# URGENT! Embedding music in an emailed Power Point **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 29, 2006, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-embedding-music-in-an-emailed-power-point/386029 "2006-12-29T20:55:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-embedding-music-in-an-emailed-power-point/386029/1 "2006-12-29T20:55:53Z")
I need to be able to embed music (a .wav) file in a Power Point and email it to a database-load of clients and have them be able to just click the attachment and have it the slide show play with music. We can’t get the .wav files to play on the receiving computers, tho. Now, I’ve run into this before, and I’ve either packaged the presentation to a CD, or had to email the PP presentation and the music files seperately and then re-embed on the receiving computer. I KNOW there has to be a way to do this, because lawd knows I’ve gotten enough emailed PP’s (typically with angels and puppies) that play music when I open the attachement. How do I do this? ---
**Author:** ![DiggitCamara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@DiggitCamara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiggitCamara)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-embedding-music-in-an-emailed-power-point/386029/2 "2006-12-29T21:10:14Z")
I have no business replying to this, but a quick google search yielded [this](http://www.presentationhelper.co.uk/powerpoint_music.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-embedding-music-in-an-emailed-power-point/386029/3 "2006-12-29T21:28:30Z")
Nope. That’s not it, unfortunately. We’ve tried all those “solutions”. Increased file size thingy. Made the file a .wav. Saved the show as “kiosk”. Nothin. ---
**Author:** ![DiggitCamara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@DiggitCamara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiggitCamara)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-embedding-music-in-an-emailed-power-point/386029/4 "2006-12-29T22:41:50Z")
I have no business replying to this, but a quick google search yielded [this](http://www.presentationhelper.co.uk/powerpoint_music.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-embedding-music-in-an-emailed-power-point/386029/5 "2006-12-29T22:54:55Z")
No, really, those tips don’t work, **Diggit**! 😃 Although now I want to know how you double-posted an hour and a half apart… ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-embedding-music-in-an-emailed-power-point/386029/6 "2006-12-29T23:14:11Z")
Oh, and we’ve also now downloaded [PFCMedia](http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00713.htm) and still no go. How do they make all those glurgy Power Points with the stupid music I get in my email??? I ask you, HOW??? (Two smart admins, the IT guy, the production director, the marketing director all working on this for two hours. And nuthin’.) ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-embedding-music-in-an-emailed-power-point/386029/7 "2006-12-30T00:29:26Z")
This is sort of a non-answer but have you considered turning your presentation into a simple HTML Web site and sending the recipients a link instead? Just something to consider if you get tired of pulling your hair out. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-embedding-music-in-an-emailed-power-point/386029/8 "2006-12-30T00:42:22Z")
The powerpoints probably contain MIDI resources, not WAV files. I don’t have Powerpoint on my machine, so can’t be definitive, but I recall in the past an option on the sound file whether you embed it or link to it. Try placing it in the doc and then right-clicking it. On another note, since WAV is uncompressed, I strongly recommend you compress it into an MP3 or other format - a WAV file will be huge, which is not particularly conducive for emailing. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-embedding-music-in-an-emailed-power-point/386029/9 "2006-12-30T00:48:27Z")
This is a good thing for your [del]victims[/del] customers. Every time I get one of these annoying sales pitches, I turn off the noisy sound effects. In fact, that’s usually enough for me to delete the whole thing without reading it. Just send it as is. The recipients will be happier without the sound. ---
**Author:** ![GiantRat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@GiantRat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GiantRat)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2006, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-embedding-music-in-an-emailed-power-point/386029/10 "2006-12-31T01:55:03Z")
If you’re using anything older than the '03 version, the audio will probably have to be added as an attachment and reside in the same path as the presentation itself. ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2006, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-embedding-music-in-an-emailed-power-point/386029/11 "2006-12-31T15:59:02Z")
Yeah, that’s what we’re trying to avoid. The problem is that the music file has to also be attached and re-linked at the recipient computer to work. We’re using PP 2003. We want it to be seamless for the recipient, and can’t find a way to make that happen, regardless of type or size. Why does PP do this? ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2006, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-embedding-music-in-an-emailed-power-point/386029/12 "2006-12-31T17:06:10Z")
Try this: 1 - Find out how big the largest audio file is that you need to add. 2 - In PowerPoint, open Tools \> Options. 3 - Go to the General tab. 4 - In the “Link sounds with file size greater than” control, change the value to something larger than what you found out in step 1 (I think the max size is something like 50 MB). 5 - You might have to delete and re-insert the sound file, but I’m not sure. 6 - Save the ppt file and watch the file size increase due to the embedded sound file(s). ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2006, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-embedding-music-in-an-emailed-power-point/386029/13 "2006-12-31T17:44:42Z")
Tried that. Upped file size to the largest size possible. Still, no sound on the recipient computer. I know! It’ll drive you mad! The problem is that the only way we can find to add sound to a presentation is to link or embed the sound file, and the only way PP plays that file is to go out and find that specific file that is linked/embedded. Of course, that file doesn’t exist on the recipient computer. Hence, the problem. And what is most maddening is that we know it’s possible to just click on a PP attachment and have the sound play because we’ve all gotten those emails with PP attachments with sound… We just don’t know how whoever first created them did it so the sound would play. That’s what we need to know! ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2006, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-embedding-music-in-an-emailed-power-point/386029/14 "2006-12-31T18:07:43Z")
[QUOTE=niblet\_head] The problem is that the only way we can find to add sound to a presentation is to link or embed the sound file, and the only way PP plays that file is to go out and find that specific file that is linked/embedded. Of course, that file doesn’t exist on the recipient computer. Hence, the problem. [/QUOTE] Are you sure this is what’s really going on regarding your ppt problems? On my system, I can embed a sound file and then delete the original file and the embedded sound will play just fine even though the file no longer exists. ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2007, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-embedding-music-in-an-emailed-power-point/386029/15 "2007-01-01T00:01:30Z")
Yes, but what happens when you email that file to someone else? Can they open it on their system and have it play?