How to Add and Edit Audio or Music in Google Slides?

Audio or music can significantly enhance your presentations by creating an immersive and engaging experience for your audience. It can help set the tone, evoke emotions, and reinforce your message. Whether you're delivering a sales pitch, a training session, or a creative project, incorporating audio or music can increase the impact of your presentation and leave a lasting impression on your audience.

Before adding audio to your presentation, it's crucial to select the right audio or music that aligns with your content and enhances the overall theme. Consider whether you need background music, sound effects, or voiceovers. Ensure that the audio you choose complements the message you're trying to convey and doesn't overpower your voice or distract the audience.

To add audio to your presentation, you'll need to upload audio files to your Drive. If you already have the audio file saved on your computer, you can easily upload it by following these steps:

1. Open Drive and sign in to your account.

2. Press the + New button and select File Upload.

3. Locate the audio file on your computer and click Open to start the upload process.

4. Wait for the file to upload. Once uploaded, it will be accessible for use in your Google Slides presentation.

That’s an easy step even for a beginner :)

Once you have your audio files uploaded to Google Drive, you can easily insert them into your presentation using the following steps:

1. Open the Google Slides presentation you want to add audio to and go to the necessary slide.

For this tutorial, we’ll use a one-page presentation, where we would like to insert an audio discovering music’s importance.

2. Click on the Insert menu and select Audio.

3. You will see a dialogue box appear. You can either choose an audio file from your Drive or paste a URL address. If the file was used recently, you may see it in the Recently folder. 

4. In the Insert Audio dialog box, choose the audio file you want to insert from your Google Drive.

5. See the result! The audio file was placed on the slide by default. Yet, you can drag the audio icon to any place on the slide. 

Well, who doesn’t love Spotify?) There you may have a long list of songs to suit your mood and some of them may be used for your next presentation.

Although it’s a little bit tricky to add a music link from Spotify, yet, it’s possible!

1. Navigate to the slide where you want to add an audio or a whole playlist. Now choose the Shape tool and draw any shape. It will serve as a container for the music link.

2. Now go to your Spotify playlist, click on the three dots menu and select Copy playlist link (for a whole list to play) or Copy Song Link for inserting a song link.

3. Now go back to the slide and click on the shape. Choose Link from the dropdown menu.

4. Paste the playlist link into the Audio URL field and click Apply.

5. The Shape box will remain empty, but whenever you click on it, you will be able to go to the Spotify list and play the music in the background.

This way of adding music links is applicable to any platform that has a Share Link option.

That’s simple! Go try it out!

After inserting the audio file into your presentation, you may want to adjust some settings for optimal playback. Here are some essential audio settings you can manage:

♫ Autoplay: Choose whether the audio should automatically start playing when the slide appears or requires manual play.

♫ Looping: Decide whether the audio should repeat continuously or stop after playing once.

♫ Volume control: Adjust the volume level to ensure the audio is audible but not overpowering.

♫ Playback options: Set the audio to start automatically or when clicked on.

Here we would like to stop on the controlling audio playback option.

During your presentation, it's essential to have control over the audio playback. Here are some ways to control the audio during your Google Slides presentation:

- To play or pause the audio, use the playback controls displayed on the slide.

- To move to the next slide while the audio continues playing, press the right arrow key.

- To stop the audio playback, press the Esc key or reach the end of the audio track.

💭 Food for your brain: Think of how you would present your data. Whether you are going to stop the audio and communicate with an audience or the music will play during the whole slideshow? You have to plan it beforehand. 

Now we prepared several “smart” tips that we hope will help you before going with your presentation in public. Simply follow them and we guarantee you will be happy with the results.

A. Setting the right mood:

When using audio in your presentation, consider the mood and atmosphere you want to create. Soft, soothing music can be ideal for a calm and reflective setting, while upbeat music can energize and motivate your audience. Tailor the music to suit the tone of your content and the desired emotional response.

B. Using audio strategically:

Remember that audio is a tool to enhance your presentation, not the centerpiece. Use audio strategically to emphasize specific points or complement visual elements. Be mindful that the audio doesn't overpower your voice or distract from the main message. Strike a balance between audio and visual elements for a cohesive and impactful presentation.

C. Timing is everything:

Timing plays a crucial role in using audio effectively. Ensure that the audio starts at the right moment to coincide with the corresponding visual content. Experiment with different timings during rehearsals to achieve a seamless integration of audio and visuals. Practice your presentation to ensure a smooth transition from one slide to another without any interruption or delay in audio playback.

D. Testing and rehearsing:

Before delivering your presentation, thoroughly test the audio playback on different devices and ensure it works seamlessly. Rehearse your presentation multiple times to become confident in managing audio playback and to ensure the audio volume is appropriate for the room or virtual environment.

In conclusion, by incorporating music into your presentation, either your prepared or recorded audio file or audio link from a popular platform like Spotify, you can elevate the impact and engagement of your presentation.

Remember to choose the right music, consider timing and transitions, and control the volume effectively for a captivating presentation experience.

If you liked our tutorial, share it with your friends and colleagues to master new skills and lead more effective presentations! Thanks and good luck!)