diff --git a/stepmania/src/RageSoundManager.cpp b/stepmania/src/RageSoundManager.cpp
index 902d127939..fbcb7e29bb 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/RageSoundManager.cpp
+++ b/stepmania/src/RageSoundManager.cpp
@@ -299,15 +299,27 @@ void RageSoundManager::SetPrefs(float MixVol)
 SoundMixBuffer::SoundMixBuffer()
 {
 	vol = SOUNDMAN->GetMixVolume();
+	bufsize = used = 0;
+	mixbuf = NULL;
+}
+
+SoundMixBuffer::~SoundMixBuffer()
+{
+	free(mixbuf);
 }
 
 void SoundMixBuffer::write(const Sint16 *buf, unsigned size)
 {
-	if(mixbuf.size() < size)
+	if(bufsize < size)
 	{
-		basic_string<Sint32, char_traits_Sint32> empty(size-mixbuf.size(), 0);
+		mixbuf = (Sint32 *) realloc(mixbuf, sizeof(Sint32) * size);
+		bufsize = size;
+	}
 
-		mixbuf.insert(mixbuf.end(), empty.begin(), empty.end());
+	if(used < size)
+	{
+		memset(mixbuf + used, 0, (size - used) * sizeof(Sint32));
+		used = size;
 	}
 
 	for(unsigned pos = 0; pos < size; ++pos)
@@ -330,7 +342,7 @@ void SoundMixBuffer::write(const Sint16 *buf, unsigned size)
 
 void SoundMixBuffer::read(Sint16 *buf)
 {
-	for(unsigned pos = 0; pos < mixbuf.size(); ++pos)
+	for(unsigned pos = 0; pos < used; ++pos)
 	{
 		/* XXX: dither */
 		Sint32 out = (mixbuf[pos]) / 32768;
@@ -338,5 +350,5 @@ void SoundMixBuffer::read(Sint16 *buf)
 		buf[pos] = Sint16(out);
 	}
 
-	mixbuf.erase();
+	used = 0;
 }
diff --git a/stepmania/src/RageSoundManager.h b/stepmania/src/RageSoundManager.h
index 791ef150cc..a3cede7a2f 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/RageSoundManager.h
+++ b/stepmania/src/RageSoundManager.h
@@ -68,16 +68,19 @@ public:
 /* This inputs and outputs 16-bit 44khz stereo input. */
 class SoundMixBuffer
 {
-	basic_string<Sint32, char_traits_Sint32> mixbuf;
+	Sint32 *mixbuf;
+	unsigned bufsize; /* actual allocated samples */
+	unsigned used; /* used samples */
 	float vol;
 
 public:
 	void write(const Sint16 *buf, unsigned size);
 	void read(Sint16 *buf);
-	unsigned size() const { return mixbuf.size(); }
+	unsigned size() const { return used; }
 	void SetVolume(float f);
 
 	SoundMixBuffer();
+	~SoundMixBuffer();
 };
 
 extern RageSoundManager *SOUNDMAN;
diff --git a/stepmania/src/SDL_utils.h b/stepmania/src/SDL_utils.h
index 8da20e9397..3934778561 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/SDL_utils.h
+++ b/stepmania/src/SDL_utils.h
@@ -46,28 +46,5 @@ bool SDL_GetEvent(SDL_Event &event, int mask);
 #define TRAIT_WHITE_ONLY		0x0004 /* 8alphaonly */
 int FindSurfaceTraits(const SDL_Surface *img);
 
-struct char_traits_Sint32: public char_traits<Sint32>
-{
-	static Sint32 *copy(Sint32 *s, const Sint32 *p, size_t n)
-	{
-		memcpy(s, p, n * sizeof(Sint32));
-		return s;
-	}
-	static Sint32 *move(Sint32 *s, const Sint32 *p, size_t n)
-	{
-		memmove(s, p, n * sizeof(Sint32));
-		return s;
-	}
-	static Sint32 *assign(Sint32 *s, unsigned cnt, int n)
-	{
-		while(cnt--) *(s++) = n;
-		return s;
-	}
-	static void assign(Sint32 &c1, Sint32 c2)
-	{
-		c1 = c2;
-	}
-};
-
 #endif