Flash 101 (part 6): The Final Countdown - The Wave (
Page 2 of 7 )
Just as you can create symbols and
use them over and over again, Flash allows you to import sound files into the
Library and use them at different places in your Flash movie. You can import
sound files in WAV and MP3 format via the File -> Import command. Once you've
imported a sound file into your Flash movie, it will show up in the
Library.
Adding a sound file to your Flash
movie is simplicity itself - create a new layer, select the frame where you
would like the sound to begin playing, and drag the sound file from the Library
on to the Stage. A graphical representation of the waveform will appear in the
Timeline.
Flash allows you to add as many
sound files as you like to Flash movie; keep in mind, however, that all these
sound files are mixed together when the final movie is played back. It's also a
good idea to place each sound file on a separate layer, so that you can easily
manipulate the various files in a movie.
You can control attributes of
the sound clip, or add effects to it via the Window -> Panels -> Sound
panel. With the frame containing the sound clip selected, pop open this panel
and take a look at the options available.
The most important of the various options available is
the Sync option - it allows you to specify whether the sound file is
synchronized with the rest of the animation or not. To synchronize the sound
clip with the different frames of the animation, choose the Stream option.
Streamed sounds begin playing while they are downloading, and automatically stop
at the end of the movie.
If, instead, you'd prefer your sound clip to
play throughout the movie independent of the animation, select the Event option.
In this case, the sound clip plays independent of the frames in the Timeline,
and may continue even after the movie ends. The Event option is most commonly
used to link sounds to a Flash event, such as clicking a button.
If you'd
like the sound clip to play more than once, you can enter a number into the Loop
field, and you can also add sound effects like fades and channel shifts using
the Effects drop-down menu.
Finally, you can stop the sound at a specific
point by inserting a keyframe at that point in the sound layer, and selecting
Stop from the Sync menu option for that keyframe.
This article copyright Melonfire 2001. All rights
reserved.
