1. Convert sound (such as music from a CD that you have permission to use, or a voice message through your computer microphone) into a .wav file. See "Converting Sounds into Streaming Audio Files" to find out how.

2. Convert the .wav file into a RealAudio (.rm) file. Use RealSystem Producer (look for the free, basic version) to process the .wav file into a streaming audio file. (Remember, we no longer recommend this product, as they now have a tendency of taking over your computer, shoving a lot of advertising in your face, and being a general pain in the neck.) Here's what you'll need to input in Producer:

• Clip Information = Assign the title and the author of the presentation; it will be viewed in your website visitors' Player
• RealMedia Settings = Choose "Single Rate"
• Audio Format = Choose the one that will keep the file size as small as possible. E.g., a voice message with musical background might take up 14M of space, but saved as "Voice Only" will reduce that to 750kb! Experiment to figure out the best balance of sound quality versus file size.
• Target Audience = 56K is the recommended modem speed. Don't worry, those who have other connection speeds will still be able to hear it.
• Next, go into the File menu > New Session
• Input Source = File (browse to the correct .wav file and select it)
• Output = RealMedia File (choose what to save it as, and save it to the directory where you need it to reside on your site). Be sure to name it with the .rm suffix.
• Click Okay, then "Start" recording.

3. Create a .ram document for the .rm file
Use NotePad (or similar program) to create something like a .txt file, but end it with .ram (not .txt). The only text you type into this document is the URL that points directly to your .rm file. For example, if your streaming music file is called "mysong.rm", you would type this into NotePad:

http://yourdomain.org/your-audio-directory/mysong.rm

It makes sense to give this file a name that matches the .rm file; e.g., call it "mysong.ram".

4. On your webpage, make a link to the .ram file (mysong.ram). Include directions on how to download the free version of the latest version of the RealMedia Player (see our example).

5. Upload the webpage, the .rm and the .ram files. Your host server needs to have streaming media capability (most do now) If it doesn't , you can still make it work by using the RealAudio control console.

Download this tutorial as a printable Word Document.

Tutorials on
Multimedia
Presentations

Converting Sounds into Streaming Audio Files

How to Create & Stream RealAudio Files

Using the RealAudio Console

The Multi-Media
Slide Show

For more training on this, visit Web Developer's Virtual Library