diff --git a/services/audioflinger/Threads.cpp b/services/audioflinger/Threads.cpp
index 49520a1..9540e0a 100644
--- a/services/audioflinger/Threads.cpp
+++ b/services/audioflinger/Threads.cpp
@@ -376,7 +376,12 @@
 
 void AudioFlinger::ThreadBase::processConfigEvents()
 {
-    mLock.lock();
+    Mutex::Autolock _l(mLock);
+    processConfigEvents_l();
+}
+
+void AudioFlinger::ThreadBase::processConfigEvents_l()
+{
     while (!mConfigEvents.isEmpty()) {
         ALOGV("processConfigEvents() remaining events %d", mConfigEvents.size());
         ConfigEvent *event = mConfigEvents[0];
@@ -408,7 +413,6 @@
         delete event;
         mLock.lock();
     }
-    mLock.unlock();
 }
 
 void AudioFlinger::ThreadBase::dumpBase(int fd, const Vector<String16>& args)