
• Shoutcast Radio Directory: Download Shoutcast Broadcaster Tools