Help / Making content

Background music

Play songs under a playlist, in order or shuffled.

How background music works

Each playlist can have its own list of songs that play behind its slides, one after another, then again from the start. The music carries on across slides: it doesn't restart when the slide changes. Videos on your slides always play without sound, so the music is the only sound.

The sound comes from the first TV only (the left one, if a screen has two), so two TVs never play the same song a moment apart. Set the volume on that TV, or connect speakers to it.

Upload songs

Songs go in your media library like any other file: open Media and upload MP3, M4A, AAC, OGG or WAV files, up to 50 MB each. They're listed under Music.

Add songs to a playlist

Open the playlist. With no slide open, its panel on the right has Background music. Then either:

• Pick a song from Add a song… under the list. It goes at the end.
• Press From the Library under the slides, choose Music, and press Add beside each song you want. Songs already in the music say In Music; press it to take the song out.

You can also add songs from Media: open a song and use Add to Playlist, or tick several and use Add to Playlist…. They go into that playlist's music, not its slides.

Each song you add says, for example, Morning Jazz is added to the music. Publish to hear it on the TVs. A playlist can have up to 50 songs.

Order, shuffle and volume

• Order: use the up and down arrows beside a song to move it. Press the cross to take it out of the music; it stays in your library.
• Shuffle: with two or more songs, turn on Shuffle for a new random order each time through. A new round never starts with the song that just ended.
• Volume: drag the slider, from 0% to 100%. This sets the music's level; the TV's own volume still applies on top.

Under the list, one line sums it up, for example 2 songs · 6:40, shuffled, then shuffled again. Plays from the left TV. One song plays on a loop.

Music changes reach the TVs when you publish the playlist, like any other change. The preview in the admin doesn't play the music.

When music plays

• Each playlist has its own music. When a screen switches to another playlist, for example on a schedule, it plays that playlist's music.
• An urgent message covers the slides, but the music carries on underneath.
• While the TVs are switched off by TV power times, there's no music.
• Music plays offline too: songs are kept on the player like your other files.

If something goes wrong

• No sound. Check the first TV's volume and that it isn't muted, that the playlist's volume isn't at 0%, and that you've published since adding the songs.
• A playlist can have at most 50 songs. Take some out before adding more, or put them in another playlist.
• A video's sound doesn't play. Videos always play without sound on the TVs. Use background music, or a YouTube video with its sound on. See Live content.