Not everybody wants sound on their webpage or wordpress theme. (No, really, some people don’t!) It can be startling or distracting, maybe just outright irritating if it’s not done well. To use sound in your webpage or wordpress theme you should try to insure a positive audio experience for your visitors:

1. PLEASE have a mute button on every page that uses sound.

2. Do not loop a short sound to run endlessly. (Boooorriiiinngg!!!) If file size is a problem you can use a short background loop, then fade it in and out. Do not mess with your visitors ears. Sometimes it is even better to run the loop a little while and then fade it out, maybe never bringing it back in. Silence can be a good thing(!).

3. The best music is always ambient, or stimulating, or entrancing, or evocative of certain emotions. (Mmmmmmmm!) The music should amplify the experience of the visuals.

4. If your webpage feels better without music, then you have the wrong music. (Come on?!?!) Music is a stimulus, it shouldn’t be an irritant. It will either create a positive or negative impact.

5. DO NOT SHOCK YOUR VISITORS! Music should fade in and then fade out, not blast abruptly. Music can work as a theme song or as a background mood-setter. Sound effects can be added as a mix or as punctuation between music tracks. Allow visitors time to adjust the volume on their speakers.

6. Silence can be wisely used. It can be as dramatic as sound if it is placed carefully.

7. Less is better. Keep it subtle. Don’t hype the music or sound effects in your webpage. Too much sound can make the experience nervewracking or leave a nightmarish feeling with your first and last-time visitors. Effects should seem natural and should fall into spaces that complement the visuals.

8. Fade in or pan your sound from side to side to create subtle changes. You need a balance between familiarity and variety to keep visitors involved. This applies to both audio and visuals.

9. Keep the volume of your soundtrack at half volume. It is better to have visitors turn up the volume than to turn it off.

Soothing the Beast,
Arthur Browning