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Synthesizer.javaAPI DocJava SE 6 API15806Tue Jun 10 00:26:30 BST 2008javax.sound.midi

Synthesizer

public interface Synthesizer implements MidiDevice
A Synthesizer generates sound. This usually happens when one of the Synthesizer's {@link MidiChannel} objects receives a {@link MidiChannel#noteOn(int, int) noteOn} message, either directly or via the Synthesizer object. Many Synthesizers support Receivers, through which MIDI events can be delivered to the Synthesizer. In such cases, the Synthesizer typically responds by sending a corresponding message to the appropriate MidiChannel, or by processing the event itself if the event isn't one of the MIDI channel messages.

The Synthesizer interface includes methods for loading and unloading instruments from soundbanks. An instrument is a specification for synthesizing a certain type of sound, whether that sound emulates a traditional instrument or is some kind of sound effect or other imaginary sound. A soundbank is a collection of instruments, organized by bank and program number (via the instrument's Patch object). Different Synthesizer classes might implement different sound-synthesis techniques, meaning that some instruments and not others might be compatible with a given synthesizer. Also, synthesizers may have a limited amount of memory for instruments, meaning that not every soundbank and instrument can be used by every synthesizer, even if the synthesis technique is compatible. To see whether the instruments from a certain soundbank can be played by a given synthesizer, invoke the {@link #isSoundbankSupported(Soundbank) isSoundbankSupported} method of Synthesizer.

"Loading" an instrument means that that instrument becomes available for synthesizing notes. The instrument is loaded into the bank and program location specified by its Patch object. Loading does not necessarily mean that subsequently played notes will immediately have the sound of this newly loaded instrument. For the instrument to play notes, one of the synthesizer's MidiChannel objects must receive (or have received) a program-change message that causes that particular instrument's bank and program number to be selected.

see
MidiSystem#getSynthesizer
see
Soundbank
see
Instrument
see
MidiChannel#programChange(int, int)
see
Receiver
see
Transmitter
see
MidiDevice
version
1.29, 06/04/05
author
Kara Kytle

Fields Summary
Constructors Summary
Methods Summary
public javax.sound.midi.Instrument[]getAvailableInstruments()
Obtains a list of instruments that come with the synthesizer. These instruments might be built into the synthesizer, or they might be part of a default soundbank provided with the synthesizer, etc.

Note that you don't use this method to find out which instruments are currently loaded onto the synthesizer; for that purpose, you use getLoadedInstruments(). Nor does the method indicate all the instruments that can be loaded onto the synthesizer; it only indicates the subset that come with the synthesizer. To learn whether another instrument can be loaded, you can invoke isSoundbankSupported(), and if the instrument's Soundbank is supported, you can try loading the instrument.

return
list of available instruments.
see
#getLoadedInstruments
see
#isSoundbankSupported(Soundbank)
see
#loadInstrument

public javax.sound.midi.MidiChannel[]getChannels()
Obtains the set of MIDI channels controlled by this synthesizer. Each non-null element in the returned array is a MidiChannel that receives the MIDI messages sent on that channel number.

The MIDI 1.0 specification provides for 16 channels, so this method returns an array of at least 16 elements. However, if this synthesizer doesn't make use of all 16 channels, some of the elements of the array might be null, so you should check each element before using it.

return
an array of the MidiChannel objects managed by this Synthesizer. Some of the array elements may be null.

public javax.sound.midi.SoundbankgetDefaultSoundbank()
Obtains the default soundbank for the synthesizer, if one exists. (Some synthesizers provide a default or built-in soundbank.) If a synthesizer doesn't have a default soundbank, instruments must be loaded explicitly from an external soundbank.

return
default soundbank, or null if one does not exist.
see
#isSoundbankSupported

public longgetLatency()
Obtains the processing latency incurred by this synthesizer, expressed in microseconds. This latency measures the worst-case delay between the time a MIDI message is delivered to the synthesizer and the time that the synthesizer actually produces the corresponding result.

Although the latency is expressed in microseconds, a synthesizer's actual measured delay may vary over a wider range than this resolution suggests. For example, a synthesizer might have a worst-case delay of a few milliseconds or more.

return
the worst-case delay, in microseconds

public javax.sound.midi.Instrument[]getLoadedInstruments()
Obtains a list of the instruments that are currently loaded onto this Synthesizer.

return
a list of currently loaded instruments
see
#loadInstrument
see
#getAvailableInstruments
see
Soundbank#getInstruments

public intgetMaxPolyphony()
Obtains the maximum number of notes that this synthesizer can sound simultaneously.

return
the maximum number of simultaneous notes
see
#getVoiceStatus

public javax.sound.midi.VoiceStatus[]getVoiceStatus()
Obtains the current status of the voices produced by this synthesizer. If this class of Synthesizer does not provide voice information, the returned array will always be of length 0. Otherwise, its length is always equal to the total number of voices, as returned by getMaxPolyphony(). (See the VoiceStatus class description for an explanation of synthesizer voices.)

return
an array of VoiceStatus objects that supply information about the corresponding synthesizer voices
see
#getMaxPolyphony
see
VoiceStatus

public booleanisSoundbankSupported(javax.sound.midi.Soundbank soundbank)
Informs the caller whether this synthesizer is capable of loading instruments from the specified soundbank. If the soundbank is unsupported, any attempts to load instruments from it will result in an IllegalArgumentException.

param
soundbank soundbank for which support is queried
return
true if the soundbank is supported, otherwise false
see
#loadInstruments
see
#loadAllInstruments
see
#unloadInstruments
see
#unloadAllInstruments
see
#getDefaultSoundbank

public booleanloadAllInstruments(javax.sound.midi.Soundbank soundbank)
Loads onto the Synthesizer all instruments contained in the specified Soundbank.

param
soundbank the Soundbank whose are instruments are to be loaded
return
true if the instruments are all successfully loaded (or already had been), false if any instrument could not be loaded (for example, if the Synthesizer had insufficient memory)
throws
IllegalArgumentException if the requested soundbank is incompatible with this synthesizer.
see
#isSoundbankSupported
see
#loadInstrument
see
#loadInstruments

public booleanloadInstrument(javax.sound.midi.Instrument instrument)
Makes a particular instrument available for synthesis. This instrument is loaded into the patch location specified by its Patch object, so that if a program-change message is received (or has been received) that causes that patch to be selected, subsequent notes will be played using the sound of instrument. If the specified instrument is already loaded, this method does nothing and returns true.

The instrument must be part of a soundbank that this Synthesizer supports. (To make sure, you can use the getSoundbank method of Instrument and the isSoundbankSupported method of Synthesizer.)

param
instrument instrument to load
return
true if the instrument is successfully loaded (or already had been), false if the instrument could not be loaded (for example, if the synthesizer has insufficient memory to load it)
throws
IllegalArgumentException if this Synthesizer doesn't support the specified instrument's soundbank
see
#unloadInstrument
see
#loadInstruments
see
#loadAllInstruments
see
#remapInstrument
see
SoundbankResource#getSoundbank
see
MidiChannel#programChange(int, int)

public booleanloadInstruments(javax.sound.midi.Soundbank soundbank, javax.sound.midi.Patch[] patchList)
Loads the instruments referenced by the specified patches, from the specified Soundbank. Each of the Patch objects indicates a bank and program number; the Instrument that has the matching Patch is loaded into that bank and program location.

param
soundbank the Soundbank containing the instruments to load
param
patchList list of patches for which instruments should be loaded
return
true if the instruments are all successfully loaded (or already had been), false if any instrument could not be loaded (for example, if the Synthesizer had insufficient memory)
throws
IllegalArgumentException thrown if the soundbank is not supported.
see
#isSoundbankSupported
see
Instrument#getPatch
see
#loadAllInstruments
see
#loadInstrument
see
Soundbank#getInstrument(Patch)
see
Sequence#getPatchList()

public booleanremapInstrument(javax.sound.midi.Instrument from, javax.sound.midi.Instrument to)
Remaps an instrument. Instrument to takes the place of instrument from.
For example, if from was located at bank number 2, program number 11, remapping causes that bank and program location to be occupied instead by to.
If the function succeeds, instrument from is unloaded.

To cancel the remapping reload instrument from by invoking one of {@link #loadInstrument}, {@link #loadInstruments} or {@link #loadAllInstruments}.

param
from the Instrument object to be replaced
param
to the Instrument object to be used in place of the old instrument, it should be loaded into the synthesizer
return
true if the instrument succeessfully remapped, false if feature is not implemented by synthesizer
throws
IllegalArgumentException if instrument from or instrument to aren't supported by synthesizer or if instrument to is not loaded
throws
NullPointerException if from or to parameters have null value
see
#loadInstrument
see
#loadInstruments
see
#loadAllInstruments

public voidunloadAllInstruments(javax.sound.midi.Soundbank soundbank)
Unloads all instruments contained in the specified Soundbank.

param
soundbank soundbank containing instruments to unload
throws
IllegalArgumentException thrown if the soundbank is not supported.
see
#isSoundbankSupported
see
#unloadInstrument
see
#unloadInstruments

public voidunloadInstrument(javax.sound.midi.Instrument instrument)
Unloads a particular instrument.

param
instrument instrument to unload
throws
IllegalArgumentException if this Synthesizer doesn't support the specified instrument's soundbank
see
#loadInstrument
see
#unloadInstruments
see
#unloadAllInstruments
see
#getLoadedInstruments
see
#remapInstrument

public voidunloadInstruments(javax.sound.midi.Soundbank soundbank, javax.sound.midi.Patch[] patchList)
Unloads the instruments referenced by the specified patches, from the MIDI sound bank specified.

param
soundbank soundbank containing instruments to unload
param
patchList list of patches for which instruments should be unloaded
throws
IllegalArgumentException thrown if the soundbank is not supported.
see
#unloadInstrument
see
#unloadAllInstruments
see
#isSoundbankSupported
see
Instrument#getPatch
see
#loadInstruments