how can I wait for a java sound clip to finish playing back?

I prefer this way in Java 8:

CountDownLatch syncLatch = new CountDownLatch(1);

try (AudioInputStream stream = AudioSystem.getAudioInputStream(inStream)) {
  Clip clip = AudioSystem.getClip();

  // Listener which allow method return once sound is completed
  clip.addLineListener(e -> {
    if (e.getType() == LineEvent.Type.STOP) {
      syncLatch.countDown();
    }
  });

  clip.open(stream);
  clip.start();
}

syncLatch.await();

you can just put this code instead:

assume your clip1 is playing and you want a clip2 to be played right after that, you can:

clip1.start();
while(clip1.getMicrosecondLength() != clip1.getMicrosecondPosition())
{
}
clip2.loop(some int here);

and, to make this work without delaying your main task (I say this because the while loop makes the work wait for clip1 to finish, no matter what the next work is...) you can make a new thread in the point where you want it to happen, and just put the code in its run() method... GOOD LUCK!

A sound clip is a type or Line and therefore supports Line listeners.

If you use addLineListener, you should get events when play starts and stops; if you're not in a loop, you should get a stop when the clip ends. However, as with any events, there might be a lag before the actual end of playback and the stopping.

Making the method wait is slightly trickier. You can either busy-wait on it (not a good idea) or use other synchronization mechanisms. I think there is a pattern (not sure about it) for waiting on a long operation to throw a completion event, but that's a general question you may want to post separately to SO.