Classical Artists Worldwide - Classical Free Pages
Advertise in this space

Help

Sound Playback

Many Classical Artists Worldwide pages contain sound in order to give the user the fullest possible experience of what's on offer. We use two types of sound file: RealAudio and MP3.

Does your computer have the right software installed? Click the links below to check your system:

Not working? Then look at the rest of these pages.

Downloading the RealAudio Player

In order to hear our RealAudio encoded sound you will need (obviously!) a sound-card on your computer attached to a pair of speakers or headphones. You will also need the latest RealAudio software (which may already have been provided by your Internet Service Provider). If you have an earlier version of RealAudio Player you will need to download the most recent version as there is no backward compatibility. You can download this FREE OF CHARGE from the RealAudio site by clicking here. Look for the link for RealPlayer Basic - it can often be hidden near the bottom of the page. You will see many links to other flavours of RealPlayer, but the free one is RealPlayer Basic.

When you've downloaded and installed the software, simply click on the speaker icon or other links that appears in our pages. The RealAudio sound file will be downloaded and the RealAudio player is then launched automatically.

While the file is downloading you can carry on looking at the web pages - the downloading operation is carried out in the background on most systems.

MP3 software

Unlike RealAudio, there are many pieces of software available which allow you to play MP3 files. In fact, most PC systems will already have one installed: Windows Media Player. The later versions of this sofware will play MP3s very well. This software, or an upgrade to the latest version (recommended) is available from the Microsoft website. Alternatively there are other players around such as the excellent Winamp.

Trouble-Shooting

Q: Sound-card? What's that and have I got one?
Most new computers and those sold within the last few years or so have a sound-card installed. This is a kind of mini-synthesiser/sampler that allows the recording and playback of audio sound. The output is normally connected to a small pair of speakers or headphones. A microphone or line-in can be attached to the card (visible from the rear of the computer) to allow sampling/recording. Popular makes are Sound Blaster and Turtle Beach. If you've never heard any sound except the odd bleep from your computer you probably haven't got a sound card. Check with your dealer or an expert. Sound cards cost from about £20/$30 up to several hundred for a 'professional' model, and are well worth having if you're looking at music-based web pages.
Q: Even though I already have the RealAudio software I get various error messages when I try to play back one of your files.
You may not have the latest version of the RealAudio Player. To find our which your version is, click on HELP, then ABOUT from the RealPlayer menus. This displays the version of you RealAudio software. If it is not the current version (check the RealAudio website) you will need to download the latest software from the RealAudio site.
Q: I have the right version, the file downloads correctly, the RealPlayer is launched and the progress-bar moves indicating that the file is playing. But I can't hear anything!
On the right of your RealPlayer window there should be a vertical slider for volume. If not, click on VIEW and check Volume and Info. Make sure the slider is at least partly up! If there is still no sound check the system volume settings. In Windows these controls can be found in Accessories->Multimedia->Volume Control or by clicking on the small speaker icon at the bottom Right hand of the screen (next to the clock).