Storyline 360: Adding Audio

In this user guide, we'll explore several ways to add audio to Storyline 360 courses.

• Choosing Default Playback and Recording Devices
• Importing Audio Files
• Recording Narration
• Converting Text to Speech
• Adding Background Audio
• Controlling Background Audio With Triggers
• Using the Background Audio Volume Variable
• Importing Slides from Other Content Sources
• Making Audio Accessible

Choosing Default Playback and Recording Devices

Before you import or record narration, you'll want to choose your default playback and recording devices.

1. Go to the Insert tab on the Storyline ribbon, click the Audio drop-down arrow, and choose Options.
2. Select a speaker for your default playback device.
3. Select a microphone for your default recording device and set your recording volume.
4. Click OK to save your changes.

Importing Audio Files

1. First, do either of the following:
   • In Slide View, go to the Insert tab on the ribbon, click the Audio drop-down arrow, and select Audio from File or Media Library. Or, simply drag an audio file from your computer and drop it on your course slide.
   • In Form View, go to the Question tab on the ribbon, click the Audio drop-down arrow, and select Audio from File or Media Library. 
2. Browse to the audio file you want to insert and click Open.
   
   Storyline 360 supports these file formats:
   • AAC
   • AIF
   • AIFF
   • M4A
   • MP3
   • OGG
   • WAV
   • WMA

Recording Narration

1. First, do either of the following:
   • In Slide View, go to the Insert tab on the ribbon, click the Audio drop-down arrow, and select Record Mic.
   • In Form View, go to the Question tab on the ribbon, click the Audio drop-down arrow, and select Record Mic.
2. The Record Microphone window opens. If you have a script you want to use, click the Narration Script button, which reveals the text from the Notes panel. (Learn more about adding slide notes.)
3. When you're ready to begin recording, click the red Record button.
4. When you've finished recording, click the Stop recording button.
5. You can preview your recording using the Play/Pause and Rewind buttons.
6. If you need to record your narration again, just click the Record button to start over. If you want to delete your narration altogether, click the Delete button.
7. If you change your mind about recording narration and would prefer to import audio instead, click the Import audio file button. Browse to the audio file you want to insert and click Open.
8. If you want to edit the audio you just recorded, click the Edit audio button to launch the built-in audio editor. Learn more about editing audio.
9. Click the Save button to add the newly recorded audio to your project. (Also, be sure to save your overall project file to retain the changes you just made.)

Converting Text to Speech

Speed up course development by converting text to speech right in Storyline 360. For example, use the text-to-speech feature to quickly narrate a course for stakeholder review or to localize narration in different languages. You can even choose the voice and language to make sure every word sounds right.

1. In Slide View, go to the Insert tab on the Storyline ribbon, click the Audio drop-down arrow, and choose Text-to-Speech.
2. When the Insert Text-to-Speech window appears, select a Language from the first drop-down list. This ensures that your words are spoken with the correct pronunciations.
3. Then choose a Voice from the second drop-down list. You can hear what a voice sounds like by clicking the Preview Voice button next to the list.
4. Type or paste your script into the text-entry field. Or, if you want to use your slide notes as your script, just click the Copy from Slide Notes button.
   
   Tip: You can convert up to 10,000 characters at a time. If your script is longer than that, break it into smaller chunks and generate more than one text-to-speech audio clip. Then place the audio clips back to back on the timeline so they play in sequential order.
5. If you'd like to add closed captions to your text-to-speech narration, mark the Generate Closed Captions box in the upper right corner. Learn more about text-to-speech closed captions.
6. Click Insert to complete the process.

Storyline 360 will convert your text to narration, and it'll appear as an audio clip on the slide's timeline. The conversion process is fast, but lengthy scripts will take longer to convert.

Learn more about working with text-to-speech narration.

Adding Background Audio

Set the right tone for your course with a background playlist that keeps learners engaged. Learners can toggle background audio on and off as they prefer.

Here's how to add background audio to your course.

1. Go to the Insert tab on the Storyline ribbon and click the Audio drop-down arrow. Then hover over Background Audio and choose Create Playlist.

When the Background Playlist window appears, click the plus sign drop-down arrow, and select Audio from File or Media Library to upload your audio.

Learn more about background audio.

Controlling Background Audio With Triggers

As of November 2023, you can control the background audio for each slide using triggers to play, pause, or stop the playlist. For example, you might want the audio to play when learners click a button.

Here's how to create a background audio trigger.

1. After you've added background audio, click the Create a new trigger icon in the Triggers panel, or go to the Insert tab on the ribbon and click Trigger.
2. Select a media action (play, pause, or stop), then fill in the related parameters, such as the playlist and object.
3. Choose when you want the action to happen.

Optional: You can add conditions to your trigger so it only occurs in certain circumstances.

Note: If you pause or stop the background audio and then jump to another slide, the background audio won't play on that slide. If you want the background audio to play on another slide, create a trigger that plays the background audio when that specific slide's timeline starts.

Using the Background Audio Volume Variable

As of November 2023, you can customize the background audio experience even further. Fine-tune the volume with this built-in percentage-based variable:

• Player.BackgroundAudioVolume: The volume of the background playlist in percentage

Using the background audio volume variable is easy—it works like any other variable in Storyline 360. Learn more about working with variables.

Importing Slides from Other Content Sources

When you import slides into Storyline from Microsoft PowerPoint, Quizmaker, or other Storyline projects, audio resources from the external content are also imported and available for editing.

You can also import Engage interactions, but their audio resources can't be edited in Storyline 360.

Making Audio Accessible

Audio accessibility promotes inclusivity and enhances comprehension for all learners—especially for those who are deaf or hard of hearing, have cognitive disabilities, or are non-native speakers of the course language. Check out these tips for making audio accessible:

• Let learners explore content at their own pace with an adjustable playback speed. Speed control allows learners to slow down content, making it easier to understand.
• Closed captions help all learners fully engage with and comprehend your content. You can import or create closed captions right in Storyline 360. Position captions at the top or bottom of your slides and customize the foreground and background colors to maximize readability.
• Provide text transcripts that include both the speech and non-speech sounds for any audio content. To display transcripts, you can use text boxes, layers, markers, or slide notes.
• Use plain language in your audio content and descriptions. Straightforward and clear language helps your audience easily read and understand the information.
• If you have background audio, enable the background audio toggle. Giving the option to mute background tracks reduces distractions and helps assistive technologies navigate content effectively. Plus, the “Lower background audio volume when slide audio plays” setting is enabled by default for accessibility.

You Might Also Want to Explore:

Editing Audio
Using the Audio Tools