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Basic Usage |
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DreamLight SoundStrip is as easy to use as a simple audio tape player. The above image-map illustrates DreamLight SoundStrip’s simple controls and readouts. Status/Information |
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The Status/Information readout provides status and information about the current streaming Shockwave audio file being played. Clicking on this readout will display any copyright information that the sound file may have. As you move the cursor over control areas of DreamLight SoundStrip, brief help descriptions will appear in this area as well. Stop |
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The Stop button will stop the current sound and rewind it back to the beginning. When the Stop button is flashing, it signifies that the sound is currently stopped and the SoundStrip is waiting for user interaction. Play/Pause |
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The Play/Pause button will play or pause the sound depending on what the current status is. If the sound is currently stopped, the Play button will play the sound from the beginning. The Play button will then begin to blink, signifying that the sound is currently playing. |
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If the sound is currently playing, the Play/Pause button will pause the sound at its current location. The Pause button will then begin to blink and the sound will pause once the current portion in the buffer finishes playing. If the sound is currently paused, the Play/Pause button will continue to play the sound from the location where it was paused. Loop |
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The Loop button enables and disables sound looping. When the Loop button is illuminated, looping is enabled and the sound will continuously repeat each time it finishes playing. When the button is dimmed, looping is disabled and the sound will stop once it finishes playing. Volume |
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The Volume slider is used to adjust the computer’s volume setting. Clicking or dragging the slider all the way to the left will set the volume to 0 and make sounds inaudible. Clicking or dragging the slider all the way to the right will set the volume to 100%. You may adjust this slider while the sound is playing and you will hear the sounds’ volume adjust interactively. If the sound is not currently playing while you adjust the volume control, it will beep when you release it so that you may hear the volume you are setting. Percentage Played/Preloaded |
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The Percentage Played/Preloaded readout is immediately below the Status/Information readout. It displays how much of the current sound has been streamed as well as how much of it has currently finished playing. The light green portion of this readout indicates what percentage of the sound has been streamed over the network and preloaded into your computer. The cyan portion of the readout indicates what percentage of the sound has completed playing. All the way to the left is 0% and all the way to the right is 100% DreamLight SoundStrip Info |
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The DreamLight SoundStrip button displays DreamLight SoundStrip’s copyright information and will open this DreamLight SoundStrip help page in a new browser window. Therefore, if a user needs more information about how to use or install DreamLight SoundStrip, it is only a single click away. When they are done reading about DreamLight SoundStrip they may close the new browser window and return to the page they were previously viewing. |
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Installation |
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The HTML <OBJECT/EMBED> Tag
DreamLight SoundStrip is easy to install on a web site and is fully customizable through the HTML OBJECT/EMBED tags.
<object
classid="clsid:166B1BCA-3F9C-11CF-8075-444553540000"
codebase=
"http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/director/sw.cab#version=7,0,2,0"
WIDTH="465" HEIGHT="24">
<param name="SRC" value="/shockwave/soundstrip.dcr">
<param name="swURL" value="/audio/soundtest.swa">
<param name="swText" value="DreamLight SoundStrip Audio Sample">
<param name="swPreloadTime" value="10">
<param name="swVolume" value="3">
<param name="sw1" value="TRUE">
<param name="sw2" value="FALSE">
<param name="sw3" value="465">
<EMBED
SRC="/shockwave/soundstrip.dcr"
PLUGINSPAGE="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/"
WIDTH="465" HEIGHT="24"
swURL="/audio/soundtest.swa"
swText="DreamLight SoundStrip Audio Sample"
swPreloadTime=10
swVolume=3
sw1=TRUE
sw2=FALSE
swLiveConnect=FALSE
alt="DreamLight SoundStrip Shockwave Audio Player"
></EMBED>
</object>
You can simply copy and paste the above OBJECT/EMBED tags into your own web page where you can edit the attributes. Be sure to copy everything including the < and >. When editing the attributes, be sure to edit both copies of each attribute, the parameter for the OBJECT tag and the matching attribute for the EMBED tag. Also note that the width appears in THREE places, the EMBED’s width attribute, the OBJECT’s width attribute and also the OBJECT’s sw3 parameter (since IE doesn’t pass the width attribute through to Shockwave)
Read the readme.html file that came with your download package. It includes
additional installation instructions that are required to install DreamLight
SoundStrip on your own web site. For professional tips on web site design
review DreamLight Insight #06: DreamLight
WebSite Design
SoundStrip Player Location
Set the SRC attribute to the URL of DreamLight SoundStrip on your web site. DreamLight SoundStrip’s name must read “soundstrip.dcr”. The “.dcr” extension must be included. When on-line, the URL is case sensitive so be sure to check it very carefully for proper uppercase and lowercase letters. Even though it may work properly off-line with incorrect case, it will fail when uploaded to a UNIX server if the case is incorrect.
Make sure you read the readme file that came with your DreamLight SoundStrip download package. Those additional instructions will detail how to install the player itself on the site. If you wish to play or test DreamLight SoundStrip locally, from hard disk or CD-ROM, as well as over the Internet, please review the Running DreamLight SoundStrip Locally section to properly organize your files.
Absolute SRC:
SRC="http://www.mysite.com/soundstrip.dcr"
<param name="SRC" value="http://www.mysite.com/soundstrip.dcr">
www.mysite.com
mypage.html
soundstrip.dcr
When using an absolute URL for the SRC tag, be sure to begin it with “http://”. This is then followed by your full domain name such as “www.mysite.com” and then the full path to the file on the server. Use normal Internet URL syntax. Absolute HTTP URL’s will only work while on-line.
Relative SRC in the Same Folder:
SRC="soundstrip.dcr"
<param name="SRC" value="soundstrip.dcr">
Relative URL’s in the SRC attribute are relative to the HTML page where the OBJECT/EMBED tag resides. Use normal Internet URL syntax. The above example would be used when DreamLight SoundStrip is in the same folder as the HTML page.
Relative SRC in a Different Folder:
SRC="../shockwave/soundstrip.dcr"
<param name="SRC" value="../shockwave/soundstrip.dcr">
In the above example DreamLight SoundStrip is embedded into the HTML file named “mypage.html”. Since DreamLight SoundStrip is in a different folder, you must first move up one folder from the HTML file before you can move down into the folder that contains DreamLight SoundStrip. Use “../” to indicate moving up one folder from the folder where the HTML page is located.
Shockwave Audio File Location
Set the swURL to the URL of the Shockwave audio [swa] file on your web site that you wish to play. The Shockwave audio file name must end with the “.swa” file name extension. When on-line, the URL is case sensitive so be sure to check it very carefully for proper uppercase and lowercase letters. Even though it may work properly off-line with incorrect case, it will fail when uploaded to a UNIX server if the case is incorrect.
If you wish to play or test DreamLight SoundStrip locally, from hard disk or CD-ROM, as well as over the Internet, please review the Running DreamLight SoundStrip Locally section to properly organize your files.
Absolute swURL:
swURL="http://www.mysite.com/mysound.swa"
<param name="swURL" value="http://www.mysite.com/mysound.swa">
mysound.swa
When using an absolute URL for the swURL tag, be sure to begin it with “http://”. This is then followed by your full domain name such as “www.mysite.com” and then the full path to the file on the server. Use normal Internet URL syntax. Absolute HTTP URL’s will only work while on-line.
Relative swURL in the Same Folder:
swURL="mysound.swa"
<param name="swURL" value="mysound.swa">
Relative URL’s used with the swURL attribute are relative to DreamLight SoundStrip. They are NOT relative to the HTML document where the EMBED tag resides. In the simplest case where the sound file is in the same folder as DreamLight SoundStrip you can simply use the name of the file as in the above example.
Relative swURL in a Different Folder: ON-LINE
When the sound file is not located in the same folder as DreamLight SoundStrip, it gets a little trickier. If you are only interested in accessing the sound file while on-line, you may use normal Internet relative syntax. If however you want to test or play this sound locally as well as on-line, you must use Director’s relative addressing syntax as outlined in the Running DreamLight SoundStrip Locally section. Also, don’t forget that these addresses are relative to DreamLight SoundStrip NOT the HTML file.
swURL="../websect/audio/mysound.swa"
<param name="swURL" value="../websect/audio/mysound.swa">
In the above example “../” moves us from the current folder “www.mysite.com/shockwave/” up one level into “www.mysite.com/”. Then “websect/audio/mysound.swa” brings us down two levels to the sound file.
Sound Name or Information
swText="My Groovey Sound"
<param name="swText" value="My Groovey Sound">
Set the swText attributes to any text string you like. This text will be displayed in the Status/Information readout of DreamLight SoundStrip. It is only used for display and has no other significance. It is usually used for a name or description of the sound being played. Don’t make this string longer than the area you have to display, based on the width you set the SoundStrip. If this string is too long to fit in the Status/Information readout it will not be displayed. You should test this thoroughly with whatever width you set. Also be aware that the typefaces on a PC tend to be larger than those on a Macintosh, so be sure to test your string on both systems. This attribute will default to "Shockwave Audio" if not included. If you wish it to be blank you should set it to "".
SoundStrip Size
WIDTH="400" HEIGHT="24"
<param name="sw3" value="400">
Set the WIDTH attributes and sw3 parameter to any value between 120 and 1024 pixels. DreamLight SoundStrip will read this width and automatically adjust to fit. Set the HEIGHT attribute to 24. The height is not adjustable; only the width is adjustable. The WIDTH attribute will default to 1024 if not included, so don’t forget to set it or you’ll have a very long strip that may have the controls clipped off the right side. The width must be set in THREE places in order to work properly in Netscape and IE on both the Macintosh and Windows. Set the EMBED width attribute, the OBJECT width attribute and also the OBJECT sw3 parameter. Internet Explorer doesn’t properly pass the width attribute through to Shockwave, so the SoundStrip will look for it in the sw3 parameter.
Sound Buffer preLoadTime
swPreloadTime="5"
<param name="swPreloadTime" value="5">
Set the swPreloadTime attribute to how many seconds of audio you wish to preload from the network to the user’s computer before the sound will begin to play. The shorter this number the quicker the sound will begin to play. However, if set too short the sound may halt before it’s done if the buffer empties faster than the computer can stream the information over the network. This attribute will default to 5 seconds if not included.
Computer Volume
swVolume="3"
<param name="swVolume" value="3">
Set the swVolume to any number between 1 and 7. This will set the user’s computer volume while DreamLight SoundStrip plays. 0 would be no sound and can’t be preset, though the user can turn off the sound in the SoundStrip itself if they desire. 7 sets the user’s computer to its maximum volume. This setting will affect all sounds on the user’s machine while the SoundStrip is running. This attribute defaults to leave the user’s computer volume at whatever they already have it set to, unless they have their volume set to 0 in which case it will be set to 1 while the SoundStrip is active. The user may adjust the volume on the SoundStrip itself or from within the computer’s control panel once the SoundStrip loads.
Sound Auto-play
sw1="TRUE"
<param name="sw1" value="TRUE">
Set the sw1 attribute to TRUE if you wish the sound to automatically begin playing as the page loads. Set it to FALSE if you wish the sound to remain stopped until the user specifically presses the Play button. This attribute will default to TRUE if not included.
Sound Looping
sw2="FALSE"
<param name="sw2" value="FALSE">
Set the sw2 attribute to TRUE if you wish the sound to automatically rewind and replay each time it finishes. Set it to FALSE if you wish the sound to stop when it is finished playing. This attribute will default to FALSE if not included. The user may also turn looping on and off on the SoundStrip itself.
Shockwave Plug-ins Page
PLUGINSPAGE="http://www.macromedia.com/Tools/Shockwave/"
<param name="PLUGINSPAGE" value="http://www.macromedia.com/Tools/Shockwave/">
Set the PLUGINSPAGE attribute to the full URL of Macromedia’s Shockwave page. This way if a user visits a DreamLight SoundStrip page and doesn’t have the plug-in loaded they can download the plug-in easily. If this attribute is not included each browser may direct the user to their own plug-in directory.
Java Delay
swLiveConnect="FALSE"
Set the EMBED swLiveConnect attribute to FALSE to avoid Shockwave from triggering a load of Java in Netscape. This usually doesn’t hurt anything but loading Java takes time and since DreamLight SoundStrip does not need Java why waste time loading it? If you don’t include this attribute, Java may be loaded when the Shockwave plug-in first loads creating a noticeable 20-30 second delay for the user.
Running DreamLight SoundStrip Locally
To prevent security issues with Shockwave, Macromedia has restricted access of local files from within Shockwave. The Shockwave 7.0.2 plug-in or later is required for local access. The Shockwave 6.0 plug-in does NOT support local access, so first verify that you are using the 7.0.2 or later version of the Shockwave plug-in. Shockwave may be set up for local access. However, the files must be organized very carefully for local access to be successful. The following rule must be observed.
Shockwave may only access local files that are within a special folder named “dswmedia” or a sub folder of “dswmedia”. The only other location local files may be accessed is in the Shockwave support folder inside the browser’s plug-ins folder.
If you do not put your files into a “dswmedia” folder, you will not be able to play the sounds locally. You will get a “file not found” error when trying to play the sounds. If DreamLight SoundStrip is not in a “dswmedia” folder during local access, it will give an alert that it is not installed properly and it will not play.
Relative swURL in a Different Folder: ON-LINE or LOCAL
To access sounds in other folders with relative addressing locally you must use Macromedia Director’s relative file syntax NOT Internet relative URL syntax. To make this difference in syntax more evident, it is preferable to use colons instead of the Internet normal forward slashes. Also, don’t forget that these addresses are relative to DreamLight SoundStrip NOT the HTML file.
swURL="@::websect:audio:mysound.swa"
In the above example “@:” specifies the current folder of DreamLight SoundStrip, in this case “dswmedia/shockwave/”. The next colon, without a folder name, moves us up one level into “dswmedia/”. Then “websect:audio:mysound.swa” brings us down two levels to the sound file. Attempting to access this file using normal Internet syntax such as “../websect/audio/mysound.swa” would only work on-line. If attempted locally, it would generate a “file not found” error. Using Director’s syntax as outlined above will work properly both on-line and locally, as long as you also follow the dswmedia restrictions.
Testing Shockwave Audio Files Locally
You can use DreamLight SoundStrip to test your Shockwave audio files locally. Name your SWA file “soundtest.swa”. Place it into the “dswmedia” folder from your download package. Then drag the soundstrip.html file into Netscape. You should hear your sound begin to play within a few seconds as the DreamLight SoundStrip page loads. Don’t disturb the original folder hierarchy or DreamLight SoundStrip may not find the test file.
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Creating Streaming Shockwave Audio Files |
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Streaming Shockwave audio compresses incredibly small, begins playing almost immediately, and sounds phenomenal. A 350K WAVE or AIFF sound compresses down to a 30K SWA Shockwave audio file. It begins playing within seconds while still streaming, rather than the minutes it would take a WAVE or AIFF sound to begin playing. Best of all, no special audio server is required. You can place streaming Shockwave audio files and DreamLight SoundStrip on any web site. Since it’s Shockwave, all that is required for the users is the free Macromedia Shockwave plug-in that is available for both Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer.
Use SoundEdit 16 v2 or Peak on the Macintosh to turn ordinary sounds into streaming Shockwave sounds. You must have Macromedia’s SWA Export Xtra installed. On a PC you can use Macromedia Director to create streaming Shockwave files.
First choose Xtras->Shockwave for Audio within SoundEdit 16. Select the streaming bit rate. The higher the bit rate, the higher the quality of the audio will be. The lower the bit rate, the smaller the files will be and the better the files will stream for low end users. Depending on your connection, your audio quality may differ. The following table can be used as a guideline.
| Internet Access | SWA Bit Rate |
| 14.4 modem | 8kbps |
| 28.8/33.6 modem | 16kbps |
| ISDN connection | 32kbps - 56kbps |
| T1 connection | 64kbps - 128kbps |
Set the other settings as desired including mono/stereo and copyright. Then simply choose File->Export->SWA File. Name the file and don’t forget to include the “.swa” file name extension. There are more tips on creating streaming Shockwave audio in the readme that comes with Macromedia’s SWA Export Xtra.
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Troubleshooting |
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Most of the problems associated with using DreamLight SoundStrip are simply a matter of incorrect URL addresses. So triple check them anytime you are having a problem.
DreamLight SoundStrip does not Load
The SRC attribute of the EMBED tag may be incorrect. It is most likely misspelled, wrong case or pointing to the wrong folder. Triple check it. Don’t forget that the SRC URL is relative to the HTML file that has the player embedded in it. If you simply get a gray rectangle then you may not have the proper plug-in loaded. In this case clicking on the rectangle will bring you to Macromedia’s Shockwave download area if you are currently on-line. You may then download and install Shockwave.
DreamLight SoundStrip Alerts that it is not Properly Installed
Verify that you properly followed the additional installation instructions in the readme file that came with your download package. If you only get this message while running locally, verify that you properly followed the dswmedia restrictions for local access.
File Not Found Error (Locally)
If you are trying to run DreamLight SoundStrip locally, you must organize your files to allow local Shockwave access. URL’s that work on-line may fail locally unless they point to a safe “dswmedia” folder. Also verify that if you are using relative addressing in the swURL attribute that you are using the Macromedia relative addressing syntax rather than Internet syntax. Also verify that you are using the Shockwave 7.0.2 plug-in or later. Please review the Running DreamLight SoundStrip Locally section of the installation instructions.
File Not Found Error (On-line)
The swURL attribute is most likely misspelled, wrong case or pointing to the wrong folder. Triple check it. Don’t forget that the swURL is relative to the SoundStrip player, not the HTML file that has the player embedded in it. Also, the URL is case sensitive when running on a UNIX server.
Playback Device Error
There is a problem in the Director 6.0.1 Shockwave player where an incorrect URL may return a “Playback Device” error while on-line. If you get this error, check your swURL attribute and filenames very carefully. The swURL is most likely misspelled, wrong case or pointing to the wrong folder.
Object/Embed Attribute Not Working
If one of your settings is not taking effect, triple check the spelling and value of the attribute name itself. Also be sure to edit BOTH the EMBED attribute and the OBJECT parameter. In the case of the width you must set it in THREE places, the EMBED width attribute, the OBJECT width attribute, AND the sw3 parameter.
Microsoft Internet Explorer Problems
DreamLight SoundStrip should function fine in Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer. The newer OBJECT/EMBED tag construction should enable the newer versions of Explorer that no longer support Netscape EMBED tags to use DreamLight SoundStrip.
Java Still Loading
Sometimes even when you have specified the swLiveConnect=FALSE Java may still load after the Shockwave loads. This appears to be a problem with the plug-in and/or browser. At least the sound begins playing first, which should help hide the Starting Java delay from the user.
Technical Support
- Verify that Shockwave runs properly on-line.
If this Macromedia Shockwave test fails to run properly, you have a plug-in problem and need to contact Macromedia Shockwave Support.
- Verify that Shockwave runs properly locally.
Download this tiny shockwave_test.dcr.zip. Once received, unzip and drag the expanded file “shockwave_test.dcr” into your browser’s window. If this simple Shockwave movie does not run properly, you have a Shockwave configuration problem and need to contact Macromedia Shockwave Support. Once the test is done, use your browser’s back button to return to this page.
- Verify that your browser is properly configured.
For help configuring Navigator, you need to contact Netscape Support. For help configuring Explorer, you need to contact Microsoft Support. For help configuring any other browser’s, you need to contact the browser’s manufacturer. Check your browser’s memory and cache settings. They may need to be increased for use with Shockwave. Contact Macromedia Shockwave Support for further information.
- Check your web server configuration.
If you can play Shockwave on-line from other sites but not on-line from your own web site, you have a web server problem and need to contact your Internet Service Provider with this configuration information.
- Verify that you are using proper SWA sounds.
DreamLight SoundStrip will only play SWA sounds. It will not play WAVE, AIFF, MIDI or any other types of sound. For information about creating SWA sounds, contact Macromedia SoundEdit Support or Macromedia Director Support.
- Everything is running properly except DreamLight SoundStrip?
Once you have done all the following:
- Passed the on-line Shockwave test above
- Passed the off-line Shockwave test above
- Verified that your browser is properly configured
- Checked your web server configuration
- Verified that you are using proper SWA sounds
- Read all of this DreamLight SoundStrip page
- Read all of the DreamLight SoundStrip Readme
- Triple checked your embed tag attributes
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You may then contact DreamLight by amyl. Only DreamLight SoundStrip specific questions will be handled. Please send a complete description of your DreamLight SoundStrip problem, including a complete profile of your system, via our contact form. Due to the low cost of this software, telephone support is not available.
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History |
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Version 1.2 updated in Director 7.0.2: 09/07/01
- Added full support for Internet Explorer’s OBJECT tags.
- Updated to Director 7.0.2 for use in Shockwave 7 & newer.
- Removed the pause delay since the newer Shockwave no longer needs a delay.
Version 1.1 updated in Director 6.0.1: 1998
- Added new technical support section to documentation with live Shockwave tests.
- Re-burned the sndstrip.dcr file with Director 6.0.1. Previous version was burned with Director 6.0. No changes were made to the DreamLight SoundStrip code.
Version 1.2 updated in Director 6.0: 1997
We needed a way to add streaming Shockwave audio to the DreamLight WebSite, so we wrote DreamLight SoundStrip
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Restrictions |
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(C) Copyright 1997-2001 DreamLight Incorporated. All Rights Reserved.
DreamLight SoundStrip is exclusively licensed for use on a single web site. A separate copy must be purchased for each different web site it is used on. By downloading DreamLight SoundStrip you are agreeing to these restrictions.
DreamLight(R) SoundStrip(TM) is a commercial utility. It is not in the public domain. It remains the property of DreamLight Incorporated. It may not be distributed, redistributed, posted for downloads, sold, used as an inducement to purchase any other items, bundled with any other items or altered in any way without the express written consent of DreamLight Incorporated.
DreamLight SoundStrip is provided as-is. Use at your own risk. DreamLight makes no warranties whatsoever regarding this item or its use in any way. DreamLight’s liability is limited exclusively to a refund of your DreamLight SoundStrip license fee.
DreamLight is a registered trademark of DreamLight Incorporated.
DreamLight SoundStrip is a trademark of DreamLight Incorporated.
Created by Michael Scaramozzino
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Releases New ScreamerNet UB Launcher
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Created by the author of Mastering
LightWave ScreamerNet Rendering for Mac OS X, Michael Scaramozzino
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3D Artist Profile.
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