Importing sounds

You place sound files into Flash by importing them into the library for the current document.

You can import the following sound file formats into Flash:

• WAV (Windows only)

• AIFF (Macintosh only)

• mp3 (Windows or Macintosh)

  If you have QuickTime 4 or later installed on your system, you can import these additional sound file formats:

• AIFF (Windows or Macintosh)

• Sound Designer II (Macintosh only)

• Sound Only QuickTime Movies (Windows or Macintosh)

• Sun AU (Windows or Macintosh)

• System 7 Sounds (Macintosh only)

• WAV (Windows or Macintosh)

  Flash stores sounds in the library along with bitmaps and symbols. You need only one copy of a sound file to use that sound multiple ways in your document.

  If you want to share sounds among Flash documents, you can include the sounds in shared libraries.

  Sounds can use large amounts of disk space and RAM. However, mp3 sound data is compressed and smaller than WAV or AIFF sound data. Generally, when using WAV or AIFF files, it’s best to use 16-22 kHz mono sounds (stereo uses twice as much data as mono), but Flash can import either 8- or 16-bit sounds at sample rates of 11, 22, or 44 kHz. Sounds recorded in formats that are not multiples of 11 kHz (such as 8, 32, or 96 kHz) are resampled when imported into Flash. Flash can convert sounds to lower sample rates on export.

  If you want to add effects to sounds in Flash, it’s best to import 16-bit sounds. If you have limited RAM, keep your sound clips short or work with 8-bit sounds instead of 16‑bit sounds.