Sound

The Java2 Platform includes a powerful API for capturing, processing, and playing back audio and MIDI (Musical Intstrument Digital Interface) data. This API is supported by an efficient sound engine which guarantees high-quality audio mixing and MIDI synthesis capabilities for the platform.

The provided reference implementation of this API supports the following features:

  • Audio file formats: AIFF, AU and WAV
  • Music file formats: MIDI Type 0, MIDI Type 1, and Rich Music Format (RMF)
  • Sound formats: 8- and 16-bit audio data, in mono and stereo, with sample rates from 8 kHz to 48 kHz
  • Linear, a-law, and mu-law encoded data in any of the supported audio file formats
  • MIDI wavetable synthesis and sequencing in software, and access to hardware MIDI devices
  • An all-software mixer that can mix and render up to 64 total channels of digital audio and synthesized MIDI music

The above list describes the reference implementation, not the API itself. The API permits flexible configuration of the audio and MIDI system, including ways for applications to ask the system exactly what resources are installed and available.

Additional information on the reference implementation is available from the Java Sound Home Page. This site also provides links to a selection of MIDI sound banks that may be used to enhance the sound quality of the MIDI synthesizer.

Java Sound Guide

Java Sound API Reference
(javadoc)

For More Information

Located on the Java Software website: