Clip (Java Platform SE 8 )
Keywords: javax.sound.sampled.Clip interface
Date: 2026-04-17

javax.sound.sampled

## Interface Clip

- All Superinterfaces:
    AutoCloseable, DataLine, Line

      public interface Clip
      extends DataLine

  The `Clip` interface represents a special kind of data line whose audio data can be loaded prior to playback, instead of being streamed in real time.

  Because the data is pre-loaded and has a known length, you can set a clip to start playing at any position in its audio data. You can also create a loop, so that when the clip is played it will cycle repeatedly. Loops are specified with a starting and ending sample frame, along with the number of times that the loop should be played.

  Clips may be obtained from a ``Mixer`` that supports lines of this type. Data is loaded into a clip when it is opened.

  Playback of an audio clip may be started and stopped using the `start` and `stop` methods. These methods do not reset the media position; `start` causes playback to continue from the position where playback was last stopped. To restart playback from the beginning of the clip's audio data, simply follow the invocation of ``stop`` with setFramePosition(0), which rewinds the media to the beginning of the clip.

  Since:
    1.3

- - ### Nested Class Summary

    - ### Nested classes/interfaces inherited from interface javax.sound.sampled.DataLine

      `DataLine.Info`

  - ### Field Summary

    Fields
    Modifier and Type | Field and Description
    --- | ---
    `static int` | `LOOP_CONTINUOUSLY` A value indicating that looping should continue indefinitely rather than complete after a specific number of loops.

  - ### Method Summary

    All Methods Instance Methods Abstract Methods
    Modifier and Type | Method and Description
    --- | ---
    `int` | `getFrameLength()` Obtains the media length in sample frames.
    `long` | `getMicrosecondLength()` Obtains the media duration in microseconds
    `void` | `loop(int count)` Starts looping playback from the current position.
    `void` | `open(AudioFormat format, byte[] data, int offset, int bufferSize)` Opens the clip, meaning that it should acquire any required system resources and become operational.
    `void` | `open(AudioInputStream stream)` Opens the clip with the format and audio data present in the provided audio input stream.
    `void` | `setFramePosition(int frames)` Sets the media position in sample frames.
    `void` | `setLoopPoints(int start, int end)` Sets the first and last sample frames that will be played in the loop.
    `void` | `setMicrosecondPosition(long microseconds)` Sets the media position in microseconds.

    - ### Methods inherited from interface javax.sound.sampled.DataLine

      `available, drain, flush, getBufferSize, getFormat, getFramePosition, getLevel, getLongFramePosition, getMicrosecondPosition, isActive, isRunning, start, stop`

    - ### Methods inherited from interface javax.sound.sampled.Line

      `addLineListener, close, getControl, getControls, getLineInfo, isControlSupported, isOpen, open, removeLineListener`

- - ### Field Detail

    - #### LOOP_CONTINUOUSLY

          static final int LOOP_CONTINUOUSLY

      A value indicating that looping should continue indefinitely rather than complete after a specific number of loops.
      See Also:
        `loop(int)`, Constant Field Values

  - ### Method Detail

    - #### open

          void open(AudioFormat format,
                    byte[] data,
                    int offset,
                    int bufferSize)
             throws LineUnavailableException

      Opens the clip, meaning that it should acquire any required system resources and become operational. The clip is opened with the format and audio data indicated. If this operation succeeds, the line is marked as open and an ``OPEN`` event is dispatched to the line's listeners.

      Invoking this method on a line which is already open is illegal and may result in an IllegalStateException.

      Note that some lines, once closed, cannot be reopened. Attempts to reopen such a line will always result in a ``LineUnavailableException``.

      Parameters:
        `format` - the format of the supplied audio data
        `data` - a byte array containing audio data to load into the clip
        `offset` - the point at which to start copying, expressed in bytes from the beginning of the array
        `bufferSize` - the number of bytes of data to load into the clip from the array.
      Throws:
        `LineUnavailableException` - if the line cannot be opened due to resource restrictions
        `IllegalArgumentException` - if the buffer size does not represent an integral number of sample frames, or if `format` is not fully specified or invalid
        `IllegalStateException` - if the line is already open
        `SecurityException` - if the line cannot be opened due to security restrictions
      See Also:
        `Line.close()`, `Line.isOpen()`, `LineListener`

    - #### open

          void open(AudioInputStream stream)
             throws LineUnavailableException,
                    IOException

      Opens the clip with the format and audio data present in the provided audio input stream. Opening a clip means that it should acquire any required system resources and become operational. If this operation input stream. If this operation succeeds, the line is marked open and an ``OPEN`` event is dispatched to the line's listeners.

      Invoking this method on a line which is already open is illegal and may result in an IllegalStateException.

      Note that some lines, once closed, cannot be reopened. Attempts to reopen such a line will always result in a ``LineUnavailableException``.

      Parameters:
        `stream` - an audio input stream from which audio data will be read into the clip
      Throws:
        `LineUnavailableException` - if the line cannot be opened due to resource restrictions
        `IOException` - if an I/O exception occurs during reading of the stream
        `IllegalArgumentException` - if the stream's audio format is not fully specified or invalid
        `IllegalStateException` - if the line is already open
        `SecurityException` - if the line cannot be opened due to security restrictions
      See Also:
        `Line.close()`, `Line.isOpen()`, `LineListener`

    - #### getFrameLength

          int getFrameLength()

      Obtains the media length in sample frames.
      Returns:
        the media length, expressed in sample frames, or `AudioSystem.NOT_SPECIFIED` if the line is not open.
      See Also:
        `AudioSystem.NOT_SPECIFIED`

    - #### getMicrosecondLength

          long getMicrosecondLength()

      Obtains the media duration in microseconds
      Returns:
        the media duration, expressed in microseconds, or `AudioSystem.NOT_SPECIFIED` if the line is not open.
      See Also:
        `AudioSystem.NOT_SPECIFIED`

    - #### setFramePosition

          void setFramePosition(int frames)

      Sets the media position in sample frames. The position is zero-based; the first frame is frame number zero. When the clip begins playing the next time, it will start by playing the frame at this position.

      To obtain the current position in sample frames, use the ``getFramePosition`` method of `DataLine`.

      Parameters:
        `frames` - the desired new media position, expressed in sample frames

    - #### setMicrosecondPosition

          void setMicrosecondPosition(long microseconds)

      Sets the media position in microseconds. When the clip begins playing the next time, it will start at this position. The level of precision is not guaranteed. For example, an implementation might calculate the microsecond position from the current frame position and the audio sample frame rate. The precision in microseconds would then be limited to the number of microseconds per sample frame.

      To obtain the current position in microseconds, use the ``getMicrosecondPosition`` method of `DataLine`.

      Parameters:
        `microseconds` - the desired new media position, expressed in microseconds

    - #### setLoopPoints

          void setLoopPoints(int start,
                             int end)

      Sets the first and last sample frames that will be played in the loop. The ending point must be greater than or equal to the starting point, and both must fall within the the size of the loaded media. A value of 0 for the starting point means the beginning of the loaded media. Similarly, a value of -1 for the ending point indicates the last frame of the media.
      Parameters:
        `start` - the loop's starting position, in sample frames (zero-based)
        `end` - the loop's ending position, in sample frames (zero-based), or -1 to indicate the final frame
      Throws:
        `IllegalArgumentException` - if the requested loop points cannot be set, usually because one or both falls outside the media's duration or because the ending point is before the starting point

    - #### loop

          void loop(int count)

      Starts looping playback from the current position. Playback will continue to the loop's end point, then loop back to the loop start point `count` times, and finally continue playback to the end of the clip.

      If the current position when this method is invoked is greater than the loop end point, playback simply continues to the end of the clip without looping.

      A `count` value of 0 indicates that any current looping should cease and playback should continue to the end of the clip. The behavior is undefined when this method is invoked with any other value during a loop operation.

      If playback is stopped during looping, the current loop status is cleared; the behavior of subsequent loop and start requests is not affected by an interrupted loop operation.

      Parameters:
        `count` - the number of times playback should loop back from the loop's end position to the loop's start position, or ``LOOP_CONTINUOUSLY`` to indicate that looping should continue until interrupted

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