Play an audio file

To play an audio file

1. Do one of the following:
   • Select File > Import from the main menu bar. A file browser lets you select the name of the sound file(s) to import.
   • Drag the file(s) from a file browser into one of the Maya modeling views, or onto the Time Slider.

   The peaks of the sound waves are visible in the Time Slider, and the Time Slider is ready to play or scrub the sound.

2. Right-click the Time Slider and select the sound file you imported.
3. Set the Playback Speed to Real-time (24 fps) to play the soundtrack (and the animation) in real-time.

   In order to hear sound during the playback of an animation, the playback speed must be set to a constant rate so that Maya can determine how slowly or quickly to play the soundtrack.

   Now when you play your animation, you will hear the audio file that you imported.

To scrub sound

1. Drag in the Time Slider. The soundtrack plays as you drag it.

Scrubbing can be useful for locating a specific time at which a particular sound or portion of sound begins. For example, if your soundtrack includes, “Hi Dave,” you may want to locate the exact frame at which the “D” sound begins so you can synchronize the character’s mouth forming a “D” sound with the soundtrack.

Tip:

It can be easier to find the beginning of a sound by having the sound repeat until you drag the Current Time Indicator to the next time in the Time Slider. To use this feature, open the Preferences window and turn on the Repeat Sound option.