Summary

Add a new class javax.sound.SoundClip which provides simple API to play back a supported audio stream from a file.

Problem

Applications have used java.applet.AudioClip.getAudioClip as a simple means to play back an audio clip. However the java.applet package is deprecated for removal.

Solution

Since the applet AudioClip class is just a wrapper around java.sound APIs, define a new class in the javax.sound package in the java.desktop module which provides similar easy to use functionality.

A new package javax.sound is also introduced since existing javax.sound APIs are in the packages javax.sound.midi and javax.sound.sampled.

Specification

new package javax.sound:

+/**
+ * Provides interfaces and classes for the Java Sound API.
+ * The API is divided into sub-packages.
+ * <ul>
+ * <li>Capture, processing and playback of sampled audio data is under {@link javax.sound.sampled}.
+ * <li>Sequencing, and synthesis of MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) data is under {@link javax.sound.midi}.
+ * </ul>
+ *
+ * <h2>Related Documentation</h2>
+ * For more information on using Java Sound see:
+ *   <a href="https://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/sound/">
+ *   The Java Sound Tutorial</a>
+ *
+ * @since 25
+ */
+package javax.sound;

============================

new class javax.sound.SoundClip:

+package javax.sound;
+
+/**
+ * The {@code SoundClip} class is a simple abstraction for playing a sound clip.
+ * It will play any format that is recognized by the {@code javax.sound} API,
+ * and for which it has support. This includes midi data.
+ * Playing sound requires that the environment grants access to audio devices.
+ * Typically this means running the application in a desktop environment.
+ * <p>
+ * Multiple {@code SoundClip} items can be playing at the same time, and
+ * the resulting sound is mixed together to produce a composite.
+ *
+ * @since 25
+ */
+public final class SoundClip {
+
+    /**
+     * Creates a {@code SoundClip} instance which will play a clip from the supplied file.
+     * <p>
+     * If the file does not contain recognizable and supported sound data, or
+     * if the implementation does not find a suitable output device for the data,
+     * playing the clip will be a no-op.
+     *
+     * @param file the file from which to obtain the sound data
+     * @return a {@code SoundClip}
+     * @throws IllegalArgumentException if {@code file} is {@code null}
+     * @throws IOException if there is an error reading from {@code file}
+     */
+    public static SoundClip createSoundClip(File file) throws IOException;
+
+    /**
+     * {@return whether this is a playable sound clip}
+     * <p>
+     * A value of {@code false} means that calling any of the other methods
+     * of this class is a no-op.
+     */
+    public synchronized boolean canPlay();
+
+    /**
+     * {@return whether sound is currently playing}
+     */
+    public synchronized boolean isPlaying();
+
+    /**
+     * Starts playing this sound clip.
+     * Each time this method is called, the clip is restarted from the beginning.
+     */
+    public synchronized void play();   
+
+    /**
+     * Starts playing this sound clip in a loop.
+     * Each time this method is called, the clip is restarted from the beginning.
+     */
+    public synchronized void loop();    
+
+    /**
+     * Stops playing this sound clip.
+     */
+    public synchronized void stop();