diff --git a/packages/soundfonts/fontloader.mjs b/packages/soundfonts/fontloader.mjs
index ca9e45d51..95e210890 100644
--- a/packages/soundfonts/fontloader.mjs
+++ b/packages/soundfonts/fontloader.mjs
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import {
   getPitchEnvelope,
   getVibratoOscillator,
   onceEnded,
+  releaseAudioNode,
 } from '@strudel/webaudio';
 import gm from './gm.mjs';
 
@@ -172,9 +173,8 @@ export function registerSoundfonts() {
         bufferSource.stop(envEnd);
         const stop = (releaseTime) => {};
         onceEnded(bufferSource, () => {
-          bufferSource.disconnect();
-          vibratoOscillator?.stop();
-          node.disconnect();
+          releaseAudioNode(bufferSource);
+          releaseAudioNode(vibratoOscillator);
           onended();
         });
         return { node, stop };
diff --git a/packages/superdough/helpers.mjs b/packages/superdough/helpers.mjs
index 0b696df9b..5abc2bad1 100644
--- a/packages/superdough/helpers.mjs
+++ b/packages/superdough/helpers.mjs
@@ -189,7 +189,7 @@ export function applyParameterModulators(audioContext, param, start, end, envelo
     getParamADSR(param, attack, decay, sustain, release, min, max, start, holdEnd, curve);
   }
   const lfo = getParamLfo(audioContext, param, start, end, lfoValues);
-  return { lfo, disconnect: () => lfo?.disconnect() };
+  return lfo;
 }
 export function createFilter(context, start, end, params, cps, cycle) {
   let {
@@ -283,9 +283,12 @@ export function drywet(dry, wet, wetAmount = 0) {
   wet_gain.connect(mix);
   return {
     node: mix,
-    onended: () => {
-      dry_gain.disconnect(mix);
-      wet_gain.disconnect(mix);
+    teardown: () => {
+      releaseAudioNode(dry_gain);
+      releaseAudioNode(wet_gain);
+      // it is not the responsability of drywet
+      // to call `releaseAudioNode` on
+      // the 2 external args dry and wet
       dry.disconnect(dry_gain);
       wet.disconnect(wet_gain);
     },
@@ -324,10 +327,10 @@ export function getVibratoOscillator(param, value, t) {
     gain.gain.value = vibmod * 100;
     vibratoOscillator.connect(gain);
     gain.connect(param);
-    vibratoOscillator.onended = () => {
-      gain.disconnect(param);
-      vibratoOscillator.disconnect(gain);
-    };
+    onceEnded(vibratoOscillator, () => {
+      releaseAudioNode(gain);
+      releaseAudioNode(vibratoOscillator);
+    });
     vibratoOscillator.start(t);
     return vibratoOscillator;
   }
@@ -613,6 +616,8 @@ export const releaseAudioNode = (node) => {
   // returns true and either its active source flag is true or
   // any AudioNode connected to one of its inputs is actively processing.
   if (node instanceof AudioWorkletNode) {
+    // while `end` is not native to the web audio API, it is common practice in superdough
+    // to use that param in the worklets to trigger returning false from the processor
     node.parameters.get('end')?.setValueAtTime(0, 0);
   }
 };
diff --git a/packages/superdough/noise.mjs b/packages/superdough/noise.mjs
index 3e41515df..52d9306a1 100644
--- a/packages/superdough/noise.mjs
+++ b/packages/superdough/noise.mjs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { drywet } from './helpers.mjs';
+import { drywet, onceEnded, releaseAudioNode } from './helpers.mjs';
 import { getAudioContext } from './audioContext.mjs';
 
 let noiseCache = {};
@@ -65,9 +65,12 @@ export function getNoiseOscillator(type = 'white', t, density = 0.02) {
 export function getNoiseMix(inputNode, wet, t) {
   const noiseOscillator = getNoiseOscillator('pink', t);
   const noiseMix = drywet(inputNode, noiseOscillator.node, wet);
-  noiseOscillator.node.onended = () => noiseMix.onended();
+  onceEnded(noiseOscillator.node, () => {
+    releaseAudioNode(noiseOscillator.node);
+  });
   return {
     node: noiseMix.node,
     stop: (time) => noiseOscillator?.stop(time),
+    teardown: noiseMix.teardown,
   };
 }
diff --git a/packages/superdough/sampler.mjs b/packages/superdough/sampler.mjs
index bdf524d10..2deeb4b74 100644
--- a/packages/superdough/sampler.mjs
+++ b/packages/superdough/sampler.mjs
@@ -323,10 +323,10 @@ export async function onTriggerSample(t, value, onended, bank, resolveUrl) {
   const out = ac.createGain(); // we need a separate gain for the cutgroups because firefox...
   node.connect(out);
   onceEnded(bufferSource, function () {
-    bufferSource.disconnect();
-    vibratoOscillator?.stop();
-    node.disconnect();
-    out.disconnect();
+    releaseAudioNode(bufferSource);
+    releaseAudioNode(vibratoOscillator);
+    releaseAudioNode(node);
+    releaseAudioNode(out);
     onended();
   });
   let envEnd = holdEnd + release + 0.01;
diff --git a/packages/superdough/superdough.mjs b/packages/superdough/superdough.mjs
index b97865918..6891c9408 100644
--- a/packages/superdough/superdough.mjs
+++ b/packages/superdough/superdough.mjs
@@ -9,7 +9,16 @@ import './reverb.mjs';
 import './vowel.mjs';
 import { nanFallback, _mod, cycleToSeconds, pickAndRename } from './util.mjs';
 import workletsUrl from './worklets.mjs?audioworklet';
-import { createFilter, gainNode, getCompressor, getDistortion, getLfo, getWorklet, effectSend } from './helpers.mjs';
+import {
+  createFilter,
+  gainNode,
+  getCompressor,
+  getDistortion,
+  getLfo,
+  getWorklet,
+  effectSend,
+  releaseAudioNode,
+} from './helpers.mjs';
 import { map } from 'nanostores';
 import { logger } from './logger.mjs';
 import { loadBuffer } from './sampler.mjs';
@@ -505,7 +514,7 @@ export const superdough = async (value, t, hapDuration, cps = 0.5, cycle = 0.5)
   } else if (getSound(s)) {
     const { onTrigger } = getSound(s);
     const onEnded = () => {
-      audioNodes.forEach((n) => n?.disconnect());
+      audioNodes.forEach((n) => releaseAudioNode(n));
       activeSoundSources.delete(chainID);
     };
     const soundHandle = await onTrigger(t, value, onEnded, cps);
diff --git a/packages/superdough/synth.mjs b/packages/superdough/synth.mjs
index b02354465..d9ee0d936 100644
--- a/packages/superdough/synth.mjs
+++ b/packages/superdough/synth.mjs
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import {
   getVibratoOscillator,
   getWorklet,
   noises,
+  onceEnded,
   releaseAudioNode,
   webAudioTimeout,
 } from './helpers.mjs';
@@ -52,7 +53,7 @@ export function registerSynthSounds() {
         const g = gainNode(0.3);
 
         let sound = getOscillator(s, t, value, () => {
-          g.disconnect();
+          releaseAudioNode(g);
           onended();
         });
 
@@ -110,15 +111,15 @@ export function registerSynthSounds() {
 
       const mix = gainNode(mixGain);
 
-      o.onended = () => {
-        o.disconnect();
-        g.disconnect();
-        sat.disconnect();
-        noise.node.disconnect();
-        noiseGain.disconnect();
-        mix.disconnect();
+      onceEnded(o, () => {
+        releaseAudioNode(o);
+        releaseAudioNode(g);
+        releaseAudioNode(sat);
+        releaseAudioNode(noise.node);
+        releaseAudioNode(noiseGain);
+        releaseAudioNode(mix);
         onended();
-      };
+      });
 
       const node = o.connect(sat).connect(g).connect(mix);
       noise.node.connect(noiseGain).connect(mix);
@@ -384,11 +385,11 @@ export function registerSynthSounds() {
 
         const { duration } = value;
 
-        o.onended = () => {
-          o.disconnect();
-          g.disconnect();
+        onceEnded(o, () => {
+          releaseAudioNode(o);
+          releaseAudioNode(g);
           onended();
-        };
+        });
 
         const envGain = gainNode(1);
         let node = o.connect(g).connect(envGain);
@@ -489,11 +490,12 @@ export function getOscillator(s, t, value, onended) {
     noiseMix = getNoiseMix(o, noise, t);
   }
 
-  o.onended = () => {
-    noiseMix || o.disconnect();
-    noiseMix?.node.disconnect();
+  onceEnded(o, () => {
+    noiseMix?.teardown();
+    releaseAudioNode(o);
+    releaseAudioNode(noiseMix?.node);
     onended();
-  };
+  });
   o.start(t);
 
   return {
diff --git a/packages/superdough/wavetable.mjs b/packages/superdough/wavetable.mjs
index e9d810414..4311c5cab 100644
--- a/packages/superdough/wavetable.mjs
+++ b/packages/superdough/wavetable.mjs
@@ -320,10 +320,10 @@ export async function onTriggerSynth(t, value, onended, tables, cps, frameLen) {
     ac,
     () => {
       releaseAudioNode(source);
-      vibratoOscillator?.stop();
+      releaseAudioNode(vibratoOscillator);
       fm?.stop();
-      wtPosModulators?.disconnect();
-      wtWarpModulators?.disconnect();
+      releaseAudioNode(wtPosModulators);
+      releaseAudioNode(wtWarpModulators);
       onended();
     },
     t,