Playing Background music across all slides - Storyline 360

Dec 21, 2018

Dan Jethrow
By Dan Jethrow

Hi all, 

I know there have been a few threads on this but I can't seem to find a solution!

I'm creating a project which I need audio for, but I would like the audio to run throughout the whole project and not just restart on each slide. I've tried adding the code that a girl called Emily mentioned a while back and putting the audio into the published folder (

<audio src="Ecom-Soundtrack.mp3" preload="auto" autoplay loop></audio>

</body>)

I added it to story.html and story_html5.html but this didnt work, whenever i upload to my LMS I get an error message.

 

Can anybody help? this is driving me insane!

 

 

Pinned Reply
Eric Santos
1 year ago04/04/23 at 7:25 pm (UTC)

Hi everyone!

I have some great news to share. We just released another update for Storyline 360. In Update 74, we've included important fixes and new features.

One of the new features we've included is: 

  • Create immersive experiences with continuous background audio that sets the tone and keeps learners engaged.

Launch the Articulate 360 desktop app on your computer to take advantage of this update, and click the Update button next to Storyline 360. You'll find our step-by-step instructions here.

Please let me know if you have questions!

57 Replies
Sanduni Fernando
over 5 years ago12/24/18 at 1:08 pm (UTC)

You can use javascript to trigger the music. The below link explains it well and there is a sample story file as well.

https://community.articulate.com/discussions/articulate-storyline/background-music-demo

I have used this method and it worked for me.

 

Here is another way;

http://www.swiftelearningservices.com/how-to-play-background-music-continuously-throughout-the-course-in-articulate-storyline-2/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giW_sabAgSc

 

Hope this helps.

ioulia Kornberg
4 years ago03/26/20 at 7:48 pm (UTC)

Same here.  The steps from Swift (on their page and on the YouTube video that Sanduni referenced above) are for Storyline 2.  I have Storyline 360. 

Putting javascript in the wordpad of the story file isn't working. 

Adding the audio to the master slide isn't working. 

Trying to import the whole course as web object into another storyline file that just has one slide of audio isn't working.

HELP!  Does anyone have UPDATED steps for Storyline 360?

OWEN HOLT
almost 4 years ago06/26/20 at 3:12 pm (UTC)

Several options:

  1. host it independently on a website
  2. put it in a folder. Add a blank html page with the file name index.html in the same folder. Create a scene that the user cannot navigate to and on the one slide in the scene, insert a web object. Point to the folder that contains your music and the index.html page. StoryLine will assume that everything in that folder are assets for the web page sot it will import all of them. Publish once. This allows you to see the folder name SL assigns your assets. Now you have a relative link to the file.
  3. If you don't mind users having access to it, add it to your resources tab. Publish, find the folder where your resources are. Now you have the path to create a relative link.

I frequently use these last two options.

 

Ned Whiteley
over 3 years ago10/23/20 at 11:58 pm (UTC)

Hi Dawn,

I recently implemented Owen Holt's excellent technique (see 5 months ago above) and it works like a dream for me. I did originally have a couple of problems, but they turned out to be basic errors on my part and so your problem may be quite simple to solve.

Are you able to provide a bit more detail on your issue or, even better, post a copy of your file here, as that would be a big help in solving the problem?

Dawn H
over 3 years ago10/25/20 at 6:32 pm (UTC)

Hi Ned,

The part that's giving me the most trouble, I think, is the URL link to the mp3 file that I want to play across the course.  I also noticed that in the player in Owen's example, he also has a file in the Resources tab that contains his music file.  I did not do this, because the subsequent posts from him seem to indicate putting the file in the Resources tab was an additional option, not part of the solution provided in his Articulate 360 tutorial.  If that is actually part of the process, I don't know how to do that either ;-). 

Ned Whiteley
over 3 years ago10/26/20 at 7:18 am (UTC)

Hi Dawn,

You are correct in your assumption that you don't need to have the audio file in your Resources tab, but it is a convenient option if you don't mind your users clicking on the Resources tab and having direct access to the audio files. The advantage is that the Resources tab is automatically set up in its own folder (external_files) whenever you publish your SL project to the web and so you don't have to remember to add in the extra folder if you have placed your audio elsewhere.

When you publish your SL project to the web, you should end up with a file structure like this:

If you don't have a Resources tab set up in your Player, you won't have an "external_files" folder.

Having looked at your file and, in particular, your JavaScript, it appears as if you have listed your audio source as the folder location and not the full path, including the file name (note that I don't use SharePoint and so may have missed something here). If that is the case, then you may just need to adjust this to include the full path of your audio.

If you still can't get it to work, what I suggest is to create a new folder in your story_content folder of your published project, such as "audio_files", and place your audio file in there. Then you will need to adjust your JavaScript to something like this:

audio.src="story_content/audio_files/my audio file name.mp3";

Hopefully one of the above options will work for you. If not, you may have to wait for assistance from elsewhere. Alternatively, if you want to try adding your audio to the Resources tab, I am happy to assist.

Dawn H
over 3 years ago10/26/20 at 4:36 pm (UTC)

Hi Ned,

First, I greatly appreciate your taking the time to respond! I am really looking for the easiest way to do this. I am not a programmer and the other option I saw about creating web objects and other folders and such is a bit daunting. If you can confirm that the option of adding the audio file in the Resources tab somehow, does not required the user to do anything to get the music to play, I'd be interested in getting your help with how to do that.

Thanks again!

Dawn Horner
Sr. Director, Sales Training
dhorner@coherus.com

333 Twin Dolphin Drive, Suite 600
Redwood City, CA 94065
Office: 650.395.0236
[logo]

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This transmission (including any attachments) contains information which is confidential and/or subject to the attorney-client or work product privilege, and is intended solely for the recipient(s) identified above. Any interception, copying, distribution, disclosure or other use of this transmission or any information contained in it is strictly prohibited, and may be subject to criminal and civil penalties. If you have received this transmission in error, please immediately reply via e-mail, and then delete the transmission from all forms of storage and destroy all hard copies.

Dawn H
over 3 years ago10/26/20 at 4:40 pm (UTC)

Hi Owen,

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply! I wish I had your programming skills. I greatly appreciate this workaround; it's just a bit daunting. If there's any way to avoid having to have a URL link for the audio file, I'd be most interested in that solution. Not sure if putting the audio file in the Resources tab solves that but I've indicated to Ned I'd take him up on his offer to help there.

Thanks again!

Dawn Horner
Sr. Director, Sales Training
dhorner@coherus.com

333 Twin Dolphin Drive, Suite 600
Redwood City, CA 94065
Office: 650.395.0236
[logo]

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This transmission (including any attachments) contains information which is confidential and/or subject to the attorney-client or work product privilege, and is intended solely for the recipient(s) identified above. Any interception, copying, distribution, disclosure or other use of this transmission or any information contained in it is strictly prohibited, and may be subject to criminal and civil penalties. If you have received this transmission in error, please immediately reply via e-mail, and then delete the transmission from all forms of storage and destroy all hard copies.

Dawn H
over 3 years ago10/26/20 at 4:52 pm (UTC)

Thank you! The "name of my audio file" is then just the file itself; e.g., mysong.mp3, correct? I don't need to do anything else to the mp3 file?

Dawn Horner
Sr. Director, Sales Training
dhorner@coherus.com

333 Twin Dolphin Drive, Suite 600
Redwood City, CA 94065
Office: 650.395.0236
[logo]

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This transmission (including any attachments) contains information which is confidential and/or subject to the attorney-client or work product privilege, and is intended solely for the recipient(s) identified above. Any interception, copying, distribution, disclosure or other use of this transmission or any information contained in it is strictly prohibited, and may be subject to criminal and civil penalties. If you have received this transmission in error, please immediately reply via e-mail, and then delete the transmission from all forms of storage and destroy all hard copies.

OWEN HOLT
over 3 years ago10/26/20 at 5:04 pm (UTC)

If the name of your file is "mysong.mp3" then the line in your JavaScript code will be:

line.src="story_content/external_files/mysong.mp3";

Add the song to the course resources by clicking Player > Resources > "Add" button > "File" > Browse and then navigate to where your mp3 is currently stored.

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