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Susan Harkins

The best presentations engage the audience using a number of creative tools.
Sound effects, such as music and voice recordings can mean the difference between a good presentation and an outstanding presentation. You can energize your audience with a quick
tempo, play your company’s latest jingle, or add narration to an on-demand
presentation. At the very least, you can play music at the beginning and ending
of a presentation as the audience enters and leaves the room. The only limits
are good taste and your imagination.

About sound files

Microsoft PowerPoint supports media clips, which include sound
and video files. The computer playing your presentation will need a sound card
and speakers. That doesn’t mean just the system you use to create the
presentation, but any system on which you might play the presentation. Today,
most systems come with everything you need, but older systems might need an
upgrade. (It’s highly unlikely that you’ll encounter such an old system, but
don’t rely on that — check it out first!)

Table A lists the media files PowerPoint supports, although
this article deals only with sound files.

Table A: Media support

Like most special effects, sound can catch the attention of your audience and
convey a message or emotion in a way words or pictures can’t. On the other hand,
used poorly, sound can be distracting or even annoying. As always, your purpose
will determine how much, if any, sound your presentation needs.

The basics — inserting sound

Including sound is as simple as selecting a file:

Use existing clips by double-clicking one of the Title, Text and Media Clip
layouts from the Slide Layout task pane. Double-click the media clip icon shown
in Figure A to launch the Media Clip dialog box.

Figure A

Choose a media slide from the Slide Layout task pane

When you double-click a WAV or MIDI file, PowerPoint displays the prompt
shown in Figure B. The options Automatically and When Clicked
are self-explanatory.

Figure B

PowerPoint will play the sound file when the slide is current, or you can
click the icon to play it

Work with unique sound files by choosing Movies and Sound from the Insert
menu and then selecting Sound From File or Sound From Clip Organizer. You can
also record sound or play a track from a CD. After selecting a file, PowerPoint
prompts you to specify how to execute the file (see Figure B).

If PowerPoint doesn’t support a clip’s format, choose Object from the Insert
menu and choose the appropriate object type. Alternately, you can convert the
file to a supported type. Use a search engine to search for “video file
conversion.” However, don’t be surprised if the converted file is less than
satisfactory. It’s difficult to maintain quality when converting media
files.

In PowerPoint 2007, you’ll find the Sound option in the Media Clips group on
the Insert tab.

PowerPoint displays a sound clip as a small icon, which shows during Slide
Show view. When the presentation plays the clip automatically, you might want to
hide the icon. There’s really no good reason to display it.

To hide the icon, right-click the icon and choose Edit Sound Object from the
resulting submenu. In the Sound Options dialog box, shown in Figure
C, check the Hide Sound Icon During Slide Show option, and click OK.
Double-click the icon in PowerPoint 2007 to find these options.

Figure C

Edit the file’s attributes

If you choose the click option, it’s worth mentioning that clicking the icon
a second time doesn’t disable the sound — the file plays from beginning to end
once you click it. In PowerPoint 2007, clicking the icon restarts the file.

To learn just how long a file lasts, right-click the icon and choose Edit
Sound Object. The file’s playing time is in the Information section at the
bottom (see Figure C). If you want the file to play continuously, while the
slide is current, check the Loop Until Stopped option. Moving to the next or
previous slide will cancel the loop.

Narrating a presentation

To record a unique sound or message, you’ll need a microphone. Unfortunately,
some microphones that come with today’s systems aren’t very sophisticated. If
you record someone talking, it may sound distorted when played. Suddenly, you
may have a lisp or an accent! Specialized software can clear up some problems,
but they’re expensive and that’s just one more piece of software you’ll have to
learn. It might be more efficient to invest in a better microphone.

PowerPoint makes it easy to narrate a presentation, which is a plus in a
Web-based, automated, or on-demand presentation. You might also use this feature
to include a statement from an individual, such as a celebrity or your company’s
CEO.

Don’t jump right into recording. First, write a script and rehearse it. Once
you’re comfortable with your speaking part, you can record your narration:

1. Choose Record Narration from the Slide Show menu to open the Record
   Narration dialog box. In PowerPoint 2007, this option is in the Set Up group on
   the Slide Show tab.
2. Click Set Microphone Level to check your microphone. Read the sentence that
   appears in the Microphone Check dialog and let the Microphone Wizard adjust your
   microphone automatically. Click OK.
3. If you need to adjust the quality to CD, radio, or telephone, click Change
   Quality to open the Sound Selection dialog box. Just remember that quality
   increases the file’s size. If file size is a concern, you may have to compromise
   quality just a bit.
4. By default, PowerPoint stores the narration with the presentation. To store
   the sound file in a separate WAV file (in the same folder) check Link Narrations
   In. Click Browse to change the location of the separate WAV file, but use
   caution when doing so — only store the two separately when you have a good
   reason for doing so. If a sound file is over 50MB, you must link it.
5. Click OK and start recording. As PowerPoint displays your presentation, you
   narrate just as you want the message played. Continue to narrate each slide
   until you’re done.
6. At the end of the presentation, PowerPoint will prompt you to save the
   timings with each slide. This can be helpful if you didn’t get each slide just
   right and you need more practice.

Step five mentions linked files. If you’re using the same system to both
create and show the presentation, linked files are fine, but not necessary.
Linked files are a good choice if the sound files are large or if you plan to
change the source file. By default, PowerPoint automatically links sound files
that are larger than 100KB.

To change this setting, choose Options from the Tools menu, and then click
the General tab and update the Link Sounds With File Size Great Than option.
PowerPoint 2007 users will find this option by clicking the Office button,
clicking the PowerPoint options button (at the bottom right) and then choosing
Advanced. The option is in the Save section.

Use the Package for CD (PowerPoint 2003) or Pack And Go Wizard (PowerPoint
2002) to make sure you save linked files with the presentation. Names can be
problematic: A linked file’s path name must be 128 characters or less.

More options

Narration is only one type of recoding you might consider. If you can record
it, you can include it in your presentation. To record a single message or
unique sound, choose Movies and Sound from the Insert menu and choose Record
Sound. In PowerPoint 2007, this option is in the Sound option’s dropdown list,
in the Media Clips group on the Insert tab.

In the resulting Record Sound dialog box shown in Figure D,
enter a description and name. Click Record when you’re ready to begin. Click
Stop when you’re done. Use Play to listen to the new recording. Click OK to save
the sound with the presentation. Or, click Cancel to exit and try again. If you
save a sound, it appears as an icon, which you can use anywhere in the
presentation you like. Mix this capability with action settings for a unique
effect. Just don’t over do it!

Figure D

You can record sounds inside PowerPoint

Playing a CD

Playing music is a great way to begin or end a presentation. However, the
music doesn’t have to be a top 10 tune. It only needs to be appropriate. For
example, you might play Mendelssohn’s Wedding March if your presentation is
about catering receptions. Or, pleasing dinner music might be the way to go.
It’s really up to you; just keep your audience in mind. To include a song from a
CD, do the following:

1. Insert the CD.
2. From the Insert menu, choose Movies and Sound. Then, select Play CD Auto
   Track to open the Insert CD Audio dialog box. In PowerPoint 2007, choose Play CD
   Audio Track from the Sound option’s dropdown list. You’ll find this option in
   the Media Clips group on the Insert tab.
   • The Start At Time and End At Time fields let you capture just part of a
     track instead of using the entire track.
   • Use the Sound Volume button to control the audio’s volume.
   • Check the Hide While Not playing option in the Display Options section if
     you don’t want the audio’s icon to show when the music isn’t playing.
3. Click OK when you’re done. PowerPoint lets you play the track by clicking or
   displaying the slide.

Like other sound files, Power Point displays a CD icon on the current slide.
Just be careful that you don’t violate any copyright laws when including someone
else’s music in your presentation.

A word on animation

You can use custom animation to control sound files to add a unique and
creative dimension to your presentation. To get started, select a sound icon and
display the Custom Animation task pane. PowerPoint offers a ton of options, and
does a good job of disabling inappropriate choices for the selected clip.

Creating custom animation can be complicated and the truth is most
presentations won’t need that much energy. However, the feature’s there and you
might as well learn a bit about it. There’s an entire tab dedicated to animation
in PowerPoint 2007. Click the Custom Animations option in the Animations group
to create custom effects.

Design for effect

Multimedia files can liven up any presentation and sound is definitely part
of that mix. You can play an appropriate tune or your company’s jingle. With one
click, you can play your company’s latest radio ad for the head honchos. Whether
you’re pitching a new product or sharing photos of your new baby, use sound to
set the mood.