Continuous background music (mp3 audio) in e-pub (indesign)

Report · Feb 20, 2018

I'm working on an ePub (fixed layout) and I want to add music that will start at the first page and continue through all of the ebook pages (and loop allover again) - can it be done? how?

I tried to add "media" at the fist page - check the "play on load" and "loop" (didn't checked the ""stop on page turn) but the music stops after the page turn...

Please Help

Report · Feb 20, 2018

Moving to InDesign EPUB forum

Report · Feb 20, 2018

Have a look at CircularFLO: https://www.circularflo.com/

Report · Nov 15, 2020

Heh, did you ever get a reply? I would like to do the same

Report · Nov 15, 2020

It is possible to play continuous audio in the background of an epub. Either by manual coding, or by using a third-party product. Aside from CircularFLO, another alternative is PubCoder.

PubCoder imports the FXL epub from InDesign, and in the project settings an option is available to have an audio file playing across the entire book. Works in the Apple readers, as well as Thorium (Win, Mac, Linux).

PubCoder is great, but has one caveat that it will not support InDesign's animation or interactivity features. The workflow is different: create your static FXL book in InDesign, import in PubCoder, add the animations and interactivity, export. Works very, very well. Unlike CircularFLO it is available for Windows and Mac. And very affordable.

Report · Nov 16, 2020

Thank you for this - I will take a look. A shame Adobe hasn't added it yet but will investigate the options you've mentioned. SJ

Report · Nov 21, 2021

Hi! Were able to figure this out by any chance?

I am looking to have continuos audio playing througout my ePub as well, but haven't had any luck!

Report · Nov 15, 2020

Audio restarts as you change pages. So you can just stay in one page, and design the ePub so there is an internal navigation that allows you to go forward in you pages/slides (MSO).

How about that?

Report · Nov 16, 2020

Thanks - I'm not sure that would work for my current project but something to consider in future. Thanks again 🙂

Report · Jul 28, 2022

Hi there, was this ever figured out. I am looking to do the same thing ans have the same issues but in online dgital publishing.

Report · Jul 28, 2022

This is almost entirely a reader-dependent idea; audio is very irregularly supported in EPUB and multifunction readers and a generic 'EPUB' solution isn't likely to work across any large number of them.

And not to second guess anyone's design, but I can't imagine wanting to/tolerating an audio loop playing across even a few pages of a brochure. Not sure this is a... thought-out design element or need.

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Report · Jul 28, 2022

In my case the music element is important as the slideshow acts almost as a film trailer. - This feature doesnt seem to be supported though via Adobe digital publishing. I was hoping maybe if I added the music track to a master page it would work but that also doesn't seem to be the case.

Report · Jul 28, 2022

Step 1: Don't use ADP. It's in the very bottom tier of EPUB readers.

Unless you have a very specific and controlled presentation — that is, if you are not going to release this as a general-audience EPUB — I'd design for proper operation on Thorium Reader and then, if necessary, tweak it for any other major platform.

It is still going to take fairly deep EPUB surgery to make a file play continuously, I think. As noted, the audio feature is designed to work page by page and you will have to find a way to override that.

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