diff --git a/packages/core/cyclist.mjs b/packages/core/cyclist.mjs
index bd2db1223..1a9ed8e74 100644
--- a/packages/core/cyclist.mjs
+++ b/packages/core/cyclist.mjs
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ export class Cyclist {
   constructor({
     interval,
     onTrigger,
+    onPrepare,
     onToggle,
     onError,
     getTime,
@@ -18,6 +19,7 @@ export class Cyclist {
     setInterval,
     clearInterval,
     beforeStart,
+    prepareTime = 4,
   }) {
     this.started = false;
     this.beforeStart = beforeStart;
@@ -26,6 +28,8 @@ export class Cyclist {
     this.lastTick = 0; // absolute time when last tick (clock callback) happened
     this.lastBegin = 0; // query begin of last tick
     this.lastEnd = 0; // query end of last tick
+    this.preparedUntil = 0;
+    this.prepareTime = prepareTime;
     this.getTime = getTime; // get absolute time
     this.num_cycles_at_cps_change = 0;
     this.seconds_at_cps_change; // clock phase when cps was changed
@@ -85,6 +89,33 @@ export class Cyclist {
       setInterval,
       clearInterval,
     );
+
+    onPrepare
+      ? (this.prepClock = createClock(
+          getTime,
+          (phase, duration, _, t) => {
+            try {
+              const start = Math.max(t, this.preparedUntil);
+              const end = t + this.prepareTime;
+              this.preparedUntil = end;
+
+              const haps = this.pattern.queryArc(start, end, { _cps: 1 });
+
+              haps.forEach((hap) => {
+                onPrepare?.(hap);
+              });
+            } catch (e) {
+              logger(`[cyclist] error: ${e.message}`);
+              onError?.(e);
+            }
+          },
+          1, // duration of each cycle
+          1,
+          0,
+          setInterval,
+          clearInterval,
+        ))
+      : null;
   }
   now() {
     if (!this.started) {
@@ -106,16 +137,19 @@ export class Cyclist {
     }
     logger('[cyclist] start');
     this.clock.start();
+    this.prepClock?.start();
     this.setStarted(true);
   }
   pause() {
     logger('[cyclist] pause');
     this.clock.pause();
+    this.prepClock?.pause();
     this.setStarted(false);
   }
   stop() {
     logger('[cyclist] stop');
     this.clock.stop();
+    this.prepClock?.stop();
     this.lastEnd = 0;
     this.setStarted(false);
   }
@@ -130,6 +164,7 @@ export class Cyclist {
       return;
     }
     this.cps = cps;
+    this.preparedUntil = 0;
     this.num_ticks_since_cps_change = 0;
   }
   log(begin, end, haps) {
diff --git a/packages/core/repl.mjs b/packages/core/repl.mjs
index e703909ff..b50451d0b 100644
--- a/packages/core/repl.mjs
+++ b/packages/core/repl.mjs
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import { register, Pattern, isPattern, silence, stack } from './pattern.mjs';
 
 export function repl({
   defaultOutput,
+  defaultPrepare,
   onEvalError,
   beforeEval,
   beforeStart,
@@ -47,6 +48,7 @@ export function repl({
 
   const schedulerOptions = {
     onTrigger: getTrigger({ defaultOutput, getTime }),
+    onPrepare: getPrepare({ defaultPrepare }),
     getTime,
     onToggle: (started) => {
       updateState({ started });
@@ -238,3 +240,13 @@ export const getTrigger =
       logger(`[cyclist] error: ${err.message}`, 'error');
     }
   };
+
+export const getPrepare =
+  ({ defaultPrepare }) =>
+  async (hap) => {
+    try {
+      await defaultPrepare(hap);
+    } catch (err) {
+      logger(`[cyclist] error: ${err.message}`, 'error');
+    }
+  };
diff --git a/packages/superdough/README.md b/packages/superdough/README.md
index 0c6e4f14c..bb9787eca 100644
--- a/packages/superdough/README.md
+++ b/packages/superdough/README.md
@@ -92,6 +92,29 @@ superdough({ s: 'bd', delay: 0.5 }, 0, 1);
 - `deadline`: seconds until the sound should play (0 = immediate)
 - `duration`: seconds the sound should last. optional for one shot samples, required for synth sounds
 
+### prepare(value)
+
+Informs superdough that a sound will be needed in the future.
+If the sound is a sample that is not loaded yet, it will be fetched.
+Otherwise does nothing.
+`value` has a syntax identical to the one used `superdough()`.
+
+```js
+prepare({ s: 'bd', delay: 0.5 });
+
+// some time later
+
+superdough({ s: 'bd', delay: 0.5 }, 0, 1);
+```
+
+Can be awaited to ensure that a given sound is ready to play.
+
+```js
+const sound = { s: 'hh' };
+await prepare(sound);
+superdough(sound, 0, 1);
+```
+
 ### registerSynthSounds()
 
 Loads the default waveforms `sawtooth`, `square`, `triangle` and `sine`. Use them like this:
diff --git a/packages/superdough/sampler.mjs b/packages/superdough/sampler.mjs
index 18d1b7797..3ca4e9465 100644
--- a/packages/superdough/sampler.mjs
+++ b/packages/superdough/sampler.mjs
@@ -265,19 +265,28 @@ export const samples = async (sampleMap, baseUrl = sampleMap._base || '', option
   processSampleMap(
     sampleMap,
     (key, bank) =>
-      registerSound(key, (t, hapValue, onended) => onTriggerSample(t, hapValue, onended, bank), {
-        type: 'sample',
-        samples: bank,
-        baseUrl,
-        prebake,
-        tag,
-      }),
+      registerSound(
+        key,
+        (t, hapValue, onended) => onTriggerSample(t, hapValue, onended, bank),
+        {
+          type: 'sample',
+          samples: bank,
+          baseUrl,
+          prebake,
+          tag,
+        },
+        (hapValue) => onPrepareSample(hapValue, bank),
+      ),
     baseUrl,
   );
 };
 
 const cutGroups = [];
 
+export async function onPrepareSample(hapValue, bank, resolveUrl) {
+  await getSampleBuffer(hapValue, bank, resolveUrl);
+}
+
 export async function onTriggerSample(t, value, onended, bank, resolveUrl) {
   let {
     s,
diff --git a/packages/superdough/superdough.mjs b/packages/superdough/superdough.mjs
index 1069d4e84..2dc4832e1 100644
--- a/packages/superdough/superdough.mjs
+++ b/packages/superdough/superdough.mjs
@@ -30,9 +30,9 @@ export function setMultiChannelOrbits(bool) {
 
 export const soundMap = map();
 
-export function registerSound(key, onTrigger, data = {}) {
+export function registerSound(key, onTrigger, data = {}, onPrepare = () => {}) {
   key = key.toLowerCase().replace(/\s+/g, '_');
-  soundMap.setKey(key, { onTrigger, data });
+  soundMap.setKey(key, { onTrigger, data, onPrepare });
 }
 
 let gainCurveFunc = (val) => val;
@@ -757,3 +757,13 @@ export const superdough = async (value, t, hapDuration, cps) => {
 export const superdoughTrigger = (t, hap, ct, cps) => {
   superdough(hap, t - ct, hap.duration / cps, cps);
 };
+
+export const prepare = async (value) => {
+  const { onPrepare } = getSound(value.s);
+  if (onPrepare) {
+    if (value.bank && value.s) {
+      value.s = `${value.bank}_${value.s}`;
+    }
+    await onPrepare(value);
+  }
+};
diff --git a/packages/webaudio/webaudio.mjs b/packages/webaudio/webaudio.mjs
index 44a683480..97dd89694 100644
--- a/packages/webaudio/webaudio.mjs
+++ b/packages/webaudio/webaudio.mjs
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under th
 */
 
 import * as strudel from '@strudel/core';
-import { superdough, getAudioContext, setLogger, doughTrigger } from 'superdough';
+import { superdough, prepare, getAudioContext, setLogger, doughTrigger } from 'superdough';
 const { Pattern, logger, repl } = strudel;
 
 setLogger(logger);
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ export const webaudioOutputTrigger = (t, hap, ct, cps) => superdough(hap2value(h
 export const webaudioOutput = (hap, deadline, hapDuration, cps, t) =>
   superdough(hap2value(hap), t ? `=${t}` : deadline, hapDuration);
 
+export const webaudioPrepare = (hap) => prepare(hap2value(hap));
+
 Pattern.prototype.webaudio = function () {
   return this.onTrigger(webaudioOutputTrigger);
 };
@@ -28,6 +30,7 @@ export function webaudioRepl(options = {}) {
   options = {
     getTime: () => getAudioContext().currentTime,
     defaultOutput: webaudioOutput,
+    defaultPrepare: webaudioPrepare,
     ...options,
   };
   return repl(options);
diff --git a/website/src/repl/useReplContext.jsx b/website/src/repl/useReplContext.jsx
index f88e5a6e2..3ccf41d79 100644
--- a/website/src/repl/useReplContext.jsx
+++ b/website/src/repl/useReplContext.jsx
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import { transpiler } from '@strudel/transpiler';
 import {
   getAudioContextCurrentTime,
   webaudioOutput,
+  webaudioPrepare,
   resetGlobalEffects,
   resetLoadedSounds,
   initAudioOnFirstClick,
@@ -63,6 +64,7 @@ export function useReplContext() {
   const { isSyncEnabled, audioEngineTarget } = useSettings();
   const shouldUseWebaudio = audioEngineTarget !== audioEngineTargets.osc;
   const defaultOutput = shouldUseWebaudio ? webaudioOutput : superdirtOutput;
+  const defaultPrepare = shouldUseWebaudio ? webaudioPrepare : undefined;
   const getTime = shouldUseWebaudio ? getAudioContextCurrentTime : getPerformanceTimeSeconds;
 
   const init = useCallback(() => {
@@ -71,6 +73,7 @@ export function useReplContext() {
     const editor = new StrudelMirror({
       sync: isSyncEnabled,
       defaultOutput,
+      defaultPrepare,
       getTime,
       setInterval,
       clearInterval,