diff --git a/hairtunes.c b/hairtunes.c
index 471c42c6..34106a5e 100644
--- a/hairtunes.c
+++ b/hairtunes.c
@@ -163,7 +163,8 @@ int init_decoder(void) {
 }
 
 int hairtunes_init(char *pAeskey, char *pAesiv, char *fmtpstr, int pCtrlPort, int pTimingPort,
-         int pDataPort, char *pRtpHost, char*pPipeName, char *pLibaoDriver, char *pLibaoDeviceName, char *pLibaoDeviceId)
+         int pDataPort, char *pRtpHost, char*pPipeName, char *pLibaoDriver, char *pLibaoDeviceName, char *pLibaoDeviceId,
+         int bufStartFill)
 {
     if(pAeskey != NULL)    
         memcpy(aeskey, pAeskey, sizeof(aeskey));
@@ -183,6 +184,9 @@ int hairtunes_init(char *pAeskey, char *pAesiv, char *fmtpstr, int pCtrlPort, in
     controlport = pCtrlPort;
     timingport = pTimingPort;
     dataport = pDataPort;
+    if(bufStartFill < 0)
+        bufStartFill = START_FILL;
+    buffer_start_fill = bufStartFill;
 
     AES_set_decrypt_key(aeskey, 128, &aes);
 
@@ -309,7 +313,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
     if (hex2bin(aeskey, hexaeskey))
         die("can't understand key");
     return hairtunes_init(NULL, NULL, fmtpstr, controlport, timingport, dataport,
-                    NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL);
+                    NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, START_FILL);
 }
 #endif
 
@@ -654,7 +658,7 @@ short *buffer_get_frame(void) {
     }
     if (buf_fill >= BUFFER_FRAMES) {   // overrunning! uh-oh. restart at a sane distance
         fprintf(stderr, "\noverrun.\n");
-        ab_read = ab_write - START_FILL;
+        ab_read = ab_write - buffer_start_fill;
     }
     read = ab_read;
     ab_read++;
diff --git a/hairtunes.h b/hairtunes.h
index 93589ae6..7666154b 100644
--- a/hairtunes.h
+++ b/hairtunes.h
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 #ifndef _HAIRTUNES_H_
 #define _HAIRTUNES_H_
-int hairtunes_init(char *pAeskey, char *pAesiv, char *pFmtpstr, int pCtrlPort, int pTimingPort,
-         int pDataPort, char *pRtpHost, char*pPipeName, char *pLibaoDriver, char *pLibaoDeviceName, char *pLibaoDeviceId);
+int hairtunes_init(char *pAeskey, char *pAesiv, char *fmtpstr, int pCtrlPort, int pTimingPort,
+         int pDataPort, char *pRtpHost, char*pPipeName, char *pLibaoDriver, char *pLibaoDeviceName, char *pLibaoDeviceId,
+         int bufStartFill);
 
 // default buffer size
 // needs to be a power of 2 because of the way BUFIDX(seqno) works
diff --git a/shairport.c b/shairport.c
index 2433456d..924d9401 100644
--- a/shairport.c
+++ b/shairport.c
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@
 // TEMP
 
 int kCurrentLogLevel = LOG_INFO;
-extern int buffer_start_fill;
+int bufferStartFill = -1;
 
 #ifdef _WIN32
 #define DEVNULL "nul"
@@ -113,12 +113,12 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
     }
     else if(!strcmp(arg, "-b")) 
     {
-      buffer_start_fill = atoi(*++argv);
+      bufferStartFill = atoi(*++argv);
       argc--;
     }
     else if(!strncmp(arg, "--buffer=", 9))
     {
-      buffer_start_fill = atoi(arg + 9);
+      bufferStartFill = atoi(arg + 9);
     }
     else if(!strcmp(arg, "-k"))
     {
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
     }    
   }
 
-  if ( buffer_start_fill < 30 || buffer_start_fill > BUFFER_FRAMES ) { 
+  if ( bufferStartFill < 30 || bufferStartFill > BUFFER_FRAMES ) {
      fprintf(stderr, "buffer value must be > 30 and < %d\n", BUFFER_FRAMES);
      return(0);
   }
@@ -774,7 +774,8 @@ int parseMessage(struct connection *pConn, unsigned char *pIpBin, unsigned int p
       }
       cleanupBuffers(pConn);
       hairtunes_init(tKeys->aeskey, tKeys->aesiv, tKeys->fmt, tControlport, tTimingport,
-                      tDataport, tRtp, tPipe, tAoDriver, tAoDeviceName, tAoDeviceId);
+                      tDataport, tRtp, tPipe, tAoDriver, tAoDeviceName, tAoDeviceId,
+                      bufferStartFill);
 
       // Quit when finished.
       slog(LOG_DEBUG, "Returned from hairtunes init....returning -1, should close out this whole side of the fork\n");