Frequently Asked Questions

Site Design

“Mr. Dude, which HTML editor do you use?”
Mostly Crimson Editor. I fire up Dreamweaver whenever the code gets hard to decipher.

“Where did you learn web design?”
On the job and in my living room. I’ve been doing web design since January 1999, and have no formal design training. I’ve sacrificed many, many hours to the Flash Gods and learn through experimentation.

General Questions

“Mr. Dude, where in the world do you live?”
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

“Which programs did you use to create text effects in “The Dough“?
All typing effects in “The Dough” were done directly in Flash to keep file size to a minimum. Get a source file for the technique here.

“How did you make that exploding button/lightning animation during The Lucasfilm Letter?”
It was all drawn in Flash! It’s quite simple, and uses radial gradients with shape tweened lines. Like I always say, having fun and experimenting is the only way to create anything cool.

“Sweet. Can I have the source?”
No way!

Sounds

“Mr. Dude, I want some FREE sound effects! Gimme!
Many of the sounds I have were taken from the web. Sites work one day and are gone the next, but here’s what’s left:

“Mr. Dude, I don’t feel like surfing for hours to get the sound I want. Can you recommend any sound effects CDs?”
Here’s a list of sound effects CDs, listed in order from smaller budgets to larger ones.

Music

“Mr. Dude, How can I add some MP3 music to my site?”
Flash imports MP3 files directly, but I recommend you use WAV files for quicker export speed and to avoid overcompression. I use Winamp do to my MP3 to WAV conversions.

“Mr Dude, once I convert an MP3 to a WAV, the file size is HUGE!”
An MP3 is basically a WAV that’s been compressed up to 10 times or more. Naturally, when you decompress it, it’ll get bigger. To cut out the loop you want, try Goldwave or SoundForge.

“Mr. Dude, whenever I try importing MP3s (and sometimes WAVs), I get the error message ‘One or more files were not imported because there were problems reading them.’ What’s up with that?”
This will usually happen if you have the file open in another application, such as Media Player, Winamp, or your sound editor. Make sure your other programs don’t have any files open and try again. If the problem doesn’t go away, either log off or reboot and you shouldn’t have any trouble.

“Mr. Dude, what music did you use in your site’s Version 3 Intro?”
1) Antiloop‘s “Believe”.
2) Black Sabbath’s “Time Machine” (taken from the Wayne’s World Soundtrack).
3) BBG’s “Let The Music Play”.

The BBG MP3 may be hard to track down. I also haven’t been able to find their website.

“What about the ‘Lucasfilm Letter‘ intro?”
1) Crystal Method’s “Keep Hope Alive”.
2) BBE’s “Flash”.
3) Rammstein’s “Tier.”

“And in the ‘Summer of 2000‘ teaser?”
1) Tekara featuring Lucy Cotter: “Breathe In You”,
2) Sunflower: “Cold Turkey”.

“How about the September 2000 teaser?”
Dream Wave’s “Lift Off”.

“What’d you use for “The Dough?”
A few clips from AK1200′s “Lock and Roll” and Dieselboy’s “System Upgrade.”

“What music did you use for the Any Given Sunday Flash piece?”
Kid Rock’s “Bawitdaba”. The opening and finishing clips are mixtures of a few songs Warner provided me with; I have no idea what their titles were.

Copyright Issues

“What’s the law on copyrighted music? How long of a clip can I use, 10 seconds? 15? 30?”
Zero. It is illegal to use copyrighted music on a site if you haven’t paid to license it, regardless of length. If you’re using copyrighted music on your site, especially if you make money from your site, watch your back!

Royalty-Free Music

“Ok! Where can I get some royalty-free music clips?”

  • Shockwave Sound has some of the BEST freakin’ stock music I’ve ever heard, and their prices are extremely reasonable.
  • Sounddogs.com – 235,000 sound effects and production music tracks online, immediately available in MP3, WAV and AIF! Since 1997. Money-back guarantee and toll-free support!
  • killersound, Inc. has an extensive library of music soundtracks for licensing. Each piece is customizable to fit your presentation!
  • Musicube Multimedia not only has a cool site that’s fun to navigate, they also have a huge collection of music clips! Order pre-made loops online or contact the webmasters to have them create custom clips for your presentations.
  • Media Tracks has hundreds of different production tracks and loops for immediate download. While you’re there, get free sound effects and free sample music!
  • Get royalty-free music at Wicked Wavs: loops created for maximum impact! Choose from an ever-growing range of music loops. Subscribing gives you your login details so you can download the files you need. Custom audio done on request!
  • The Loops -a- GoGo! site uses a unique interface to bring you a collection of extraordinary looping soundscapes composed by Duke Leto. Great prices! Custom audio done on request.
  • AA Media Music offers royalty-free CD compilations of 30-second themes with matching short loops based on the main groove of each theme. Each CD contains 25 themes from multiple genres! All tracks can be auditioned on the site and individual tracks and/or longer versions of themes are made available upon request.
  • Sound Of The Web features the Soundeffects.Shop – 1000′s of musical loops and effects for you to audition online and download! The site is also home to the ‘Sample-ROM’, the Ultimate ‘Digital Media Dedicated’ Sound effects CD-ROM. Soundoftheweb also offers custom sound design and voice overs!

Tutorials

“Where can I go to find Flash tutorials online?”

“Mr. Dude, what books can you recommend to help me learn Flash?”
I’ve reviewed over a dozen books just for you! Click here to read ‘em.

“Mr. Dude, I want to learn how to make games in Flash. Can you point me somewhere?”
Sure! Check out UltimateArcade.com. Free gaming code!


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