Should sound be on its own thread?

Thank you guys both for the answers and explanations! I was gone on this weekend so I’m just seeing them now. I kind of like the idea of having two different clips, with a check to see which one should play depending on time. For example, collect a bone, and play the first clip and start a timer. If the player collects another bone and the timer has not ran out, simply play the other clip and start a timer. I would like to stick with java sound for this one just to learn about it and how it works, but my next project will have more advanced sound handling. Your explanations were very helpful and I very much appreciate them!