diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index f27836fc82793a351cb2be6b445db592e17a2290..36b589383f1aeffa1bce9cd586d4b1cd6a9d1535 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ variables:
   TESTCASE_TIMEOUT_LTV_SANITIZERS: 2400
   BASOP_REFERENCE_BRANCH: "ivas-float-update"
   SCALE_FACTOR: "3.162"
+  PYTEST_ARGS: ""
 
 
 default:
@@ -473,7 +474,7 @@ branch-is-up-to-date-with-main-post:
 
     - *get-basop-float-reference
 
-    - python3 -m pytest tests/codec_be_on_mr_nonselection --param_file $PARAM_FILE --update_ref 1 --ref_encoder_path IVAS_cod --ref_decoder_path IVAS_dec --html=report.html --self-contained-html --junit-xml=report-junit.xml || true
+    - python3 -m pytest tests/codec_be_on_mr_nonselection $PYTEST_ARGS --param_file $PARAM_FILE --update_ref 1 --ref_encoder_path IVAS_cod --ref_decoder_path IVAS_dec --html=report.html --self-contained-html --junit-xml=report-junit.xml || true
     - zero_errors=$(cat report-junit.xml | grep -c 'errors="0"') || true
     - if [ $zero_errors != 1 ]; then echo "Run errors encountered with $PARAM_FILE !"; exit $EXIT_CODE_FAIL; fi
 
@@ -490,7 +491,7 @@ branch-is-up-to-date-with-main-post:
       junit:
         - report-junit.xml
 
-check-compatibility-with-basop-reference-branch-stv:
+basop-ref-compat-stv:
   extends:
     - .basop-ci-branch-compat-template
   variables:
@@ -498,7 +499,7 @@ check-compatibility-with-basop-reference-branch-stv:
   script:
     - exit 0
 
-check-compatibility-with-basop-reference-branch-ltv:
+basop-ref-compat-ltv:
   extends:
     - .basop-ci-branch-compat-template
   variables:
@@ -506,7 +507,7 @@ check-compatibility-with-basop-reference-branch-ltv:
   script:
     - exit 0
 
-check-compatibility-with-basop-reference-branch-encoder-stv:
+basop-ref-compat-encoder-stv:
   extends:
     - .basop-ci-branch-compat-template
   variables:
@@ -514,7 +515,7 @@ check-compatibility-with-basop-reference-branch-encoder-stv:
   script:
     - exit 0
 
-check-compatibility-with-basop-reference-branch-encoder-ltv:
+basop-ref-compat-encoder-ltv:
   extends:
     - .basop-ci-branch-compat-template
   variables:
@@ -522,6 +523,16 @@ check-compatibility-with-basop-reference-branch-encoder-ltv:
   script:
     - exit 0
 
+basop-ref-compat-encoder-dmx-comp:
+  extends:
+    - .basop-ci-branch-compat-template
+  variables:
+    PARAM_FILE: scripts/config/self_test_basop_encoder.prm
+    # USING PYTEST_ADDOPTS env var did not work for some reason when testing locally - maybe because this is a custom option
+    PYTEST_ARGS: "--compare_enc_dmx"
+  script:
+    - exit 0
+
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------
 # Build jobs
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/lib_debug/debug.c b/lib_debug/debug.c
index 5e65379903e77a3b064c33bebd23f1c683122859..8aadaba041cc11ec92a2467123b63498c4ada1d5 100644
--- a/lib_debug/debug.c
+++ b/lib_debug/debug.c
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@
 #include "options.h"
 #ifdef DEBUGGING
 #include "debug.h"
+#include <assert.h>
 #ifdef DEBUG_MODE_INFO
 #ifdef DEBUG_MODE_INFO_TWEAK
 #include <sys/stat.h>
@@ -771,8 +772,10 @@ char *fname(
     const int16_t id,
     const int16_t enc_dec )
 {
-    char idd[5] = ".idX";
-    idd[3] = (char) ( id + '0' );
+    char idd[6];
+
+    assert( id < 100 );
+    sprintf( idd, ".id%d", id );
 
     strcpy( tmp_fname, dir );
     strcat( tmp_fname, file );
diff --git a/tests/codec_be_on_mr_nonselection/test_param_file.py b/tests/codec_be_on_mr_nonselection/test_param_file.py
index e760edd4702fd68859a1c309d31a543a21737d70..e4928584cf650bde2e7f63a6c4782905089e464e 100644
--- a/tests/codec_be_on_mr_nonselection/test_param_file.py
+++ b/tests/codec_be_on_mr_nonselection/test_param_file.py
@@ -60,9 +60,6 @@ from tests.constants import (
     MAX_ENC_STATS_DIFF,
     SCRIPTS_DIR,
     MAX_ENC_DIFF,
-    DMX_DIFF,
-    DMX_MLD,
-    DMX_SSNR,
 )
 from tests.renderer.utils import check_and_makedir, binauralize_input_and_output
 
@@ -316,8 +313,12 @@ def run_test(
     bitrate = enc_split.pop()
     in_sr = sampling_rate
 
-    # bitrate can be a filename: remove leading "../"
-    if bitrate.startswith("../"):
+    # bitrate can be a filename: change it to an absolute path
+    if not bitrate.isdigit():
+        if compare_enc_dmx:
+            pytest.skip(
+                "Rate switching + --compare_enc_dmx currently skipped due to DEBUGGING code limitations with varying number of transport channels"
+            )
         bitrate = Path(bitrate[3:]).absolute()
 
     testv_base = testv_file.split("/")[-1]