Playing audio

Many apps, especially games, have sounds. This can just be a feedback sound or one that enhances the navigation or interaction of the game. Games usually have background music playing on a loop.

How to do it...

The MediaPlayer type is used to play a sound from a content provider, a URI or a resource:

1. To play a sound from included resources or a Uri instance, we use the static Create() method on MediaPlayer:

   var mediaPlayer = MediaPlayer.Create(
     this, Resource.Raw.SoundResource);  

2. Then, because we need to be able to clean up after the sound is finished, we subscribe to the Completion event and release the player:

   mediaPlayer.Completion += delegate {
     mediaPlayer.Release();
     mediaPlayer = null;
   };

3. To begin playing, either from a paused or prepared state, we invoke the Start() method:

   mediaPlayer.Start();

4. Finally, we can control the player using the Pause() and Stop() methods:

   mediaPlayer.Pause();
   mediaPlayer.Stop();

If we want to stream sound from an asset or a remote URI, we construct...