diff --git a/src/BizHawk.Client.Common/tools/RamSearchEngine/RamSearchEngine.cs b/src/BizHawk.Client.Common/tools/RamSearchEngine/RamSearchEngine.cs
index 3c65cb4a53..67833c3826 100644
--- a/src/BizHawk.Client.Common/tools/RamSearchEngine/RamSearchEngine.cs
+++ b/src/BizHawk.Client.Common/tools/RamSearchEngine/RamSearchEngine.cs
@@ -198,18 +198,13 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.Common.RamSearchEngine
 		{
 			if (_settings.IsDetailed())
 			{
-				try
+				using (_settings.Domain.EnterExit())
 				{
-					_settings.Domain.Monitor?.Enter();
 					foreach (IMiniWatchDetails watch in _watchList)
 					{
 						watch.Update(_settings.PreviousType, _settings.Domain, _settings.BigEndian);
 					}
 				}
-				finally
-				{
-					_settings.Domain.Monitor?.Exit();
-				}	
 			}
 		}
 
diff --git a/src/BizHawk.Emulation.Common/Base Implementations/MemoryDomain.cs b/src/BizHawk.Emulation.Common/Base Implementations/MemoryDomain.cs
index c488ebf1a1..c1b4f66303 100644
--- a/src/BizHawk.Emulation.Common/Base Implementations/MemoryDomain.cs	
+++ b/src/BizHawk.Emulation.Common/Base Implementations/MemoryDomain.cs	
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Common
 	/// as required by the IMemoryDomains service.
 	/// </summary>
 	/// <seealso cref="IMemoryDomains" />
-	public abstract class MemoryDomain
+	public abstract class MemoryDomain : IMonitor
 	{
 		public enum Endian
 		{
@@ -27,12 +27,6 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Common
 
 		public bool Writable { get; protected set; }
 
-		/// <summary>
-		/// only use this if you are expecting to do a lot of peeks/pokes
-		/// MAY BE NULL
-		/// </summary>
-		public IMonitor Monitor { get; protected set; }
-
 		public abstract byte PeekByte(long addr);
 
 		public abstract void PokeByte(long addr, byte val);
@@ -121,9 +115,12 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Common
 				throw new InvalidOperationException("Invalid length of values array");
 			}
 
-			for (var i = addresses.Start; i <= addresses.EndInclusive; i++)
+			using (this.EnterExit())
 			{
-				values[i - addresses.Start] = PeekByte(i);
+				for (var i = addresses.Start; i <= addresses.EndInclusive; i++)
+				{
+					values[i - addresses.Start] = PeekByte(i);
+				}
 			}
 		}
 
@@ -145,8 +142,11 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Common
 				throw new InvalidOperationException("Invalid length of values array");
 			}
 
-			for (var i = 0; i < values.Length; i++, start += 2)
-				values[i] = PeekUshort(start, bigEndian);
+			using (this.EnterExit())
+			{
+				for (var i = 0; i < values.Length; i++, start += 2)
+					values[i] = PeekUshort(start, bigEndian);
+			}
 		}
 
 		public virtual void BulkPeekUint(Range<long> addresses, bool bigEndian, uint[] values)
@@ -167,10 +167,25 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Common
 				throw new InvalidOperationException("Invalid length of values array");
 			}
 
-			for (var i = 0; i < values.Length; i++, start += 4)
-				values[i] = PeekUint(start, bigEndian);
+			using (this.EnterExit())
+			{
+				for (var i = 0; i < values.Length; i++, start += 4)
+					values[i] = PeekUint(start, bigEndian);
+			}
 		}
 
 		public virtual void SendCheatToCore(int addr, byte value, int compare, int compare_type) { }
+
+		/// <summary>
+		/// only use this if you are expecting to do a lot of peeks/pokes
+		/// no-op if the domain has no monitor
+		/// </summary>
+		public virtual void Enter() { }
+
+		/// <summary>
+		/// only use this if you are expecting to do a lot of peeks/pokes
+		/// no-op if the domain has no monitor
+		/// </summary>
+		public virtual void Exit() { }
 	}
 }
diff --git a/src/BizHawk.Emulation.Common/Base Implementations/MemoryDomainImpls.cs b/src/BizHawk.Emulation.Common/Base Implementations/MemoryDomainImpls.cs
index 56d19b5612..b484206604 100644
--- a/src/BizHawk.Emulation.Common/Base Implementations/MemoryDomainImpls.cs	
+++ b/src/BizHawk.Emulation.Common/Base Implementations/MemoryDomainImpls.cs	
@@ -251,10 +251,15 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Common
 		{
 			if ((ulong)addr < (ulong)Size)
 			{
-				using (_monitor.EnterExit())
+				try
 				{
+					_monitor.Enter();
 					return ((byte*)Data)[addr];
 				}
+				finally
+				{
+					_monitor.Exit();
+				}
 			}
 
 			throw new ArgumentOutOfRangeException(nameof(addr));
@@ -266,10 +271,15 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Common
 			{
 				if ((ulong)addr < (ulong)Size)
 				{
-					using (_monitor.EnterExit())
+					try
 					{
+						_monitor.Enter();
 						((byte*)Data)[addr] = val;
 					}
+					finally
+					{
+						_monitor.Exit();
+					}
 				}
 				else
 				{
@@ -293,8 +303,13 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Common
 			Writable = writable;
 			WordSize = wordSize;
 			_monitor = monitor;
-			Monitor = _monitor;
 		}
+
+		public override void Enter()
+			=> _monitor.Enter();
+
+		public override void Exit()
+			=> _monitor.Exit();
 	}
 
 	public unsafe class MemoryDomainIntPtrSwap16 : MemoryDomain
@@ -346,10 +361,15 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Common
 		{
 			if ((ulong)addr < (ulong)Size)
 			{
-				using (_monitor.EnterExit())
+				try
 				{
+					_monitor.Enter();
 					return ((byte*)Data)[addr ^ 1];
 				}
+				finally
+				{
+					_monitor.Exit();
+				}
 			}
 
 			throw new ArgumentOutOfRangeException(nameof(addr));
@@ -361,10 +381,15 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Common
 			{
 				if ((ulong)addr < (ulong)Size)
 				{
-					using (_monitor.EnterExit())
+					try
 					{
+						_monitor.Enter();
 						((byte*)Data)[addr ^ 1] = val;
 					}
+					finally
+					{
+						_monitor.Exit();
+					}
 				}
 				else
 				{
@@ -383,8 +408,13 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Common
 			Writable = writable;
 			WordSize = 2;
 			_monitor = monitor;
-			Monitor = _monitor;
 		}
+
+		public override void Enter()
+			=> _monitor.Enter();
+
+		public override void Exit()
+			=> _monitor.Exit();
 	}
 
 	public class MemoryDomainDelegateSysBusNES : MemoryDomain
diff --git a/src/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Waterbox/WaterboxMemoryDomain.cs b/src/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Waterbox/WaterboxMemoryDomain.cs
index 306aa21161..d1f501e51e 100644
--- a/src/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Waterbox/WaterboxMemoryDomain.cs
+++ b/src/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Waterbox/WaterboxMemoryDomain.cs
@@ -51,8 +51,13 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Cores.Waterbox
 				_addressMangler = 0;
 			}
 			Definition = m;
-			Monitor = _monitor;
 		}
+
+		public override void Enter()
+			=> _monitor.Enter();
+
+		public override void Exit()
+			=> _monitor.Exit();
 	}
 
 	public unsafe class WaterboxMemoryDomainPointer : WaterboxMemoryDomain
@@ -68,10 +73,15 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Cores.Waterbox
 		{
 			if ((ulong)addr < (ulong)Size)
 			{
-				using (_monitor.EnterExit())
+				try
 				{
+					_monitor.Enter();
 					return ((byte*)_data)[addr ^ _addressMangler];
 				}
+				finally
+				{
+					_monitor.Exit();
+				}
 			}
 
 			throw new ArgumentOutOfRangeException(nameof(addr));
@@ -83,10 +93,15 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Cores.Waterbox
 			{
 				if ((ulong)addr < (ulong)Size)
 				{
-					using (_monitor.EnterExit())
+					try
 					{
+						_monitor.Enter();
 						((byte*)_data)[addr ^ _addressMangler] = val;
 					}
+					finally
+					{
+						_monitor.Exit();
+					}
 				}
 				else
 				{
@@ -108,10 +123,15 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Cores.Waterbox
 
 			if (start < (ulong)Size && (start + count) <= (ulong)Size)
 			{
-				using (_monitor.EnterExit())
+				try
 				{
+					_monitor.Enter();
 					Marshal.Copy(Z.US((ulong)_data + start), values, 0, (int)count);
 				}
+				finally
+				{
+					_monitor.Exit();
+				}
 			}
 			else
 			{