You can import audio and video files into MAXQDA in several ways, for example,
- drag the audio or video file from the Windows Explorer or macOS Finder directly into the “Document System” window,
- click on the plus icon in the “Document System” window, or
- click on the Audio or Videos icon on the Import tab.
There are some special considerations for audio and video files.
MAXQDA supports the following formats:
| Audio | Windows: MP3, WAV, WMA, AAC, M4A Mac: MP3, WAV, AAC, CAF, M4A |
| Video | MP4, MOV, MPG, M4V, 3GP, 3GGP Windows: also AVI and WMV For video, an MP4 file using the H.264/AVC video codec is recommended. |
When importing an audio or video file, MAXQDA creates a new text document with the name of the media file and links the newly added document to the media file. The media file itself is not imported into the project, but copied to the MAXQDA folder for externally stored files.
You can customize the location for externally saved files in MAXQDA’s global preferences, which you can access via the preferences icon in the lower left corner of MAXQDA's main window. For detailed information, see External Files.
In the "Document System", text documents with an associated media file can be recognized by the play icon next to the document name, which allows you to open the file in MAXQDA's media player.
Assigning an existing transcript to an audio or video file during import
When importing an audio or video file, MAXQDA asks you if you have a transcript for the media file. If you select Yes, a dialog window pops up where you can select the transcript file.
If the selected transcript does not contain timestamps, MAXQDA will ask you if you want to create them automatically
MAXQDA will automatically place timestamps in the transcript at the selected intervals, making it easy to listen to the original sound of a selected text passage.
Assigning audio/video files to a text document
You can also assign a media file to an already imported text document. To do this, right-click on the document in the "Documents System" and select Link Audio/Video File.
To change the assignment of an audio or video file, right-click on the document in the “Document System” and select Properties. In the dialog that appears, an alternative file can be selected in the Media File section.
Play and analyze audio and video files
Audio and video files can be played and analyzed in MAXQDA's Multimedia Browser. For detailed information, see Analyzing Videos.
