Reading emails to some Tchaikowskian tune is certainly nice, but how do you add background music that will automatically play when the recipient opens the message? In Windows Mail and Outlook Express, this is easy.
Add Background Sound to Emails in Windows Mail or Outlook Express
To add background music or sound effects to an email message in Windows Mail or Outlook Express:
- ›› Step by Step Screenshot Walkthrough (using Outlook Express)
- Start with a new message in HTML format.
- Select Format | Background | Sound... from the menu.
- Use the Browse... button to select the sound file you want to play in the background.
- Make sure the file is of a supported sound format.
- Specify whether you want the sound file to be played continuously or a certain number of times.
- Click OK.
To change the sound later, select Format | Background | Sound... again from the Windows Mail or Outlook Express menu.
Use a Remote Background Sound File from the Web
You can also insert a sound file that resides on a publicly accessible web server instead of having it attached to your message:
- Set any sound file on your computer as the background sound using the steps above.
- Go to the Source tab.
- Highlight the content of the BGSOUND's src attribute.
- Between quotation marks, it should be the path to the sound file you picked.
- If the source reads <BGSOUND src="C:\Windows\Media\ac3.wav">, for example, highlight C:\Windows\Media\ac3.wav.
- Paste the sound file's web address (URL) to replace the local sound file.
- In the example, the code could read <BGSOUND src="http://example.com/bwv1043.mid"> to play Bach's double concerto (which, sadly, is not at example.com).
- Go to the Edit tab and continue composing your message.
Remember that the music will only play if the recipient uses an email client that understands the code and is set to play music automatically. Also make sure Outlook Express is set to send copies of images and sounds you include instead of just referencing them.
