diff --git a/lib_com/options.h b/lib_com/options.h
index 2fb4ac04b2d41a15624b99a3f6e530cbce912f92..7745853825673f115ecb693bce6854061c460a56 100644
--- a/lib_com/options.h
+++ b/lib_com/options.h
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@
 /* ################### Start DEBUGGING switches ########################### */
 
 #ifndef RELEASE
-/*#define DEBUGGING*/                          /* Activate debugging part of the code */
+/*#define DEBUGGING*/                           /* Activate debugging part of the code */
 #endif
 /*#define WMOPS*/                               /* Activate complexity and memory counters */
 /*#define WMOPS_PER_FRAME*/                     /* Output per-frame complexity (writes one float value per frame to the file "wmops_analysis") */
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@
 
 #ifdef DEBUGGING
 /*#define DBG_BITSTREAM_ANALYSIS*/              /* Write bitstream with annotations to a text file */
-/*#define DEBUG_MODE_INFO*/                     /* output most important parameters to the subdirectory "res/" */
+/*#define DEBUG_MODE_INFO*/                    /* output most important parameters to the subdirectory "res/" */
 #ifdef DEBUG_MODE_INFO
 /*#define DEBUG_MODE_ACELP*/                    /* output most important ACELP core parameters to the subdirectory "res/" */
 /*#define DEBUG_MODE_TCX*/                      /* output most important TCX core parameters to the subdirectory "res/" */
@@ -77,7 +77,8 @@
 #endif
 
 #ifdef DEBUG_MODE_MDCT
-/*#define DEBUG_PLOT_BITS*/
+#define DEBUG_PLOT_BITS
+#define DEBUG_OSBA_MD_BITS
 #endif
 
 #ifdef DEBUG_MODE_DFT
@@ -174,6 +175,7 @@
 #define NONBE_1244_FIX_SWB_BWE_MEMORY                   /* VA: issue 1244: fix to SWB BWE memory in case of switching from FB coding - pending a review by Huawei */ 
 #define NONBE_1122_KEEP_EVS_MODE_UNCHANGED              /* FhG: Disables fix for issue 1122 in EVS mode to keep BE tests green. This switch should be removed once the 1122 fix is added to EVS via a CR.  */
 #define NONBE_FIX_1337_MISSING_DIRECTIVITY_DISTATT_EXTREND /* Eri: issue 1337: Missing directivity setting and distance attenuation in external renderer IVAS_rend */
+#define NONBE_1329_FIX_OSBA_CRASH                       /* FhG: issue 1329: prevent assert when bit budget is low*/
 
 /* ##################### End NON-BE switches ########################### */
 
diff --git a/lib_enc/enc_prm.c b/lib_enc/enc_prm.c
index fb1a338ee6b9e86dc0cd728e9f0e59f42624e6b1..951ae35b70ddaf5b2c5937ed790f0ee92ca14330 100644
--- a/lib_enc/enc_prm.c
+++ b/lib_enc/enc_prm.c
@@ -565,6 +565,12 @@ void writeTCXparam(
                                                             nbits_tcx, NPRM_RESQ * st->hTcxCfg->resq, flag_ctx_hm ? &hm_cfg[k] : NULL );
                 }
             }
+#ifdef DEBUG_PLOT_BITS
+            if ( core == TCX_10_CORE )
+            {
+                dbgwrite( &nbits_tcx, sizeof( int16_t ), 1, 1, "./res/bits_RC" );
+            }
+#endif
         }
     }
 #ifdef DEBUG_PLOT_BITS
@@ -576,6 +582,15 @@ void writeTCXparam(
             dbgwrite( &tmp, sizeof( int16_t ), 1, 1, "./res/bits_TNS" );
         }
     }
+    else
+    {
+        if ( nSubframes == 1 )
+        {
+            tmp = 0;
+            dbgwrite( &nbits_tcx, sizeof( int16_t ), 1, 1, "./res/bits_RC" );
+            dbgwrite( &tmp, sizeof( int16_t ), 1, 1, "./res/bits_RC" );
+        }
+    }
 #endif
 
     return;
diff --git a/lib_enc/ivas_enc.c b/lib_enc/ivas_enc.c
index db2e60fada703ae07198684798ebe0859e058598..8f6eb68b96a4efa2f43c9f3e87361b48b2a11ff0 100644
--- a/lib_enc/ivas_enc.c
+++ b/lib_enc/ivas_enc.c
@@ -412,6 +412,11 @@ ivas_error ivas_enc(
             /* get SBA TCs */
             ivas_sba_getTCs( &data_f[n], st_ivas, input_frame );
         }
+#ifdef DEBUG_OSBA_MD_BITS
+        {
+            dbgwrite( &nb_bits_metadata[0], sizeof( int16_t ), hEncoderConfig->nchan_ism + 1, 1, "./res/osba_md_bits" );
+        }
+#endif
 
         /* core-coding of transport channels */
         if ( st_ivas->nSCE == 1 )
diff --git a/lib_enc/ivas_mct_core_enc.c b/lib_enc/ivas_mct_core_enc.c
index 27f1a0ad3ce7f4ca30c6d4861bd4e261ad1b0bed..4a46bd7b2f7045b8568f50b98bf97c8e550a9707 100644
--- a/lib_enc/ivas_mct_core_enc.c
+++ b/lib_enc/ivas_mct_core_enc.c
@@ -471,6 +471,10 @@ void ivas_mct_core_enc(
         /*write IGF data to bitstream*/
         for ( ch = 0; ch < nChannels; ch++ )
         {
+#ifdef DEBUG_PLOT_BITS
+            int16_t tmp = hBstr->nb_bits_tot;
+#endif
+
             st = sts[ch];
             if (
                 sts[ch]->mct_chan_mode == MCT_CHAN_MODE_IGNORE )
@@ -478,6 +482,10 @@ void ivas_mct_core_enc(
                 continue;
             }
             enc_prm_igf_mdct( st, hBstr );
+#ifdef DEBUG_PLOT_BITS
+            tmp = hBstr->nb_bits_tot - tmp;
+            dbgwrite( &tmp, sizeof( int16_t ), 1, 1, "./res/bits_IGF" );
+#endif
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/lib_enc/ivas_mdct_core_enc.c b/lib_enc/ivas_mdct_core_enc.c
index 8085fea23142b6919af287743b44bb40d653b2aa..0c669b581a4010aa9552aa087aee536e14ea5723 100644
--- a/lib_enc/ivas_mdct_core_enc.c
+++ b/lib_enc/ivas_mdct_core_enc.c
@@ -1146,6 +1146,9 @@ void ivas_mdct_core_whitening_enc(
         skipped_first_channel = 0;
         for ( ch = 0; ch < CPE_CHANNELS; ch++ )
         {
+#ifdef DEBUG_PLOT_BITS
+            int16_t tmp = hBstr->nb_bits_tot;
+#endif
             st = sts[ch];
 
             if ( st->mct_chan_mode == MCT_CHAN_MODE_IGNORE )
@@ -1170,6 +1173,11 @@ void ivas_mdct_core_whitening_enc(
             }
             encode_lpc_avq( hBstr, num_sns, param_lpc[ch], st->core, st->element_mode );
 
+#ifdef DEBUG_PLOT_BITS
+            tmp = hBstr->nb_bits_tot - tmp;
+            dbgwrite( &tmp, sizeof( int16_t ), 1, 1, "./res/bits_SNS" );
+#endif
+
             st->side_bits_frame_channel += hBstr->nb_bits_tot - nbits_start_sns;
         }
     }
diff --git a/lib_enc/ivas_stereo_mdct_stereo_enc.c b/lib_enc/ivas_stereo_mdct_stereo_enc.c
index fa97984539101d7e80145469c21457c2f5532687..d7cdd4786a1b214a14e7e929c7f0cc7f01236fd5 100755
--- a/lib_enc/ivas_stereo_mdct_stereo_enc.c
+++ b/lib_enc/ivas_stereo_mdct_stereo_enc.c
@@ -411,17 +411,30 @@ void stereo_coder_tcx(
 
             nAvailBitsMS[k] = ( ( mct_on ? 2 * sts[0]->bits_frame_channel : sts[0]->bits_frame_nominal ) - sts[0]->side_bits_frame_channel - sts[1]->side_bits_frame_channel - ( nSubframes == 2 ? OFFSET_BITS_TCX10 : OFFSET_BITS_TCX20 ) ) / nSubframes;
 
-            MsStereoDecision( sfbConf, sts[0]->hTcxEnc->spectrum[k], sts[1]->hTcxEnc->spectrum[k], inv_spectrum[0][k], inv_spectrum[1][k], &hStereoMdct->mdct_stereo_mode[k], &ms_mask[k][0], nAvailBitsMS[k] );
-
-            if ( sts[0]->igf )
+#ifdef NONBE_1329_FIX_OSBA_CRASH
+            if ( mct_on && nAvailBitsMS[k] <= 0 ) /*Force M/S when bit-budget is low for MCT*/
             {
-                IGFEncStereoEncoder( sfbConf, sts[0]->hIGFEnc, sts[0]->hTcxEnc->spectrum[k], sts[1]->hTcxEnc->spectrum[k], &ms_mask[k][0],
-                                     &hStereoMdct->IGFStereoMode[k], hStereoMdct->mdct_stereo_mode[k], sts[0]->core == TCX_20_CORE, sts[0]->last_core == ACELP_CORE );
+                hStereoMdct->mdct_stereo_mode[k] = 1;
+                hStereoMdct->IGFStereoMode[k] = 1;
+                set_s( ms_mask[k], 1, sfbConf->sfbCnt );
             }
             else
             {
-                hStereoMdct->IGFStereoMode[k] = hStereoMdct->mdct_stereo_mode[k];
+#endif
+                MsStereoDecision( sfbConf, sts[0]->hTcxEnc->spectrum[k], sts[1]->hTcxEnc->spectrum[k], inv_spectrum[0][k], inv_spectrum[1][k], &hStereoMdct->mdct_stereo_mode[k], &ms_mask[k][0], nAvailBitsMS[k] );
+
+                if ( sts[0]->igf )
+                {
+                    IGFEncStereoEncoder( sfbConf, sts[0]->hIGFEnc, sts[0]->hTcxEnc->spectrum[k], sts[1]->hTcxEnc->spectrum[k], &ms_mask[k][0],
+                                         &hStereoMdct->IGFStereoMode[k], hStereoMdct->mdct_stereo_mode[k], sts[0]->core == TCX_20_CORE, sts[0]->last_core == ACELP_CORE );
+                }
+                else
+                {
+                    hStereoMdct->IGFStereoMode[k] = hStereoMdct->mdct_stereo_mode[k];
+                }
+#ifdef NONBE_1329_FIX_OSBA_CRASH
             }
+#endif
 
             if ( hStereoMdct->mdct_stereo_mode[k] != SMDCT_DUAL_MONO || hStereoMdct->IGFStereoMode[k] != SMDCT_DUAL_MONO )
             {