All About Audio
Supported audio formats
Recommended
Our most highly recommended audio format is the MP3 format, encoded at a sample rate of 22.05 kHz or greater.
CMS Media Library
The following formats are supported by the CMS and will be recognized as audio files.
- mp3
- wav*
Other formats can be uploaded, but may not be supported by CMS media players. They will appear as "documents" and can only be offered as downloads on the site.
*wav format is not compatible with Internet Explorer. If you want members using Internet Explorer to be able to listen to sermons in their browser we recommend using the mp3 format.
Pop-up Media Player
A pop-up media player built with JW Player technology is available to play audio files on your site. If you wish to use the pop-up media player to play audio files, the files will need to be supported by both the CMS and the player also.
Currently, the format supported by both the CMS and the media player is the MP3 format.
For complete JW Player technical specifications, see:
http://www.longtailvideo.com/players/jw-player/tech-specs/
Creating mp3s
Audio setup guides
These guides will walk you through creating mp3 audio files:
Windows
Windows Media Player Setup Guide
Encoding
Many settings available in most audio applications produce high-quality audio files by default. High-quality audio is great for music, but that level of quality may not be needed for voice recordings. Higher-quality audio files have a larger filesize and may be harder for end-users to download regularly. When creating mp3s, we recommend experimenting with the encoding settings to see what you perceive to be the best filesize / quality trade-off.
Audio files with a lower bit rate—perhaps 32 kbps (kilobytes per second)—will have lower audio quality, but the file size will be very small (good for a fast download). In contrast, a file encoded at 192 kbps will have a much larger filesize and may take longer to download.
For voice recordings, suggested bitrates range between 32 kbps to 96 kbps. For music recordings that need to capture a more detailed, crisp sound, suggested bitrates range between 128 kbps to 192 kbps. Some consider 256 kbps to be "CD-quality".
To optimize or not to optimize
If Audio Optimize is checked when an mp3 is uploaded in Media, the file will be re-encoded at a sample rate of 22.05kHz. This to ensure that the file will work with the Flash pop-up player. If a higher quality is desired, the checkbox should be left unchecked.
Linking to audio files using the WYSIWYG editor
When editing content in the CMS, the link tool in the WYSIWYG text editor can link to audio files in two ways: by pop-up and by download. Here's how to link to an audio file:
- Make a selection of the content you wish to link.
- Click the "link" button in the WYSIWYG toolbar.
- Use the "Link List" menu to select your media file. There will be two entries for each audio file. Choose the one with (pop-up) to have the link open the file in the pop-up media player. Choose (download) to link to the media item itself, so that users can download the file directly.
- Update your link settings and your selection is now linked.