diff --git a/stepmania/src/RageSoundManager.cpp b/stepmania/src/RageSoundManager.cpp
index 9bef5a0535..bd1840a5f8 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/RageSoundManager.cpp
+++ b/stepmania/src/RageSoundManager.cpp
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@
 #include "RageSound.h"
 #include "RageLog.h"
 #include "RageTimer.h"
-#include "PrefsManager.h"
 
 #include "arch/arch.h"
 #include "arch/Sound/RageSoundDriver.h"
@@ -17,13 +16,14 @@
 
 RageSoundManager::RageSoundManager(CString drivers)
 {
+	/* needs to be done first */
+	SOUNDMAN = this;
+	MixVolume = 1.0f;
+
 	driver = MakeRageSoundDriver(drivers);
 	if(!driver)
 		RageException::Throw("Couldn't find a sound driver that works");
 
-	/* needs to be done before RageSound::RageSound */
-	SOUNDMAN = this;
-
 	music = new RageSound;
 }
 
@@ -271,9 +271,15 @@ void RageSoundManager::PlayMusic(CString file, bool loop, float start_sec, float
 	music->StartPlaying();
 }
 
+void RageSoundManager::SetPrefs(float MixVol)
+{
+	MixVolume = MixVol;
+	driver->VolumeChanged();
+}
+
 SoundMixBuffer::SoundMixBuffer()
 {
-	vol = PREFSMAN->m_fSoundVolume;
+	vol = SOUNDMAN->GetMixVolume();
 }
 
 void SoundMixBuffer::write(const Sint16 *buf, unsigned size)
diff --git a/stepmania/src/RageSoundManager.h b/stepmania/src/RageSoundManager.h
index 0be495df5c..a66d996990 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/RageSoundManager.h
+++ b/stepmania/src/RageSoundManager.h
@@ -28,12 +28,18 @@ class RageSoundManager
 
 	RageSoundDriver *driver;
 
+	/* Prefs: */
+	float MixVolume;
+
 public:
 	RageMutex lock;
 
 	RageSoundManager(CString drivers);
 	~RageSoundManager();
 
+	float GetMixVolume() const { return MixVolume; }
+	void SetPrefs(float MixVol);
+
 	void Update(float delta);
 	void StartMixing(RageSound *snd);	/* used by RageSound */
 	void StopMixing(RageSound *snd);	/* used by RageSound */
diff --git a/stepmania/src/StepMania.cpp b/stepmania/src/StepMania.cpp
index 3f60f6cf80..d31ac41473 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/StepMania.cpp
+++ b/stepmania/src/StepMania.cpp
@@ -268,6 +268,7 @@ int main(int argc, char* argv[])
 	GAMEMAN		= new GameManager;
 	THEME		= new ThemeManager;
 	SOUNDMAN	= new RageSoundManager(PREFSMAN->m_bSoundDrivers);
+	SOUNDMAN->SetPrefs(PREFSMAN->m_fSoundVolume);
 	ANNOUNCER	= new AnnouncerManager;
 	INPUTFILTER	= new InputFilter;
 	INPUTMAPPER	= new InputMapper;
diff --git a/stepmania/src/arch/Sound/DSoundHelpers.cpp b/stepmania/src/arch/Sound/DSoundHelpers.cpp
index 484e443a98..dbebe38455 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/arch/Sound/DSoundHelpers.cpp
+++ b/stepmania/src/arch/Sound/DSoundHelpers.cpp
@@ -46,12 +46,8 @@ bool DSound::IsEmulated() const
 }
 
 DSoundBuf::DSoundBuf(DSound &ds, DSoundBuf::hw hardware,
-			int channels_, int samplerate_, int samplebits_, int writeahead_,
-			float vol)
+			int channels_, int samplerate_, int samplebits_, int writeahead_)
 {
-	ASSERT(vol >= 0);
-	ASSERT(vol <= 1);
-
 	channels = channels_;
 	samplerate = samplerate_;
 	samplebits = samplebits_;
@@ -79,15 +75,14 @@ DSoundBuf::DSoundBuf(DSound &ds, DSoundBuf::hw hardware,
 	DSBUFFERDESC format;
 	memset(&format, 0, sizeof(format));
 	format.dwSize = sizeof(format);
-	format.dwFlags = DSBCAPS_GETCURRENTPOSITION2 | DSBCAPS_GLOBALFOCUS;
+	format.dwFlags = DSBCAPS_GETCURRENTPOSITION2 | DSBCAPS_GLOBALFOCUS | DSBCAPS_CTRLVOLUME;
 	/* Don't use DSBCAPS_STATIC.  It's meant for static buffers, and we
 	 * only use streaming buffers. */
 	if(hardware == HW_HARDWARE)
 		format.dwFlags |= DSBCAPS_LOCHARDWARE;
 	else
 		format.dwFlags |= DSBCAPS_LOCSOFTWARE;
-	if(vol != 1)
-		format.dwFlags |= DSBCAPS_CTRLVOLUME;
+
 	format.dwBufferBytes = buffersize;
 	format.dwReserved = 0;
 	format.lpwfxFormat = &waveformat;
@@ -113,6 +108,12 @@ DSoundBuf::DSoundBuf(DSound &ds, DSoundBuf::hw hardware,
 		buffersize = bcaps.dwBufferBytes;
 		writeahead = min(writeahead, buffersize);
 	}
+}
+
+void DSoundBuf::SetVolume(float vol)
+{
+	ASSERT(vol >= 0);
+	ASSERT(vol <= 1);
 
 	float vl2 = log10f(vol) / log10f(2); /* vol log 2 */
 
@@ -122,7 +123,6 @@ DSoundBuf::DSoundBuf(DSound &ds, DSoundBuf::hw hardware,
 		buf->SetVolume(max(int(1000 * vl2), DSBVOLUME_MIN));
 }
 
-
 DSoundBuf::~DSoundBuf()
 {
 	buf->Release();
diff --git a/stepmania/src/arch/Sound/DSoundHelpers.h b/stepmania/src/arch/Sound/DSoundHelpers.h
index d912c444ad..79fba62023 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/arch/Sound/DSoundHelpers.h
+++ b/stepmania/src/arch/Sound/DSoundHelpers.h
@@ -39,8 +39,7 @@ class DSoundBuf
 public:
 	enum hw { HW_HARDWARE, HW_SOFTWARE, HW_DONT_CARE };
 	DSoundBuf(DSound &ds, hw hardware, 
-		int channels, int samplerate, int samplebits, int writeahead,
-		float vol=1);
+		int channels, int samplerate, int samplebits, int writeahead);
 
 	bool get_output_buf(char **buffer, unsigned *bufsiz, int *play_pos, int chunksize);
 	void release_output_buf(char *buffer, unsigned bufsiz);
@@ -48,6 +47,7 @@ public:
 	void Reset();
 	void Play();
 	void Stop();
+	void SetVolume(float vol);
 
 	~DSoundBuf();
 	int GetPosition() const;
diff --git a/stepmania/src/arch/Sound/RageSoundDriver.h b/stepmania/src/arch/Sound/RageSoundDriver.h
index 09bdceee81..bdaedb3d68 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/arch/Sound/RageSoundDriver.h
+++ b/stepmania/src/arch/Sound/RageSoundDriver.h
@@ -33,6 +33,10 @@ protected:
 	 * hearing it.  (This isn't necessarily the same as the buffer latency.) */
 	virtual float GetPlayLatency() const { return 0.0f; }
 
+	/* This is called if the volume changed; call SOUNDMAN->GetMixVolume() to
+	 * get it. */
+	virtual void VolumeChanged() { }
+
 public:
 	virtual ~RageSoundDriver() { }
 };
diff --git a/stepmania/src/arch/Sound/RageSoundDriver_DSound.cpp b/stepmania/src/arch/Sound/RageSoundDriver_DSound.cpp
index a5e6105aa9..95a1591a07 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/arch/Sound/RageSoundDriver_DSound.cpp
+++ b/stepmania/src/arch/Sound/RageSoundDriver_DSound.cpp
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@
 #include "../../RageUtil.h"
 #include "../../RageSound.h"
 #include "../../RageLog.h"
-#include "../../PrefsManager.h"
 #include "../../tls.h"
 #include "SDL.h"
 
@@ -165,8 +164,7 @@ RageSound_DSound::RageSound_DSound()
 		try {
 			newbuf = new DSoundBuf(ds, 
 				DSoundBuf::HW_HARDWARE,
-				channels, samplerate, 16, buffersize,
-				PREFSMAN->m_fSoundVolume);
+				channels, samplerate, 16, buffersize);
 		} catch(const RageException &e) {
 			/* If we didn't get at least 8, fail. */
 			if(i >= 8) break; /* OK */
@@ -188,8 +186,12 @@ RageSound_DSound::RageSound_DSound()
 		s->str_ds = newbuf;
 		stream_pool.push_back(s);
 	}
+
 	LOG->Trace("Got %i hardware buffers", stream_pool.size());
 
+	/* Set channel volumes. */
+	VolumeChanged();
+
 	MixerThreadPtr = SDL_CreateThread(MixerThread_start, this);
 }
 
@@ -197,12 +199,24 @@ RageSound_DSound::~RageSound_DSound()
 {
 	/* Signal the mixing thread to quit. */
 	shutdown = true;
+	LOG->Trace("Shutting down mixer thread ...");
+	LOG->Flush();
 	SDL_WaitThread(MixerThreadPtr, NULL);
+	LOG->Trace("Mixer thread shut down.");
+	LOG->Flush();
 
 	for(unsigned i = 0; i < stream_pool.size(); ++i)
 		delete stream_pool[i];
 }
 
+void RageSound_DSound::VolumeChanged()
+{
+	for(unsigned i = 0; i < stream_pool.size(); ++i)
+	{
+		stream_pool[i]->str_ds->SetVolume(SOUNDMAN->GetMixVolume());
+	}
+}
+
 void RageSound_DSound::StartMixing(RageSound *snd)
 {
 	LockMutex L(SOUNDMAN->lock);
diff --git a/stepmania/src/arch/Sound/RageSoundDriver_DSound.h b/stepmania/src/arch/Sound/RageSoundDriver_DSound.h
index 5474a86e05..cf5a9640ed 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/arch/Sound/RageSoundDriver_DSound.h
+++ b/stepmania/src/arch/Sound/RageSoundDriver_DSound.h
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ class RageSound_DSound: public RageSoundDriver
 	void StopMixing(RageSound *snd);		/* used by RageSound */
 	int GetPosition(const RageSound *snd) const;
 	void Update(float delta);
+	void VolumeChanged();
 
 public:
 	RageSound_DSound();
diff --git a/stepmania/src/arch/Sound/RageSoundDriver_DSound_Software.cpp b/stepmania/src/arch/Sound/RageSoundDriver_DSound_Software.cpp
index 36cc5eb706..d19d8309b5 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/arch/Sound/RageSoundDriver_DSound_Software.cpp
+++ b/stepmania/src/arch/Sound/RageSoundDriver_DSound_Software.cpp
@@ -43,7 +43,6 @@ void RageSound_DSound_Software::MixerThread()
 
 	while(!shutdown) {
 		Sleep(10);
-
 		while(GetData())
 			;
 	}
@@ -179,9 +178,11 @@ RageSound_DSound_Software::~RageSound_DSound_Software()
 {
 	/* Signal the mixing thread to quit. */
 	shutdown = true;
-	LOG->Trace("Shutting down mixer thread ...");
+	LOG->Trace("Shutting down mixer thread %p ...", MixerThreadPtr);
+	LOG->Flush();
 	SDL_WaitThread(MixerThreadPtr, NULL);
 	LOG->Trace("Mixer thread shut down.");
+	LOG->Flush();
 
 	delete str_ds;
 }