diff --git a/src/engine/engine.cpp b/src/engine/engine.cpp
index 7f2ad1010..a22370da8 100644
--- a/src/engine/engine.cpp
+++ b/src/engine/engine.cpp
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 #include "engine.h"
 #include "instrument.h"
 #include "safeReader.h"
+#include "workPool.h"
 #include "../ta-log.h"
 #include "../fileutils.h"
 #ifdef HAVE_SDL2
@@ -3123,6 +3124,10 @@ bool DivEngine::switchMaster(bool full) {
     quitDispatch();
     initDispatch();
   }
+  if (renderPool!=NULL) {
+    delete renderPool;
+    renderPool=NULL;
+  }
   if (initAudioBackend()) {
     for (int i=0; i<song.systemLen; i++) {
       disCont[i].setRates(got.rate);
@@ -3314,6 +3319,7 @@ bool DivEngine::initAudioBackend() {
   midiOutMode=getConfInt("midiOutMode",DIV_MIDI_MODE_NOTE);
   if (metroVol<0.0f) metroVol=0.0f;
   if (metroVol>2.0f) metroVol=2.0f;
+  renderPoolThreads=getConfInt("renderPoolThreads",0);
 
   if (lowLatency) logI("using low latency mode.");
 
diff --git a/src/engine/engine.h b/src/engine/engine.h
index ba2cf567b..25add2069 100644
--- a/src/engine/engine.h
+++ b/src/engine/engine.h
@@ -487,6 +487,7 @@ class DivEngine {
 
   size_t totalProcessed;
 
+  unsigned int renderPoolThreads;
   DivWorkPool* renderPool;
 
   // MIDI stuff
@@ -1264,6 +1265,8 @@ class DivEngine {
       metroAmp(0.0f),
       metroVol(1.0f),
       totalProcessed(0),
+      renderPoolThreads(0),
+      renderPool(NULL),
       curOrders(NULL),
       curPat(NULL),
       tempIns(NULL),
diff --git a/src/engine/playback.cpp b/src/engine/playback.cpp
index 0b21dc57f..5f06d31aa 100644
--- a/src/engine/playback.cpp
+++ b/src/engine/playback.cpp
@@ -1790,8 +1790,7 @@ void DivEngine::nextBuf(float** in, float** out, int inChans, int outChans, unsi
   std::chrono::steady_clock::time_point ts_processBegin=std::chrono::steady_clock::now();
 
   if (renderPool==NULL) {
-    // TODO: test this
-    renderPool=new DivWorkPool(0);
+    renderPool=new DivWorkPool(renderPoolThreads);
   }
 
   // process MIDI events (TODO: everything)
diff --git a/src/engine/workPool.cpp b/src/engine/workPool.cpp
index b3610f74c..6a562bfe2 100644
--- a/src/engine/workPool.cpp
+++ b/src/engine/workPool.cpp
@@ -43,11 +43,14 @@ void DivWorkThread::run() {
       if (setFuckingPromise) {
         parent->notify.set_value();
         setFuckingPromise=false;
+        std::this_thread::yield();
       }
       if (terminate) {
         break;
       }
-      notify.wait(unique);
+      if (notify.wait_for(unique,std::chrono::milliseconds(100))==std::cv_status::timeout) {
+        logE("this task timed out!");
+      }
       continue;
     } else {
       task=tasks.front();
@@ -128,7 +131,6 @@ bool DivWorkPool::busy() {
 
 void DivWorkPool::wait() {
   if (!threaded) return;
-  //std::unique_lock<std::mutex> unique(selfLock);
 
   if (busyCount==0) {
     logV("nothing to do");
@@ -141,6 +143,7 @@ void DivWorkPool::wait() {
   for (unsigned int i=0; i<count; i++) {
     workThreads[i].notify.notify_one();
   }
+  std::this_thread::yield();
 
   // wait
   logV("waiting on future");
diff --git a/src/engine/workPool.h b/src/engine/workPool.h
index aab8a1ea2..d4b959cad 100644
--- a/src/engine/workPool.h
+++ b/src/engine/workPool.h
@@ -71,7 +71,6 @@ struct DivWorkThread {
  */
 class DivWorkPool {
   bool threaded;
-  std::mutex selfLock;
   unsigned int count;
   unsigned int pos;
   DivWorkThread* workThreads;
diff --git a/src/gui/gui.h b/src/gui/gui.h
index cdf676303..4c240009b 100644
--- a/src/gui/gui.h
+++ b/src/gui/gui.h
@@ -1575,6 +1575,7 @@ class FurnaceGUI {
     int classicChipOptions;
     int wasapiEx;
     int chanOscThreads;
+    int renderPoolThreads;
     unsigned int maxUndoSteps;
     String mainFontPath;
     String headFontPath;
@@ -1751,6 +1752,7 @@ class FurnaceGUI {
       classicChipOptions(0),
       wasapiEx(0),
       chanOscThreads(0),
+      renderPoolThreads(0),
       maxUndoSteps(100),
       mainFontPath(""),
       headFontPath(""),
diff --git a/src/gui/settings.cpp b/src/gui/settings.cpp
index e36a6bdd9..6b2489a8b 100644
--- a/src/gui/settings.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/settings.cpp
@@ -892,6 +892,36 @@ void FurnaceGUI::drawSettings() {
           ImGui::EndTable();
         }
 
+        bool renderPoolThreadsB=(settings.renderPoolThreads>0);
+        if (ImGui::Checkbox("Multi-threaded (EXPERIMENTAL)",&renderPoolThreadsB)) {
+          if (renderPoolThreadsB) {
+            settings.renderPoolThreads=2;
+          } else {
+            settings.renderPoolThreads=0;
+          }
+        }
+        if (ImGui::IsItemHovered()) {
+          ImGui::SetTooltip("runs chip emulation on separate threads.\nmay increase performance on multi-core CPUs.\n\nwarnings:\n- experimental! currently broken/not working well.\n- only useful on multi-chip songs.");
+        }
+
+        if (renderPoolThreadsB) {
+          pushWarningColor(settings.renderPoolThreads>cpuCores,settings.renderPoolThreads>cpuCores);
+          if (ImGui::InputInt("Number of threads",&settings.renderPoolThreads)) {
+            if (settings.renderPoolThreads<2) settings.renderPoolThreads=2;
+            if (settings.renderPoolThreads>32) settings.renderPoolThreads=32;
+          }
+          if (settings.renderPoolThreads>=DIV_MAX_CHIPS) {
+            if (ImGui::IsItemHovered()) {
+              ImGui::SetTooltip("that's the limit!");
+            }
+          } else if (settings.renderPoolThreads>cpuCores) {
+            if (ImGui::IsItemHovered()) {
+              ImGui::SetTooltip("it is a VERY bad idea to set this number higher than your CPU core count (%d)!",cpuCores);
+            }
+          }
+          popWarningColor();
+        }
+
         bool lowLatencyB=settings.lowLatency;
         if (ImGui::Checkbox("Low-latency mode",&lowLatencyB)) {
           settings.lowLatency=lowLatencyB;
@@ -3284,6 +3314,7 @@ void FurnaceGUI::syncSettings() {
   settings.classicChipOptions=e->getConfInt("classicChipOptions",0);
   settings.wasapiEx=e->getConfInt("wasapiEx",0);
   settings.chanOscThreads=e->getConfInt("chanOscThreads",0);
+  settings.renderPoolThreads=e->getConfInt("renderPoolThreads",0);
 
   clampSetting(settings.mainFontSize,2,96);
   clampSetting(settings.headFontSize,2,96);
@@ -3433,6 +3464,7 @@ void FurnaceGUI::syncSettings() {
   clampSetting(settings.classicChipOptions,0,1);
   clampSetting(settings.wasapiEx,0,1);
   clampSetting(settings.chanOscThreads,0,256);
+  clampSetting(settings.renderPoolThreads,0,256);
 
   if (settings.exportLoops<0.0) settings.exportLoops=0.0;
   if (settings.exportFadeOut<0.0) settings.exportFadeOut=0.0;
@@ -3689,6 +3721,7 @@ void FurnaceGUI::commitSettings() {
   e->setConf("classicChipOptions",settings.classicChipOptions);
   e->setConf("wasapiEx",settings.wasapiEx);
   e->setConf("chanOscThreads",settings.chanOscThreads);
+  e->setConf("renderPoolThreads",settings.renderPoolThreads);
 
   // colors
   for (int i=0; i<GUI_COLOR_MAX; i++) {