It always happens at the worst possible moment, doesn’t it? You’re booked solid, working 10 hour days, borderline zombie, and the program you use the most starts acting funny for no reason, and apparently no one else in the world has ever shared the same problems (or so Google tells me).

I’ve recently come across a host of Flash audio problems and feel I’ve come up with some fairly straight forward solutions. One side note just FYI is that all audio used was professionally recorded, so none of the issues from what I can tell were caused by the quality of the initial recording.

Problem #1: My audio file sounds slow and drawn out, like a dying record

While adding in .wav audio into a project, it took me a while to realize it, but the VO (Voice Over) actors all sounded a lot deeper voiced that I’d assumed was natural. A few hours into the project I needed to edit a clip of audio and opened it into my favorite editing tool, Adobe Audition (earlier known as Cool Edit Pro before being bought out). Lo and behold the VO actor’s voice sounded clear and natural, the way it should. So what was Flash doing to my file?

Solution #1: Batch process or save your files at a different sampling rate

Now this may be a no brainer for all you audio editing geniuses out there, but for a Flash developer like me who only dabbles in the complexities of professional audio recording, it took a while and some digging to figure this out.
To correct this problem, re-sample your files down to 44100 HZ or a lower quality 22050 HZ. Flash likes these two sampling rates the best which is the important part. You can do 44100 HZ, 16 bit Mono, or 44100 HZ, 32 bit Stereo, it’s the sample rate that matters and will fix the problem.

Problem #2: My audio file appears to randomly skip the first .75 to 1 second of audio in my file

(Oh there is more…)

I had an interesting discussion with a client yesterday about project direction and process, and there was some open debate on how to develop an interaction to not only meet a tight budget, but fulfill some broad goals. Is there a best method, or does every project deserve to flex and adjust into multiple styles of interaction and teaching methods? Also discussed were the pros and cons of linear vs. nonlinear activities, and we went over the possibilities of having a little of both mixed in.

Getting to the point, I’ve written up a fairly detailed overview on Living Children’s initial project process. It covers our first four steps when brainstorming a new project, and covers each topic up to actual production (a page on production process will come another day).

The overall process includes:

• 1. Defining The Goal(s)
• 2. Rough Project Outline
• 3. Refining Goals and Listing Objectives
• 4. Creation of Flow Diagrams

Click here for the full page on project process, including samples of each step. This page will become a permanent addition under “About” in due time.

I’d like to announce the launch of our updated portfolio section. Previously I had on display only informal learning samples and animations, but I’ve gathered up some corporate eLearning samples to create a separate portfolio section.

Corporate eLearning has always been the meat of my business, but you wouldn’t know that from looking at this site. For the most part I’m not allowed to share content, screenshots or even post the name of my clients, so hopefully this will expand your mind to our full services and capabilities.

You can check out the new portfolios here:

• Corporate eLearning Portfolio
• Exhibit, Simulation & Animation Portfolio

One other quick note, there’s a ton more to add in the exhibit, simulation and animation portfolio, as well as a bunch of case studies… but hey… I’ve got three companies to run here… have some patience!