Member Avatar for americamba

I use xp pro. Idistribute an educational PDF with sound embedded. Some recipients tell me they can't get any sound. They click onthe links on various pages of the document and nothing happens. Sometimes I get sound and sometimes I do not even on my own PC. I am at my wit's end. I would appreciate any help. Thanks, Frank

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A concise troubleshooting checklist and a couple of low-effort fixes that address the things and already suggested.

First, confirm whether the audio is actually embedded into the PDF or merely linked to a file on the author’s machine. Open the PDF and look for an Attachments/Files pane (paperclip icon) or inspect the audio object’s Properties. If you can save the audio out of the PDF and it plays standalone, the media is embedded; if there is no attachment or the property points to a C:\ or network path, it’s linked and will fail for other users.

Second, reproduce the failure in isolation. Save the embedded file (if present) and play it in Windows Media Player or another standalone player. If that works but clicking the audio in the PDF sometimes does nothing, the problem is the PDF reader or how it launches the player. Test the PDF in multiple readers (Adobe Reader, Foxit, PDF-XChange, Sumatra, etc.) on machines that don’t have your authoring tools installed. As suggested, that quickly shows which readers support the embedded-sound annotation you used.

Third, check per-application audio and security settings. Have people open the Windows Volume Mixer to ensure the PDF reader or the spawned player isn’t muted or routed to a different device. Also check Reader/Acrobat preferences for multimedia/trust settings that can block automatic playback.

If you need a robust, widely-compatible distribution: embed the MP3 as a real attachment and add a simple text link or “save/play” instruction inside the PDF, or host the MP3 online and include a direct download/play link as a fallback. Adding a visible click-notifier (change an icon or display a message on click, as proposed) helps confirm whether the PDF action fires even when no sound is heard.

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Member Avatar for MidiMagic

What KIND of sound is embedded?

If they don't have the player or a plugin for that kind of sound, it won't play.

Also, they need to check their sound mixer settings. The slider for that kind of sound may be set to zero.

Edited by MidiMagic because: n/a
Member Avatar for americamba

Thanks for reply.

they are mp3.

I ask if they get other sound and they respond YES so settings are OK.

As far as having audio programs. It happens to me sometimes and I have the programs to play the audio that is what kills me.

thanks again, Frank

Member Avatar for donkey_pasta

What PDF reader are you/they using?

Also, to me, hearing the words "PDF" and "sound" together just don't mix well. It sounds like your educational material may do better on a website rather than a PDF file.

Member Avatar for americamba

What PDF reader are you/they using?

Also, to me, hearing the words "PDF" and "sound" together just don't mix well. It sounds like your educational material may do better on a website rather than a PDF file.

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I used acrobat 8. I don't know what they use to read. The reaosn for PDf is for it to appear like a printed page, and also for them to be able to print. It works fine when it works which is more common. Just this once in a while glitch.

Member Avatar for donkey_pasta

I wish I could help more but I don't have much experience with embedding sound in PDF files.

One thing you could do is setup some sort of notifier so that when they click on the sound it displays an icon or something changes color. If it displays the correct thing when the button is clicked but no sound comes out then you know the document is probably working properly and that it may have more to do with their audio mixer settings on their computer.

One other thing you could do is download and install all the top 5-10 PDF readers and see how the document performs in them. For example: Adobe Reader (not Adobe Acrobat), Foxit Reader, Sumantra PDF Viewer, PDF X-Change Viewer, etc. Once you know which ones work and which ones don't, you could include a page in the document suggesting which PDF Reader(s) to use.

Member Avatar for americamba

Thanks, that idea of testing other readers sounds good.

I wish I could help more but I don't have much experience with embedding sound in PDF files.

One thing you could do is setup some sort of notifier so that when they click on the sound it displays an icon or something changes color. If it displays the correct thing when the button is clicked but no sound comes out then you know the document is probably working properly and that it may have more to do with their audio mixer settings on their computer.

One other thing you could do is download and install all the top 5-10 PDF readers and see how the document performs in them. For example: Adobe Reader (not Adobe Acrobat), Foxit Reader, Sumantra PDF Viewer, PDF X-Change Viewer, etc. Once you know which ones work and which ones don't, you could include a page in the document suggesting which PDF Reader(s) to use.

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