As you've probably noticed, the Web is undergoing an audio revolution and… what? You don't have your own Internet radio station yet? Relax. You may not even need full streaming capacity to create a site with compelling audio. Take advantage of the fact that what we formerly experienced in print was restricted to the visual. Now, with well-chosen audio, you can enhance your site in a unique and inventive way.

Setting the Stage
The urge to buy that one extra plug-in, processor, or piece of whatever is probably greatest among audiophiles, but you would be amazed at how much you can do with relatively little. To make perfectly good sounds, you'll need three simple things: a good ear, patience (for what sometimes feels like endless trial and error), and creative ideas!

You'll also need a computer. Every Power Mac or 486/Pentium-based PC has a built-in audio card and plays back basic sound files. If you want a higher-quality transfer, look into an Audiomedia card. It's intended for sound that must be heard on high-end studio speakers, in movie theaters, and so on. But for the Web, remember that audio can only sound as good as the speakers it will be played on, and most of the time, you're playing your sounds on generic or mid-range speakers.

When considering modems, you'll want to have something faster than 28.8Kbps for uploading and downloading. Otherwise, we take no responsibility for your frustration level! However, what you absolutely need is disk space. Audio at CD quality occupies 10MB per minute. As you'll want to make plenty of drafts to compare, plan on a few gigs to spare.

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