Messaging works with all Soundtrack players, but is currently not compatible with Sonos.
How to create messages
Upload audio file
- Under ‘Select audio source’, click ‘Upload audio file’.
- Click to upload or drag and drop a file. MP3 or OGG files are accepted, with a 5MB limit.
- Name your message, then click ‘Save’.
Text to speech
- Under ‘Select audio source’, click ‘Text to speech’.
- Under ‘Specify text to speech’, type the message you’d like to create.
- Select your preferred language. We currently offer English, Swedish, German, French and Spanish.
- Choose a male or female voice, as well as the pitch and speed of the message.
- Click ‘Preview’ to test your message.
- Name your message and click ‘Save’.
Paste SSML (customise your text to speech)
SSML is a markup language that lets you control how the text to speech is created. Add a quick break between words or sentences, control how words are pronounced or change the pitch and speed. You can even add audio files throughout the text.
Paste SSML code directly to preview and create a message. Try this snippet:
<speak>
Here are <say-as interpret-as="characters">SSML</say-as> samples.
I can pause <break time="3s"/>.
Hello!
</speak>The resulting audio will sound like: “Here are S S M L samples. I can pause [audio pauses for 3 seconds]. Hello!”
Add silence before and after a text-to-speech message so crossfade doesn’t affect it. Wrap the entire message in <speak> and </speak>, and use <break time="3s"/> (with any length instead of 3s) anywhere in the message. For example:
<speak><break time="1s"/>This is a sample message with 1s before and after.<break time="1s"/></speak>Soundtrack uses the SSML provided by Google Cloud.
How to create campaigns
- Under ‘Messaging and campaigns’, click ‘+ New campaign’.
- Name your campaign and click ‘+ Add messages’.
- Choose one or more messages. If you add several, one is picked at random to play at the selected time.
- Select the days of the week the messages should play, and whether they play once or several times a day.
Once per day
To play the message once per day, we recommend selecting ‘Interrupt music playback’ so the message plays at the exact minute specified. Otherwise it’s queued to play after the current song ends.
Multiple times per day
To play the messages several times per day, select the timespan when the campaign is active and how often it repeats. As these messages are usually not time-critical, we recommend leaving ‘Interrupt music playback’ off so the message is queued between songs and doesn’t interrupt the music.
To schedule messages at a specific minute during an hour, click ‘Hour’ under ‘Repeats’, then select a minute.
- Click ‘Save’.
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Set the dates for the campaign. If the end date is left blank, the campaign runs indefinitely.
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Click ‘+ Select zones’, select the zones where it should play, then click ‘OK’.
- Click ‘Save’ to set the campaign live.
Common questions
Can I add a WAV audio file?
We accept MP3 or OGG files under 5MB. You may need to use a file converter first.
How can I delete messages and campaigns?
Edit or delete a message by clicking the dotted menu in the top right corner.
To edit or delete a campaign, find the same menu under ‘+ New campaign’.
Emergency messages
From the website you can play messages on demand without creating a campaign. This is useful for emergencies or unexpected situations that aren’t scheduled.
- Upload your message as an audio file, text or SSML code.
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Click the red play button next to the message that should play.
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Assign it to the zone or zones you want and click ‘Play message’. All selected zones immediately interrupt the music to play the message, then the music resumes.