diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 478eeae..88d9cad 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -27,7 +27,6 @@ set(TWN_ROOT_DIR ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR} CACHE INTERNAL "")
 
 # feature configuration, set them with -DFEATURE=ON/OFF in cli
 option(TWN_FEATURE_DYNLIB_GAME  "Enable dynamic library loading support" ON)
-option(TWN_FEATURE_PUSH_AUDIO  "Enable frame based audio push for easy realtime audio" ON)
 option(TWN_USE_AMALGAM  "Enable use of twn_amalgam.c as a single compilation unit" ON)
 
 # todo: figure out how to compile for dynamic linking instead
@@ -136,8 +135,6 @@ set_target_properties(${TWN_TARGET} PROPERTIES
                                     C_STANDARD_REQUIRED ON
                                     C_EXTENSIONS ON) # extensions are required by stb_ds.h
 
-target_compile_definitions(${TWN_TARGET} PRIVATE $<$<BOOL:${TWN_FEATURE_PUSH_AUDIO}>:TWN_FEATURE_PUSH_AUDIO>)
-
 # precompile commonly used not-so-small headers
 target_precompile_headers(${TWN_TARGET} PRIVATE
         $<$<NOT:$<BOOL:${EMSCRIPTEN}>>:third-party/glad/include/glad/glad.h>
diff --git a/src/twn_audio.c b/src/twn_audio.c
index af7e76a..50a8b6d 100644
--- a/src/twn_audio.c
+++ b/src/twn_audio.c
@@ -259,9 +259,8 @@ void audio_play(const char *path,
         request.format = AUDIO_F32;
         request.channels = 2;
         request.samples = 4096;
-        #ifndef TWN_FEATURE_PUSH_AUDIO
-        request.callback = audio_callback;
-        #endif
+        if (!ctx.push_audio_model)
+            request.callback = audio_callback;
         /* TODO: check for errors */
         ctx.audio_device = SDL_OpenAudioDevice(NULL, 0, &request, &got, 0);
         ctx.audio_stream_format = got.format;
@@ -279,6 +278,8 @@ void audio_play(const char *path,
         ctx.audio_initialized = true;
     }
 
+    SDL_LockAudioDevice(ctx.audio_device);
+
     if (channel) {
         AudioChannelItem *pair = shgetp_null(ctx.audio_channels, channel);
 
@@ -331,6 +332,8 @@ void audio_play(const char *path,
 
         arrpush(ctx.unnamed_audio_channels, new_channel);
     }
+
+    SDL_UnlockAudioDevice(ctx.audio_device);
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/twn_engine_context_c.h b/src/twn_engine_context_c.h
index dac04b2..1d27fb7 100644
--- a/src/twn_engine_context_c.h
+++ b/src/twn_engine_context_c.h
@@ -83,6 +83,7 @@ typedef struct EngineContext {
     /* signals mouse focus, used to disable mouse capture */
     bool window_mouse_resident;
     bool audio_initialized;
+    bool push_audio_model;
     bool cull_faces;
 } EngineContext;
 
diff --git a/src/twn_loop.c b/src/twn_loop.c
index 0c643db..86e5395 100644
--- a/src/twn_loop.c
+++ b/src/twn_loop.c
@@ -226,17 +226,18 @@ static void main_loop(void) {
         input_state_update_postframe(&ctx.input);
 
         /* TODO: make it works when ctx.ticks_per_second != 60 */
-        #ifdef TWN_FEATURE_PUSH_AUDIO
-        uint64_t const queued_frames = SDL_GetQueuedAudioSize(ctx.audio_device) / sizeof (float) / 2;
-        if (queued_frames >= 4096 * 2)
-            SDL_ClearQueuedAudio(ctx.audio_device);
-        static uint8_t audio_buffer[(AUDIO_FREQUENCY / 60) * sizeof (float) * 2];
-        if (ctx.audio_initialized) {
-            audio_callback(NULL, audio_buffer, sizeof audio_buffer);
-            if (SDL_QueueAudio(ctx.audio_device, audio_buffer, sizeof audio_buffer))
-                CRY_SDL("Error queueing audio: ");
+        if (ctx.push_audio_model) {
+            uint64_t const queued_frames = SDL_GetQueuedAudioSize(ctx.audio_device) / sizeof (float) / 2;
+            /* note: this is here to reduce drift which sometimes appears */
+            if (queued_frames >= 4096 * 2)
+                SDL_ClearQueuedAudio(ctx.audio_device);
+            static uint8_t audio_buffer[(AUDIO_FREQUENCY / 60) * sizeof (float) * 2];
+            if (ctx.audio_initialized) {
+                audio_callback(NULL, audio_buffer, sizeof audio_buffer);
+                if (SDL_QueueAudio(ctx.audio_device, audio_buffer, sizeof audio_buffer))
+                    CRY_SDL("Error queueing audio: ");
+            }
         }
-        #endif
 
         /* TODO: ctx.game_copy = ctx.game should be placed after it, but it messes with state used in render() */
         preserve_persistent_ctx_fields();
@@ -639,23 +640,24 @@ static bool initialize(void) {
         } else {
             ctx.cull_faces = datum_cull_faces.u.b;
         }
-    }
 
-    /* these are dynamic arrays and will be allocated lazily by stb_ds */
-    ctx.render_queue_2d = NULL;
-    ctx.uncolored_mesh_batches = NULL;
+        toml_datum_t datum_audio_model = toml_string_in(engine, "audio_model");
+        ctx.push_audio_model = datum_audio_model.ok ? SDL_strncmp(datum_audio_model.u.s, "push", sizeof "push" - 1) == 0 : false;
+        SDL_free(datum_audio_model.u.s);
 
-    /* input */
-    toml_datum_t datum_keybind_slots = toml_int_in(engine, "keybind_slots");
-    if (!datum_keybind_slots.ok) {
-        ctx.keybind_slots = KEYBIND_SLOTS_DEFAULT;
-    } else {
-        if (datum_keybind_slots.u.i < 1) {
+        /* input */
+        toml_datum_t datum_keybind_slots = toml_int_in(engine, "keybind_slots");
+        if (!datum_keybind_slots.ok) {
             ctx.keybind_slots = KEYBIND_SLOTS_DEFAULT;
         } else {
-            ctx.keybind_slots = datum_keybind_slots.u.i;
+            if (datum_keybind_slots.u.i < 1) {
+                ctx.keybind_slots = KEYBIND_SLOTS_DEFAULT;
+            } else {
+                ctx.keybind_slots = datum_keybind_slots.u.i;
+            }
         }
     }
+
     input_state_init(&ctx.input);
 
     ctx.render_double_buffered = true;