Some people consider audio on a website old-hat. After all, isn’t everyone doing video these days.
While video is popular for some, there are certain issues with it that make audio an easier choice. Audio is different. For instance, it doesn’t matter if you have a bad hair day. Another thing is that you don’t need to worry about lighting or the background when recording audio.
Finally, anyone can create an audio file that is easily heard even on dial-up lines in just a few minutes. It is crucial to ensure that they hear your message, as a large portion of internet users still use dial-up.
While it is obvious that audio can increase sales or sign-ups, what I hear most often from people who put audio on their websites is “How can you create a sound file that dial-up users can listen to without a lot of stops and starts?”
Two factors are responsible for the stuttering dial-up users experience. They are on a slow connection and things won’t be as fast. Audio files with high bit rates require high bandwidth connections. DSL is required for all users (yes, it’s true!). Or you can create an audio file of a smaller size.
Let’s now look at how to do this. Not all audio editing software is created equal. This means that the steps in this article won’t be comprehensive. The information should help you make informed decisions about the software that you use Tubidy.
You have two options that you can tweak. These are commonly called “sample rates” and “bit rates”. The letters Hz and kHz will be used to follow the sample rate numbers. They range from approximately 8000 (or 8, if the information is in kHz), to 44100 (44.1 kHz). The letters kbps are used to follow bit rate numbers. They can range from 8-16 up to 196 and even higher. If you only see two or three options (8, 16, 32), that is not what we care about.
You should set your sample rate at 11,025Hz or 11.025kHz for CD-quality audio. Voice can work with much lower sample rates. While most people prefer music to be at least 128kbps, voice work can be done with a lower bit rate. We must also go very low if we want dial-up users to be happy.
Set your bit rate at 16kbps to see if it works. Try 32kbps if you’re not satisfied. Keep in mind that the higher you climb up the ladder, the less smooth your audio stream will be. People with faster dial-up connections will get 32kbps sound without any problems. However, if you prefer the sound quality of a 16kbps format, then do so. This should make everyone happy.
You might need to spend an afternoon getting used to your audio software, but once you do that, you will be able create audio files just as quickly as word processor docs.
You can use audio on your website if you don’t yet have the courage to do so. It has many benefits, and you now know how to make audio.