cherylheflin on "Simple audio player help please, I am a newbie"

I am new to Word Press. I upload sermons in m4a format and I'm getting an error message about short code. I have no clue about this as I just upload and fill in the information. I don't do any coding. Also, what appears is a globe that when clicked the sermon downloads to my pc, but I would like a player that will just play the sermon online. How can I do this? I'm a bit afraid of messing up the church's website so if someone is willing to walk me through the steps, I would appreciate it.
Thank you.

alteative idea for audio file (I have used this option)

Use Soundcloud to host your audio files (there is a free version so you can try it.) https://soundcloud.com/
Upload the audio file to a soundcloud account
Add the link to the file on Soundcloud to WordPress page or post.

Less worry about messing up the church's website.

I would rather continue to upload to Word Press, so would I need to change the format of the file? Is that what the "shortcode" is about? Just wondering.
And thank you for your suggestion. I just don't think the church wants to have to pay for a place to store the files. But it's something I will speak with them about.

Cheryl

The solution requires a bit of coding.

http://www.w3schools.com/tags/tag_audio.asp

You can use the text editor tab when editing pages in wordpress to add codes.

I hope this helps.

Thank you Bryan. But I'm using m4a files and not mp3. Should I convert them before uploading? I am still confused. :(
Thank you for your patience and help.

Cheryl

This is what I see.... any help is appreciated.

Upload folder: wp-content/uploads/sermons/
Public podcast feed: http://immanuelpca-mesa.org/sermons/?podcast
Private podcast feed: http://immanuelpca-mesa.org/sermons/?podcast
MP3 shortcode:
Default: [audio mp3="%SERMONURL%"]
[audio:%SERMONURL%]
Sermons per page: 10
Filter type: Drop-down
One-click
None
Minimize filter

You don't need to. The code should work with an m4a file.

You can write the code like this:

<audio controls> <source src="https://your-site.com/file/file-name.m4a"> Your browser does not support the audio element.
</audio>

I decided to convert one file to mp3 and even though I still get the error message, the simple player is now showing on the page and the sermon plays from the site rather than having to be downloaded. I'm not sure if this will be ok as it will increase the bandwidth used. I have to find out how much we are allowed on the site I guess. I'm new to this site and finding my way around.

Thank you all for the help.

Cheryl

Glad to know that you were able to make it work.

If you have a limited bandwidth then I think contentiskey's advice would be useful. It would be better if you have your sound files / recordings hosted elsewhere (example, youtube).

The strange thing is the error message says that I specified a short code which is does not recognize, and I didn't do anything but upload a file. The short code is already in there.
[audio:%SERMONURL%]
Am I supposed to change this? And if so, to what?
Another thing is I want the music player to appear but it doesn't. There is only a download link appearing no matter what I do.
:(

Anyone have any other ideas to get the music player to appear and work? I no longer get an error msg.
I am using m4a files because that is what they have been using on the site. I would rather not make a change.

I've tried this, but it does not play.
[sc_embed_player_template1 fileurl="http:// immanuelpca-mesa.org/html/wp-content/uploads/sermons/01 Our Keeper.m4a"]

sc_embed_player_template1 is not a standard WordPress shortcode. What plugin is providing that?

Meanwhile, what is the actual URL of the file? http://immanuelpca-mesa.org/html/wp-content/uploads/sermons/01%20Our%20Keeper.m4a doesn't load.

(To simplify matters, I recommend always removing spaces from filenames before uploading, as how spaces within URLs are handled varies depending on the server configuration and browser.)

I'm sorry if I'm not doing this right James. And thank you for being so patient. I have to close up the office in a minute. I work at a church and this is their site. I upload sermons.

the site is immanuelpca-mesa.org

I just upload the sermons files via the Word Press uploader and have been just using them as downloadable files since that's how it was set up. but I think it would be nice to have an actual player for people who do not want to download.
Anyway, I have to go. So sorry. I will check when I get back next week. I am only here Thur and Fri. But I might check from home too.
Thank you! :) Have a nice 4th of July!

What I would like is to have it appear as their template shows on this page: https://www.tipsandtricks-hq.com/wordpress-audio-music-player-plugin-4556