Audio

When you think about a digital guide to arts and culture, you probably think "audio guide." Audio is a critical component of what you can offer in your guide, connecting your visitors with information, voices, and perspectives that complement your other offerings and enrich their experience.

Audio files in your CMS content library only appear in your guide after you attach them to a container, like an Item or Exhibition.

To speed up your audio file upload process, save all files to a single folder on your desktop or shared drive. You can upload in bulk by dragging and dropping files from the folder directly into the Audios page in the CMS—just remember to edit each audio record to add the title, description, and transcript.

Audio Fields

• Audio: An MP3 or WAV file.
• Title: The title that should appear in the audio player in the app.
• Description: (Optional) A very brief summary of the content that encourages a visitor to play the clip.
• Transcript: A text version of the content in an audio file. In the audio player, you can tap the Transcript button to read the transcript in a new screen in addition to or instead of listening to the audio. For more, see Audio and Video Transcripts.
• Allow Use in Bloomberg Connects Social Media: Indicate whether Bloomberg Connects can use this audio clip on Bloomberg Connects social media channels. Posts will be shared with you for awareness before going live and will be credited, where possible, based on information provided in the CMS. For more, see Social Media.

Audio Display in the App

What you see in the Audio form matches what you see in the app.

• The audio title appears everywhere you can play the clip: at the top of a content screen, in the audio player at the bottom of the app, and on your device’s lock screen.
• Your custom audio description appears at the top of a content screen, under the audio title. The description should encourage visitors to play the clip by providing a concise teaser or introduction.
• When you leave the Description field blank in the CMS, a description does not appear in the app at all. Prior to July 2024, a default audio description appeared (“Hear more about this item”); this default description no longer appears.

Content Recommendations

• Audio for Exhibition introductions should embrace the full group of Items included, whereas audio created for individual Items should only focus on those works. Mentions of other Items are fine, but think about how location-specific references (“to the left of this painting is…”) may alienate digital-only users or limit the timespan of the audio’s usefulness.
• Audio descriptions are option but recommended. Detailing who is talking and about what can be an appealing strategy. For example, Boca Raton Museum of Art’s description for Procession, A Sort of Homecoming (after Kentridge + U2) by Vickie Pierre is “Did these strange shapes start as Disney Princesses? Hear from the artist.”
• Add transcripts to all audio. For more, see Audio and Video Transcripts.