Customizing SDS Simple Audio

This page describes options for customizing the Harvard Library Viewer display for simple audio (a single audio file delivered to the user). Separate instructions are available for customizing the display of audio playlists. 

The HL Viewer display for simple audio includes these components: 

• Menu bar with these options: Cite (a citation), Related links (not yet implemented) and Help (link to online help). 
• Audio playback controls (play/pause, audio timeline, volume controls, etc.).  
• Metadata pane that displays a descriptive label, repository name and local identifier. 

The sections that follow describe the metadata sources that power each of these components and options for customization. 

Menu bar "Cite" option

The Cite option in the SDS audio menu bar is largely controlled by DRS metadata. Below is a sample citation window with metadata sources identified. 

• The Description is powered by a custom METS label defined in the DRS object. But note that SDS does not substitute a MODS-based label if the METS label is empty. If a METS label is not defined, the description will appear as "No label". 
• The Persistent Link is the URN assigned to the SDS audio file in DRS. 
• The Repository is the display name of the owning organization based on the DRS owner code. 

Audio playback controls

The SDS player software (JW Player) provides standard audio playback controls that are not customizable. Controls include: play/pause, go back 10 seconds, time in current track, slide bar to skip to a different time in the track, total length of track in minutes and seconds to end of track, and volume controls.

Metadata pane

The metadata pane (to right of playback controls) displays a description, repository name and a local identifier. The repository and local identifier come from DRS metadata while the description is pulled from metadata embedded in the audio file itself. 

How to update embedded ID3 audio metadata

For SDS simple audio delivery files (mp3 or aac/mp4), descriptions in the metadata pane are always pulled from ID3 tags – metadata containers inside the audio file. Information in the ID3 can include title, artist, album, and year. Images, such as album covers, can also be stored in the ID3. The ID3 information can be edited and viewed using one of the many popular consumer audio organizing or ID3 tag-editing software apps. The data in the ID3 tag is not available for display in DRS WebAdmin; it can only be viewed by downloading the audio file. If an audio file lacks ID3 metadata, the metadata pane will include repository and local identifier but no descriptions. 

Below is a screenshot of ID3 metadata as stored in an MP3 file (left) and how that metadata displays in SDS (right):