Syncing audio in Storyline

Jun 21, 2012

Is there an easier way to sync audio in Storyline? In Studio you have the option to sync each slide by just clicking the sync audio button and mouse clicking on the slide for when you want each animation to appear. Right now in SL I have double click on my sound file and pay attention to the second timer for when the animations should appear and write each second down. I then have to go into the timeline and drag each object to match what I wrote down..

This just seems like such a prolonged process compared to the technology the Studio version offers. I just want to know if there is an easier way from what I am currently doing.

20 Replies
Jen McIntosh

I was looking for the same functionality. After taking a look at the tutorial mentioned, it seems that there just aren't similar capabilities for syncing animations in storyline compared to presenter. For instance, text with animations by first level paragraph cannot be timed in any way (for instance, to match audio). Your only option is to make each line a separate object and then time those separately. I'd anticipated that the cue points would do something, but they basically aren't any different than dragging an object on the timeline manually. Quite disappointing after I just found out you can't do bulk import of audio either. As it stands now, dealing with audio in storyline is an extremely time consuming endeavor. 

Ashley Terwilliger-Pollard

Hi Jen and welcome to Heroes!

When you select "By first level paragraph", this creates a separate object on the timelime for each bullet or paragraph (there will be an arrow head pointing to the right on the far left of the text box or object the bullets are within). If you click on this arrow head, the timeline will expand to show you each individual bullet, which you can then move along your timeline to the position you want them to appear at.

 The tutorial mentioned before describes how to synchronize this to your audio.

You may also want to look at this tutorial as it includes some further information about aligning it to cue points. 

Venky Machineni

Ashley Terwilliger said:

Hi Venky,

Did you take a look at the tutorials I shared with Jen? I'm not certain she's subscribed to this thread, but you may also want to send her a private message to see if she's able to share any updates with you. 


Hi Ashley,

Thanks for your reply, Yes I have gone through the tutorials which you have shared with Jen. Those tutorials are for syncing animations with audio right? But I need to sync my audio file voice with word by word in a paragraph.

Any solution for this?

Rebecca Fleisch Cordeiro

Hi Gonzalo,

When I've had to do this, I've used rectangle shapes over the text

  • No line
  • Fill color yellow (but you could make it whatever you wanted)
  • Fill transparency pretty high (80%...again, your choice)
  • Rectangles fade in/out with audio

Does that help to get you started? Please shout out if you need more information.

Gonzalo Rosetti

Hi Rebecca,

You and Christopher Goodsell have made my day with this other thread: http://community.articulate.com/forums/t/43148.aspx

and this Screenr: https://player.vimeo.com/video/149043074

I could create the Karaoke effect I was looking for. Now each word changes its state in sync with cue points.

Here's the file.

Let's see if the guys at SL can make it easier in future updates!

Thanks a lot!

Rebecca Fleisch Cordeiro

Wow, Gonzalo! I haven't looked at that Screenr in a long time. Glad Christopher and I were able to help . Hi Christopher, wherever you are.

I wouldn't have thought of that solution for what you'd described...so kudos to you that you kept on looking!

Lookin' good! Thanks for uploading so that others can benefit.

Oh, and feel free to submit a feature request! That's the only way Articulate knows what we end users want.

Teo Samalis

Since this post is about audio synching I want to mention something that happened few months ago:

A nice friend and colleague had a bad experience with a client because he was asked to sync the text with the audio on a given .story file. The client had multiple text boxes on various slides each one with one, two or three bullet points and had created Fade In animations. While my friend started to do the synching, he informed the client that some text boxes with more than one bullet points appear as one object so he asked if he should change that (meaning to change the effect option to sequence by paragraph) and the client replied "just sync the audio, doesn't matter if it is one object".

What do you understand from the client's reply? Would you change the effect option?

My friend didn't change it, although he asked the client to clarify, but the client never answered and he sent the story file with syncing the different text boxes without changing the effect. The client viewed the file 1 and half day after that and told my friend to change the effect within an hour. My friend changed the effect option in less than an hour and finally the client approved of the deliverable but funded half of the agreed amount, telling my friend that he was responsible that the client lost another client and blamed him of poor skill.

The bad thing is that the client left some negative feedback for my friend on the website that this job was posted.

I told my friend to let it go and that miscommunications happen. What is your opinion on the above case? Did my friend do sth wrong and how can we freelancers be protected on such cases?

Thank you in advance

Teo Samalis

The messaging between the client and my friend is kept, but the website support told him that they only care if the client asked to do sth free of charge or if there is any violation of their terms of services. Moreover, they cannot dispute for the ammount paid because they guarantee only the ammount placed on each milestone. The thing is that there was only one milestone and since it was approved the ended the contract and didn't pay the rest.

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