I have the base layer and two slide layers each with their own sound track and some text and graphics. The slide layers are opened by hot spots on the base layer. The slide layers are set up to stay open after being clicked - opening one does not hide the other. But if sound is playing on a layer I want it to stop while the new layer sound plays so that there is no overlapping sound. The Stop Media triggers in Storyline only let you stop a sound on the current layer. I can't seem to find a way to stop a sound playing on one of the slide layers from the base layer - it only sees the sound on the current timeline. Does anyone have a fix for this? I checked other posts and only one person had this problem but no one had a solution.

See attached a quick example on how to play/stop audio on two layers. This solution is based on a variable that is changed by clicking the two shapes on the base layer. As the variable changes, a layer is displayed and the audio on that layer is either played or stopped. Hope that helps.

Hi, What I did is this: On each layer I added these triggers: "Pause timeline on layer2 when timeline (of the current layer) starts" etc for any other layers. Works for me...Hope it adds value to the issue.

I found an easier solution: create layers with only sound in them create the graphics and keep on the base layer but set their state to hidden set the buttons to open the desired layer and set the desired graphic state to normal Result is that graphics will remain visible and separate sound tracks can play individually without playing over current sound (which is normal layer behavior).

After some digging around in my storyline file, I think I may have found a clue - but it's weird. It seems that if you create the stop media trigger on the base layer, and then copy it to the new layer (and then delete the original base layer trigger) this seems to stop the base layer media from the new layer -- > however, you can't edit that trigger - if you try to edit the trigger - the media field is blank (and base layer media doesn't appear as an option in the drop down). However, this doesn't seem to affect the functionality - the base layer media will still stop! Can anyone else confirm this?

The blank fields in the copied trigger represent normal behavior for a trigger that is attached to an object and copied to a new location without that object. The "gotcha" part of this is that in the trigger panel, the blanks are usually filled in and the trigger looks normal. Then when you try to edit it, you find out that it is not attached to an object. I'm amazed that it still works, but if it does, don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Stopping sound on other layers | Articulate

39 Replies

NivesBacun-Leba
Community Member
8 years ago
I made a small quick example of how you can solve problem of playing audio on different layers without audio overlapping.

You can see the example here for classic player and here for modern player.

You can download .story file here.
AshleyT-Pollard
Staff
8 years ago
Thanks, Nives - always good to see new ideas and more examples shared here.
JulieMarsh-b9a4
Community Member
6 years ago
Thank you Michael Hinze!!

https://community.articulate.com/users/MichaelHinze

This worked perfectly. Took me a while to figure out that you had created a single variable, then allocated a number to each of the layer triggers, so that the audio on the layer only works when the allocated variable number is valid. Genius! and simple!

(i.e. on main slide: Two triggers per item: T1: when clicked show layer, T2: when clicked set to a specified variable value

then on the layer: Two triggers: T1: play audio if variable = to specified value T 2: stop audio not= to specified value)

I often use a diagram with clickable icons - these icons are linked to a layer with text and audio - which build into a 'poster' style diagram. I have 7 icons & layers on my current slide.... so having the audio play only when the icon is clicked, is a relief. Thank you, thank you, thank you - I spent hours hunting down this solution.
LeslieMcKerchie
Staff
5 years ago
Glad that this conversation was able to help you as well, Julie. I appreciate you chiming in to share and welcome to E-Learning Heroes 😊

Forum Discussion

Stopping sound on other layers

39 Replies

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