diff --git a/src/audio/AudioEngine.cpp b/src/audio/AudioEngine.cpp
index 3a89530..3ce15e3 100644
--- a/src/audio/AudioEngine.cpp
+++ b/src/audio/AudioEngine.cpp
@@ -20,6 +20,11 @@ AudioEngine::AudioEngine()
 {
     formatManager.registerBasicFormats();
 
+    // Start the backing read-ahead worker so the transport's BufferingAudioSource
+    // always has a live thread to pull decoded audio on. It sleeps while idle and
+    // costs nothing until a track is loaded.
+    backingReadThread.startThread();
+
     // Construct the full source pool up front so addSource/removeSource never
     // reassign a pointer the audio thread reads — they only flip `active`. Each
     // chain reads the engine's audioRunning / currentSampleRate atomics by
@@ -1278,9 +1283,27 @@ bool AudioEngine::loadBackingTrack(const juce::File& file)
 
     backingSource = std::make_unique<juce::AudioFormatReaderSource>(reader, true);
     backingTransport = std::make_unique<juce::AudioTransportSource>();
+    // Read-ahead on backingReadThread so the RT audio thread normally never
+    // touches the disk or the format codec. Previously this passed
+    // (…, 0, nullptr, …): with no read-ahead buffer the transport decoded the
+    // file synchronously inside getNextAudioBlock ON the audio callback, so any
+    // disk seek / decode spike (worst for compressed formats) blew the block
+    // budget → underruns heard as glitches or brief mutes while a song plays.
+    // 32768 source frames ≈ 0.68 s @ 48k of look-ahead absorbs those spikes.
+    //
+    // Known residual (accepted): juce::BufferingAudioSource is not fully
+    // RT-safe — readBufferSection() holds callbackLock across the decode of one
+    // refill chunk, and the callback's getNextAudioBlock() takes the same lock,
+    // so the RT thread can still block behind an in-flight chunk decode. The
+    // window is bounded (JUCE caps chunks at 2048 source frames) and only hit
+    // when a refill is mid-decode, vs. the old guaranteed full decode on every
+    // block; a truly lock-free ring would mean replacing the JUCE transport
+    // stack and isn't worth it here.
     // The 4th arg makes AudioTransportSource SRC the file to device rate.
     // Stretch always sees device-rate audio so that its presetDefault parameters match.
-    backingTransport->setSource(backingSource.get(), 0, nullptr, readerSampleRate);
+    constexpr int kBackingReadAheadSamples = 32768;
+    backingTransport->setSource(backingSource.get(), kBackingReadAheadSamples,
+                                &backingReadThread, readerSampleRate);
 
     // Loading a backing track before the audio device has started leaves
     // sr/bs at zero. presetDefault(2, 0.0f) would seed the stretcher with
diff --git a/src/audio/AudioEngine.h b/src/audio/AudioEngine.h
index f440dd3..ea0c904 100644
--- a/src/audio/AudioEngine.h
+++ b/src/audio/AudioEngine.h
@@ -467,6 +467,11 @@ private:
     std::atomic<float> outputPeak{0.0f};
 
     // Backing track
+    // Read-ahead worker that fills the transport's buffer off the audio thread
+    // (see loadBackingTrack). Declared BEFORE backingTransport so it is destroyed
+    // AFTER it — the transport's BufferingAudioSource holds a pointer to this
+    // thread and must be torn down before the thread goes away.
+    juce::TimeSliceThread backingReadThread { "BackingReadAhead" };
     std::unique_ptr<juce::AudioFormatReaderSource> backingSource;
     std::unique_ptr<juce::AudioTransportSource> backingTransport;
     signalsmith::stretch::SignalsmithStretch<float> backingStretch;