diff --git a/stepmania/configure.ac b/stepmania/configure.ac
index 7872f11c51..0d7ee92992 100644
--- a/stepmania/configure.ac
+++ b/stepmania/configure.ac
@@ -22,6 +22,15 @@ AC_PROG_CXX
 
 AM_PATH_SDL
 
+AM_PATH_ALSA(0.9.0, alsa=true ,alsa=0 )
+AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED([ALSA], $alsa)
+AH_VERBATIM([ALSA],
+[#if ALSA
+#define HAVE_ALSA
+#endif
+])
+AM_CONDITIONAL(ALSA, test x$alsa = xtrue )
+
 # We could do this more cleanly with an AC_CHECK_FUNCS wrapper.
 AC_CHECK_FUNCS([powf sqrtf sinf tanf cosf acosf])
 AH_VERBATIM([VA_ZZZ_NEEDED_FUNCS],
diff --git a/stepmania/src/Makefile.am b/stepmania/src/Makefile.am
index 6247464293..7d86e69f58 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/Makefile.am
+++ b/stepmania/src/Makefile.am
@@ -1,11 +1,13 @@
 bin_PROGRAMS = stepmania
-AM_CXXFLAGS = -ISDL-1.2.5/include -ISDL_sound-1.0.0
 if DARWIN
 AM_LDFLAGS = -framework Cocoa -framework Quicktime -framework Carbon -framework OpenGL -framework IOKit
+CXXFLAGS_EXTRA =
 else
-AM_CXXFLAGS = $(AM_CXXFLAGS) -DLINUX
+CXXFLAGS_EXTRA = -DLINUX
 endif
 
+AM_CXXFLAGS = -ISDL-1.2.5/include -ISDL_sound-1.0.0 $(CXXFLAGS_EXTRA)
+
 # This is a little hacky; we use our own version of SDL and SDL_sound, and I don't
 # want to have to integrate their entire build systems.
 SDL-1.2.5/src/.libs/libSDL.a:
@@ -31,7 +33,7 @@ SDL_sound-1.0.0/.libs/libSDL_sound.a:
 		--disable-modplug \
 		--enable-static --disable-shared
 	make -C SDL_sound-1.0.0
-	
+
 #--enable-debug
 
 RageHelpers = SDL_dither.cpp SDL_dither.h SDL_rotozoom.cpp SDL_rotozoom.h SDL_utils.cpp SDL_utils.h
@@ -134,10 +136,10 @@ Sound_Null = \
 	arch/Sound/RageSoundDriver_Null.cpp \
 	arch/Sound/RageSoundDriver_Null.h
 
-if DARWIN
-Sound = $(Sound_Null)
+if ALSA
+Sound = $(Sound_Null) $(Sound_ALSA9)
 else
-Sound = $(Sound_null) $(Sound_ALSA9)
+Sound = $(Sound_null)
 endif
 
 stepmania_SOURCES = $(Rage) $(DataStructures) $(FileTypes) $(StepMania) $(Transitions) \