diff --git a/Timeline/Engine/Disk_Stream.H b/Timeline/Engine/Disk_Stream.H
index 356de56..594a171 100644
--- a/Timeline/Engine/Disk_Stream.H
+++ b/Timeline/Engine/Disk_Stream.H
@@ -51,7 +51,6 @@ protected:
 
     nframes_t _nframes;                              /* buffer size */
 
-    nframes_t _frame;                      /* location of disk read */
 
     std::vector < jack_ringbuffer_t * >_rb; /* one ringbuffer for each channel */
 
@@ -63,6 +62,7 @@ protected:
 
     nframes_t _frame_rate;      /* used for buffer size calculations */
 
+    volatile nframes_t _frame;             /* location of disk read */
     volatile nframes_t _pending_seek; /* absolute transport position to seek to */
     volatile int _terminate;
 
diff --git a/Timeline/Engine/Playback_DS.C b/Timeline/Engine/Playback_DS.C
index ff049ec..9802339 100644
--- a/Timeline/Engine/Playback_DS.C
+++ b/Timeline/Engine/Playback_DS.C
@@ -49,7 +49,8 @@ Playback_DS::seek ( nframes_t frame )
 {
     THREAD_ASSERT( RT );
 
-    DMESSAGE( "requesting seek" );
+    /* FIXME: non-RT-safe IO */
+    DMESSAGE( "requesting seek to frame %lu", (unsigned long)frame );
 
     if ( seek_pending() )
         printf( "seek error, attempt to seek while seek is pending\n" );
@@ -104,7 +105,7 @@ Playback_DS::disk_thread ( void )
     sample_t *cbuf = new sample_t[ _nframes * _disk_io_blocks ];
 #endif
 
-    int blocks_ready = 1;
+    int blocks_ready = 0;
 
     const nframes_t nframes = _nframes * _disk_io_blocks;
 
@@ -115,27 +116,22 @@ Playback_DS::disk_thread ( void )
 
         if ( seek_pending() )
         {
-            DMESSAGE( "performing seek" );
+            /* FIXME: non-RT-safe IO */
+            DMESSAGE( "performing seek to frame %lu", (unsigned long)_pending_seek );
 
             _frame = _pending_seek;
             _pending_seek = -1;
-            blocks_ready = 1;
-            /* finish flushing the buffer */
-
-/*             for ( int i = channels(); i-- ) */
-/*                 jack_ringbuffer_write_advance( _rb[ i ], jack_ringbuffer_write_space( _rb[ i ] ) ); */
-
+            blocks_ready = 0;
         }
 
-        if ( blocks_ready < _disk_io_blocks )
+        if ( ++blocks_ready < _disk_io_blocks )
         {
-            ++blocks_ready;
             /* wait for more space */
             continue;
         }
 
         /* reset */
-        blocks_ready = 1;
+        blocks_ready = 0;
 
         read_block( buf, nframes );
 
@@ -211,6 +207,7 @@ Playback_DS::process ( nframes_t nframes )
 {
     THREAD_ASSERT( RT );
 
+
     const size_t block_size = nframes * sizeof( sample_t );
 
 //    printf( "process: %lu %lu %lu\n", _frame, _frame + nframes, nframes );
diff --git a/Timeline/Engine/Record_DS.C b/Timeline/Engine/Record_DS.C
index 13305dd..890af8e 100644
--- a/Timeline/Engine/Record_DS.C
+++ b/Timeline/Engine/Record_DS.C
@@ -72,7 +72,6 @@ Record_DS::disk_thread ( void )
 
     DMESSAGE( "capture thread running..." );
 
-
     const nframes_t nframes = _nframes * _disk_io_blocks;
 
     /* buffer to hold the interleaved data returned by the track reader */
@@ -83,18 +82,14 @@ Record_DS::disk_thread ( void )
 
     const size_t block_size = nframes * sizeof( sample_t );
 
-    int blocks_ready = 1;
+    int blocks_ready = 0;
 
     while ( wait_for_block() )
     {
-
-        if ( blocks_ready < _disk_io_blocks )
-        {
-            ++blocks_ready;
+        if ( ++blocks_ready < _disk_io_blocks )
             continue;
-        }
-
-        blocks_ready = 1;
+        else
+            blocks_ready = 0;
 
         /* pull data from the per-channel ringbuffers and interlace it */
         for ( int i = channels(); i--; )
@@ -204,6 +199,7 @@ Record_DS::disk_thread ( void )
     _capture = NULL;
 
     /* now finalize the recording */
+
     track()->finalize( c, _stop_frame );
 
     delete c;
@@ -228,6 +224,8 @@ Record_DS::start ( nframes_t frame )
 /*     /\* FIXME: safe to do this here? *\/ */
 /*     flush(); */
 
+    DMESSAGE( "recording started at frame %lu", (unsigned long)frame);
+
     _frame = frame;
 
     _capture = new Track::Capture;
@@ -260,6 +258,9 @@ Record_DS::stop ( nframes_t frame )
 }
 
 
+#include "../Transport.H"
+extern Transport *transport;
+
 /** read from the attached track's ports and stuff the ringbuffers */
 nframes_t
 Record_DS::process ( nframes_t nframes )
@@ -269,13 +270,40 @@ Record_DS::process ( nframes_t nframes )
     if ( ! _recording )
         return 0;
 
-    const size_t block_size = nframes * sizeof( sample_t );
+     if ( transport->frame < _frame  )
+         return 0;
+
+/*    DMESSAGE( "recording actually happening at %lu (start frame %lu)", (unsigned long)transport->frame, (unsigned long)_frame); */
+
+    nframes_t offset = 0;
+
+    if ( _frame > transport->frame &&
+         _frame < transport->frame + nframes )
+    {
+        /* The record start frame falls somewhere within the current
+           buffer.  We must discard the unneeded portion and only
+           stuff the part requested into the ringbuffer. */
+
+        offset = _frame - transport->frame;
+
+/*         DMESSAGE( "offset = %lu", (unsigned long)offset ); */
+    }
+
+    const size_t offset_size = offset * sizeof( sample_t );
+    const size_t block_size = ( nframes * sizeof( sample_t ) ) - offset_size;
 
     for ( int i = channels(); i--;  )
     {
+        /* read the entire input buffer */
         void *buf = track()->input[ i ].buffer( nframes );
 
-        if ( jack_ringbuffer_write( _rb[ i ], (char*)buf, block_size ) < block_size )
+/*         if ( buffer_is_digital_black( (sample_t*)buf, nframes ) ) */
+/*              DWARNING( "recording an entirely blank buffer" ); */
+
+        /* FIXME: this results in a ringbuffer size that is no longer
+         necessarily a multiple of nframes...  how will the other side
+         handle that? */
+        if ( jack_ringbuffer_write( _rb[ i ], (char*)buf + offset, block_size ) < block_size )
         {
             ++_xruns;
             memset( buf, 0, block_size );
diff --git a/Timeline/Engine/Timeline.C b/Timeline/Engine/Timeline.C
index c23edbd..8c980cc 100644
--- a/Timeline/Engine/Timeline.C
+++ b/Timeline/Engine/Timeline.C
@@ -38,6 +38,8 @@ Timeline::record ( void )
 
     nframes_t frame = transport->frame;
 
+    DMESSAGE( "Going to record starting at frame %lu", (unsigned long)frame );
+
     for ( int i = tracks->children(); i-- ; )
     {
         Track *t = (Track*)tracks->child( i );
@@ -85,7 +87,14 @@ Timeline::process ( nframes_t nframes )
     {
         Track *t = (Track*)tracks->child( i );
 
-        t->process( nframes );
+        t->process_output( nframes );
+    }
+
+    for ( int i = tracks->children(); i-- ; )
+    {
+        Track *t = (Track*)tracks->child( i );
+
+        t->process_input( nframes );
     }
 
     /* FIXME: BOGUS */
diff --git a/Timeline/Engine/Track.C b/Timeline/Engine/Track.C
index bf3e0d0..23d4122 100644
--- a/Timeline/Engine/Track.C
+++ b/Timeline/Engine/Track.C
@@ -151,33 +151,50 @@ Track::configure_inputs ( int n )
 }
 
 nframes_t
-Track::process ( nframes_t nframes )
+Track::process_input ( nframes_t nframes )
 {
     THREAD_ASSERT( RT );
 
     if ( ! transport->rolling )
     {
-        for ( int i = output.size(); i--; )
-            output[ i ].silence( nframes );
-
         for ( int i = input.size(); i--; )
             input[ i ].silence( nframes );
 
         return 0;
     }
 
+    if ( record_ds )
+        return record_ds->process( nframes );
+    else
+        return 0;
+
+}
+
+nframes_t
+Track::process_output ( nframes_t nframes )
+{
+    THREAD_ASSERT( RT );
+
+    if ( ! transport->rolling )
+    {
+        for ( int i = output.size(); i--; )
+            output[ i ].silence( nframes );
+
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    /* FIXME: should we blank the control output here or leave it floating? */
     for ( int i = control->children(); i--; )
         ((Control_Sequence*)control->child( i ))->process( nframes );
 
     if ( playback_ds )
-    {
-        record_ds->process( nframes );
         return playback_ds->process( nframes );
-    }
     else
         return 0;
 }
 
+
+
 void
 Track::seek ( nframes_t frame )
 {
diff --git a/Timeline/Engine/dsp.C b/Timeline/Engine/dsp.C
index 5145111..1745886 100644
--- a/Timeline/Engine/dsp.C
+++ b/Timeline/Engine/dsp.C
@@ -95,3 +95,15 @@ buffer_fill_with_silence ( sample_t *buf, nframes_t nframes )
 {
     memset( buf, 0, nframes * sizeof( sample_t ) );
 }
+
+bool
+buffer_is_digital_black ( sample_t *buf, nframes_t nframes )
+{
+    while ( nframes-- )
+    {
+        if ( 0 != buf[nframes] )
+            return false;
+    }
+
+    return true;
+}
diff --git a/Timeline/Engine/dsp.h b/Timeline/Engine/dsp.h
index 716fd2a..d13ea05 100644
--- a/Timeline/Engine/dsp.h
+++ b/Timeline/Engine/dsp.h
@@ -29,3 +29,4 @@ void buffer_interleave_one_channel ( sample_t *dst, sample_t *src, int channel,
 void buffer_interleave_one_channel_and_mix ( sample_t *dst, sample_t *src, int channel, int channels, nframes_t nframes );
 void buffer_deinterleave_one_channel ( sample_t *dst, sample_t *src, int channel, int channels, nframes_t nframes );
 void buffer_fill_with_silence ( sample_t *buf, nframes_t nframes );
+bool buffer_is_digital_black ( sample_t *buf, nframes_t nframes );
diff --git a/Timeline/Track.H b/Timeline/Track.H
index 060da3d..28e894c 100644
--- a/Timeline/Track.H
+++ b/Timeline/Track.H
@@ -207,7 +207,8 @@ public:
     const Audio_Region *capture_region ( void ) const;
 
     void resize_buffers ( nframes_t nframes );
-    nframes_t process ( nframes_t nframes );
+    nframes_t process_input ( nframes_t nframes );
+    nframes_t process_output ( nframes_t nframes );
     void seek ( nframes_t frame );
 
     void record ( Capture *c, nframes_t frame );