diff --git a/packages/core/src/runtime/init.test.ts b/packages/core/src/runtime/init.test.ts
index ff1177d1a4..9bfc799319 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/runtime/init.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/runtime/init.test.ts
@@ -5947,6 +5947,61 @@ describe("initSandboxRuntimeModular", () => {
     });
   });
 
+  describe("decoded audio across edits", () => {
+    useMockAudioContext();
+    afterEach(() => vi.unstubAllGlobals());
+
+    it("releases buffers for sources the film no longer uses and keeps the rest without re-decoding", async () => {
+      const first = mountAudio("https://cdn.example.com/clip-0.mp3");
+      const audios = [first];
+      for (let i = 1; i < 8; i++) {
+        const audio = document.createElement("audio");
+        audio.setAttribute("data-start", String(i));
+        audio.setAttribute("data-duration", "1");
+        audio.setAttribute("src", `https://cdn.example.com/clip-${i}.mp3`);
+        audio.load = () => {};
+        audio.play = vi.fn(() => Promise.resolve());
+        first.parentElement!.appendChild(audio);
+        audios.push(audio);
+      }
+      (AudioContext.prototype as unknown as { decodeAudioData: unknown }).decodeAudioData =
+        async () => ({}) as AudioBuffer;
+      const fetchMock = vi.fn(async () => ({
+        ok: true,
+        arrayBuffer: async () => new ArrayBuffer(8),
+      }));
+      vi.stubGlobal("fetch", fetchMock);
+      vi.spyOn(console, "info").mockImplementation(() => {});
+      vi.spyOn(WebAudioTransport.prototype, "schedulePlayback").mockResolvedValue(null);
+      const decode = vi.spyOn(WebAudioTransport.prototype, "decodeAudioElement");
+      const settled = async (calls: number) => {
+        await vi.waitFor(() => expect(decode).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(calls));
+        await Promise.all(decode.mock.results.map((r) => r.value));
+      };
+      const cached = () =>
+        [
+          ...(
+            decode.mock.contexts[0] as unknown as { _bufferCache: Map<string, unknown> }
+          )._bufferCache.keys(),
+        ].sort();
+
+      await startPlayback();
+      await settled(8);
+      expect(cached()).toHaveLength(8);
+
+      // An edit swaps the second half of the clips to new sources.
+      window.__player?.pause();
+      audios
+        .slice(4)
+        .forEach((a, i) => a.setAttribute("src", `https://cdn.example.com/edit-${i}.mp3`));
+      window.__player?.play();
+      await settled(16);
+
+      expect(cached()).toEqual(audios.map((a) => a.getAttribute("src")).sort());
+      expect(fetchMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(12);
+    });
+  });
+
   // `el.volume` stops at 1, so a video's authored boost can only be carried by a Web Audio gain.
   describe("a video's sound above unity", () => {
     const ctx = useMockAudioContext();
diff --git a/packages/core/src/runtime/init.ts b/packages/core/src/runtime/init.ts
index e4042fe6fa..a72bf32b51 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/runtime/init.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/runtime/init.ts
@@ -5351,7 +5351,9 @@ export function initSandboxRuntimeModular(): void {
   const scheduleWebAudioForActiveClips = () => {
     if (state.nativeMediaSyncDisabled || state.webAudioMediaDisabled) return;
     const gen = webAudio.startGeneration();
-    for (const rawEl of webAudioMediaIn(document)) {
+    const clips = webAudioMediaIn(document);
+    webAudio.releaseDecodedExcept(clips);
+    for (const rawEl of clips) {
       if (isSilencedByHidden(rawEl)) continue;
       const compStart = resolveAbsoluteMediaStartSeconds(rawEl);
       if (!Number.isFinite(compStart)) continue;
diff --git a/packages/core/src/runtime/webAudioTransport.ts b/packages/core/src/runtime/webAudioTransport.ts
index 77b17d880b..d95ed3134d 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/runtime/webAudioTransport.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/runtime/webAudioTransport.ts
@@ -145,6 +145,8 @@ function isBufferSource(
   return source.sourceKind === "buffer";
 }
 
+const decodeKey = (el: HTMLMediaElement): string | null => el.currentSrc || el.getAttribute("src");
+
 // A pause to scrub or a reschedule mid-play keeps the output awake; a real idle lets it sleep.
 const IDLE_SUSPEND_MS = 10000;
 
@@ -260,8 +262,16 @@ export class WebAudioTransport {
     return this._rateAnchorComp + (this._ctx.currentTime - this._rateAnchorCtx) * this._rate;
   }
 
+  /** Drops decoded audio no listed element still points at. A playing source holds its own buffer. */
+  releaseDecodedExcept(els: readonly HTMLMediaElement[]): void {
+    const live = new Set(els.map(decodeKey));
+    for (const src of [...this._bufferCache.keys()]) {
+      if (!live.has(src)) this._bufferCache.delete(src);
+    }
+  }
+
   async decodeAudioElement(el: HTMLMediaElement): Promise<AudioBuffer | null> {
-    const src = el.currentSrc || el.getAttribute("src");
+    const src = decodeKey(el);
     if (!src) return null;
     if (this._bufferCache.has(src)) return this._bufferCache.get(src)!;
     if (this._failedSrcs.has(src)) return null;