diff --git a/src/audio/SDL_audio.c b/src/audio/SDL_audio.c
index b256c7b3e..939d151ad 100644
--- a/src/audio/SDL_audio.c
+++ b/src/audio/SDL_audio.c
@@ -1292,25 +1292,10 @@ static SDL_AudioDeviceID open_audio_device(const char *devname, int iscapture,
         return 0;
     }
 
-    SDL_LockMutex(current_audio.detectionLock);
-    /* Find an available device ID... */
-    for (id = min_id - 1; id < SDL_arraysize(open_devices); id++) {
-        if (open_devices[id] == NULL) {
-            break;
-        }
-    }
-
-    if (id == SDL_arraysize(open_devices)) {
-        SDL_SetError("Too many open audio devices");
-        SDL_UnlockMutex(current_audio.detectionLock);
-        return 0;
-    }
-
     if (!obtained) {
         obtained = &_obtained;
     }
     if (!prepare_audiospec(desired, obtained)) {
-        SDL_UnlockMutex(current_audio.detectionLock);
         return 0;
     }
 
@@ -1332,11 +1317,11 @@ static SDL_AudioDeviceID open_audio_device(const char *devname, int iscapture,
     if ((iscapture) && (current_audio.impl.OnlyHasDefaultCaptureDevice)) {
         if ((devname) && (SDL_strcmp(devname, DEFAULT_INPUT_DEVNAME) != 0)) {
             SDL_SetError("No such device");
-            SDL_UnlockMutex(current_audio.detectionLock);
             return 0;
         }
         devname = NULL;
 
+        SDL_LockMutex(current_audio.detectionLock);
         for (i = 0; i < SDL_arraysize(open_devices); i++) {
             if ((open_devices[i]) && (open_devices[i]->iscapture)) {
                 SDL_SetError("Audio device already open");
@@ -1344,14 +1329,15 @@ static SDL_AudioDeviceID open_audio_device(const char *devname, int iscapture,
                 return 0;
             }
         }
+        SDL_UnlockMutex(current_audio.detectionLock);
     } else if ((!iscapture) && (current_audio.impl.OnlyHasDefaultOutputDevice)) {
         if ((devname) && (SDL_strcmp(devname, DEFAULT_OUTPUT_DEVNAME) != 0)) {
-            SDL_UnlockMutex(current_audio.detectionLock);
             SDL_SetError("No such device");
             return 0;
         }
         devname = NULL;
 
+        SDL_LockMutex(current_audio.detectionLock);
         for (i = 0; i < SDL_arraysize(open_devices); i++) {
             if ((open_devices[i]) && (!open_devices[i]->iscapture)) {
                 SDL_UnlockMutex(current_audio.detectionLock);
@@ -1359,6 +1345,7 @@ static SDL_AudioDeviceID open_audio_device(const char *devname, int iscapture,
                 return 0;
             }
         }
+        SDL_UnlockMutex(current_audio.detectionLock);
     } else if (devname != NULL) {
         /* if the app specifies an exact string, we can pass the backend
            an actual device handle thingey, which saves them the effort of
@@ -1367,19 +1354,20 @@ static SDL_AudioDeviceID open_audio_device(const char *devname, int iscapture,
            It might still need to open a device based on the string for,
            say, a network audio server, but this optimizes some cases. */
         SDL_AudioDeviceItem *item;
+        SDL_LockMutex(current_audio.detectionLock);
         for (item = iscapture ? current_audio.inputDevices : current_audio.outputDevices; item; item = item->next) {
             if ((item->handle != NULL) && (SDL_strcmp(item->name, devname) == 0)) {
                 handle = item->handle;
                 break;
             }
         }
+        SDL_UnlockMutex(current_audio.detectionLock);
     }
 
     if (!current_audio.impl.AllowsArbitraryDeviceNames) {
         /* has to be in our device list, or the default device. */
         if ((handle == NULL) && (devname != NULL)) {
             SDL_SetError("No such device.");
-            SDL_UnlockMutex(current_audio.detectionLock);
             return 0;
         }
     }
@@ -1387,10 +1375,8 @@ static SDL_AudioDeviceID open_audio_device(const char *devname, int iscapture,
     device = (SDL_AudioDevice *)SDL_calloc(1, sizeof(SDL_AudioDevice));
     if (device == NULL) {
         SDL_OutOfMemory();
-        SDL_UnlockMutex(current_audio.detectionLock);
         return 0;
     }
-    device->id = id + 1;
     device->spec = *obtained;
     device->iscapture = iscapture ? SDL_TRUE : SDL_FALSE;
     device->handle = handle;
@@ -1404,7 +1390,6 @@ static SDL_AudioDeviceID open_audio_device(const char *devname, int iscapture,
         device->mixer_lock = SDL_CreateMutex();
         if (device->mixer_lock == NULL) {
             close_audio_device(device);
-            SDL_UnlockMutex(current_audio.detectionLock);
             SDL_SetError("Couldn't create mixer lock");
             return 0;
         }
@@ -1419,7 +1404,6 @@ static SDL_AudioDeviceID open_audio_device(const char *devname, int iscapture,
 
     if (current_audio.impl.OpenDevice(device, devname) < 0) {
         close_audio_device(device);
-        SDL_UnlockMutex(current_audio.detectionLock);
         return 0;
     }
 
@@ -1475,7 +1459,6 @@ static SDL_AudioDeviceID open_audio_device(const char *devname, int iscapture,
 
         if (!device->stream) {
             close_audio_device(device);
-            SDL_UnlockMutex(current_audio.detectionLock);
             return 0;
         }
     }
@@ -1485,7 +1468,6 @@ static SDL_AudioDeviceID open_audio_device(const char *devname, int iscapture,
         device->buffer_queue = SDL_NewDataQueue(SDL_AUDIOBUFFERQUEUE_PACKETLEN, obtained->size * 2);
         if (!device->buffer_queue) {
             close_audio_device(device);
-            SDL_UnlockMutex(current_audio.detectionLock);
             SDL_SetError("Couldn't create audio buffer queue");
             return 0;
         }
@@ -1503,12 +1485,28 @@ static SDL_AudioDeviceID open_audio_device(const char *devname, int iscapture,
     device->work_buffer = (Uint8 *)SDL_malloc(device->work_buffer_len);
     if (device->work_buffer == NULL) {
         close_audio_device(device);
-        SDL_UnlockMutex(current_audio.detectionLock);
         SDL_OutOfMemory();
         return 0;
     }
 
+    /* Find an available device ID... */
+    SDL_LockMutex(current_audio.detectionLock);
+    for (id = min_id - 1; id < SDL_arraysize(open_devices); id++) {
+        if (open_devices[id] == NULL) {
+            break;
+        }
+    }
+
+    if (id == SDL_arraysize(open_devices)) {
+        close_audio_device(device);
+        SDL_SetError("Too many open audio devices");
+        SDL_UnlockMutex(current_audio.detectionLock);
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    device->id = id + 1;
     open_devices[id] = device; /* add it to our list of open devices. */
+    SDL_UnlockMutex(current_audio.detectionLock);
 
     /* Start the audio thread if necessary */
     if (!current_audio.impl.ProvidesOwnCallbackThread) {
@@ -1521,7 +1519,6 @@ static SDL_AudioDeviceID open_audio_device(const char *devname, int iscapture,
         if (!startup_data.startup_semaphore) {
             close_audio_device(device);
             SDL_SetError("Couldn't create audio thread startup semaphore");
-            SDL_UnlockMutex(current_audio.detectionLock);
             return 0;
         }
 
@@ -1532,14 +1529,12 @@ static SDL_AudioDeviceID open_audio_device(const char *devname, int iscapture,
             SDL_DestroySemaphore(startup_data.startup_semaphore);
             close_audio_device(device);
             SDL_SetError("Couldn't create audio thread");
-            SDL_UnlockMutex(current_audio.detectionLock);
             return 0;
         }
 
         SDL_SemWait(startup_data.startup_semaphore);
         SDL_DestroySemaphore(startup_data.startup_semaphore);
     }
-    SDL_UnlockMutex(current_audio.detectionLock);
 
     return device->id;
 }