Module java.desktop
Package javax.sound.midi

Class SoundbankResource

java.lang.Object
javax.sound.midi.SoundbankResource
Direct Known Subclasses:
Instrument
public abstract class SoundbankResource extends Object
A SoundbankResource represents any audio resource stored in a Soundbank. Common soundbank resources include:
  • Instruments. An instrument may be specified in a variety of ways. However, all soundbanks have some mechanism for defining instruments. In doing so, they may reference other resources stored in the soundbank. Each instrument has a Patch which specifies the MIDI program and bank by which it may be referenced in MIDI messages. Instrument information may be stored in Instrument objects.
  • Audio samples. A sample typically is a sampled audio waveform which contains a short sound recording whose duration is a fraction of a second, or at most a few seconds. These audio samples may be used by a Synthesizer to synthesize sound in response to MIDI commands, or extracted for use by an application. (The terminology reflects musicians' use of the word "sample" to refer collectively to a series of contiguous audio samples or frames, rather than to a single, instantaneous sample.) The data class for an audio sample will be an object that encapsulates the audio sample data itself and information about how to interpret it (the format of the audio data), such as an AudioInputStream.
  • Embedded sequences. A sound bank may contain built-in song data stored in a data object such as a Sequence.
Synthesizers that use wavetable synthesis or related techniques play back the audio in a sample when synthesizing notes, often when emulating the real-world instrument that was originally recorded. However, there is not necessarily a one-to-one correspondence between the Instruments and samples in a Soundbank. A single Instrument can use multiple SoundbankResources (typically for notes of dissimilar pitch or brightness). Also, more than one Instrument can use the same sample.

  • Constructor Details

    • SoundbankResource

      protected SoundbankResource(Soundbank soundBank, String name, Class<?> dataClass)
      Constructs a new SoundbankResource from the given sound bank and wavetable index. (Setting the SoundbankResource's name, sampled audio data, and instruments is a subclass responsibility.)
      Parameters:
      soundBank - the sound bank containing this SoundbankResource
      name - the name of the sample
      dataClass - the class used to represent the sample's data
      See Also:

  • Method Details

    • getSoundbank

      public Soundbank getSoundbank()
      Obtains the sound bank that contains this SoundbankResource.
      Returns:
      the sound bank in which this SoundbankResource is stored

    • getName

      public String getName()
      Obtains the name of the resource. This should generally be a string descriptive of the resource.
      Returns:
      the instrument's name

    • getDataClass

      public Class<?> getDataClass()
      Obtains the class used by this sample to represent its data. The object returned by getData will be of this class. If this SoundbankResource object does not support direct access to its data, returns null.
      Returns:
      the class used to represent the sample's data, or null if the data is not accessible

    • getData

      public abstract Object getData()
      Obtains the sampled audio that is stored in this SoundbankResource. The type of object returned depends on the implementation of the concrete class, and may be queried using getDataClass.
      Returns:
      an object containing the sampled audio data
      See Also: