Some inserted sound files always play at full volume in PowerPoint

When you play a PowerPoint presentation, the sound files may not play at the volume that you specify. Some sound files always play at full volume. This behavior occurs regardless of the sound volume setting that you specified in the Edit Sound Object dialog box or on the Sound Settings tab in the Custom Animation Effects dialog box.

The Media Control Interface (MCI) does not correctly support volume control for some sound types. MIDI, .wav, and CD audio files have specific volume control settings in Microsoft Windows. MIDI and CD audio both have system settings in Windows for these volume controls. MCI follows the Windows volume control setting.

To work around this issue, do one of the following:

• For slideshows that require only one volume of sound, adjust the system CD audio volume level before slideshow
• For other problematic sound file formats, convert to another file format such as .wma.
  
  Note Volume settings in PowerPoint consistently work for .aif, .aiff, aifc., au, .m3u, .snd, and .wma files.
  
  To convert to another file format, you must use a tool such as Microsoft Plus! Audio Converter.
  
  To change the volume of a sound file in Sound Recorder:
  1. In Sound Recorder, click Open on the File menu.
  2. In the Open dialog box, double-click the sound file that you want to modify.
  3. On the Effects menu, click Increase Volume (by 25%) or click Decrease Volume.

Note You can change the volume of an uncompressed sound file only. If you do not see the green line in Sound Recorder, the file is compressed and you cannot modify it unless you first adjust the sound quality.

Note Microsoft Plus! Audio Converter is included in the Microsoft Plus! Digital Media Edition. With Microsoft Plus! Audio Converter, you can convert multiple files to the .wma file format in a batch operation.