diff --git a/lib_com/options.h b/lib_com/options.h
index 7b0f0625b9fa6d60ec65464e3d8f748fea04d8c7..499f914e7fca2e22b8c0e998fc7f04f1603028bd 100755
--- a/lib_com/options.h
+++ b/lib_com/options.h
@@ -162,9 +162,10 @@
 
 #define BINAURALIZATION_DELAY_REPORT                    /* VA: Issue 255 - Changes the way the decoder delay is reported */
 #define FIX_351_HRTF_COMMAND                            /* VA: Issue 354 - improve "-hrtf" command-line option */
-
 #define FIX_94_VERIFY_WAV_NUM_CHANNELS                  /* FhG: Issue 94 - Check if number of channels in input wav file matches encoder/renderer configuration */
 #define ISM_HIGHEST_BITRATE                             /* VA: Issue 284: Update highest bitrate limit in ISM format */
+#define TUNE_360_OBJECT_WITH_NOISE                      /* VA: issue 360: consider objects being speech+noise for active speech coding */
+
 
 /* ################## End DEVELOPMENT switches ######################### */
 /* clang-format on */
diff --git a/lib_enc/ivas_ism_metadata_enc.c b/lib_enc/ivas_ism_metadata_enc.c
index 9aaa3af4b41a20d4eb3ee8794d81d230da96d959..21717294729e0ac1c0fecbaa7613531d81f9eb21 100644
--- a/lib_enc/ivas_ism_metadata_enc.c
+++ b/lib_enc/ivas_ism_metadata_enc.c
@@ -210,6 +210,9 @@ ivas_error ivas_ism_metadata_enc(
         }
         else if ( ism_mode == ISM_MODE_DISC )
         {
+#ifdef TUNE_360_OBJECT_WITH_NOISE
+            hIsmMeta[ch]->ism_metadata_flag = localVAD[ch] || hSCE[ch]->hCoreCoder[0]->lp_noise > 10;
+#else
             hIsmMeta[ch]->ism_metadata_flag = localVAD[ch];
 
             if ( hIsmMeta[ch]->ism_metadata_flag == 0 )
@@ -223,6 +226,7 @@ ivas_error ivas_ism_metadata_enc(
                     hIsmMeta[ch]->ism_metadata_flag = 1;
                 }
             }
+#endif
 
             if ( hSCE[ch]->hCoreCoder[0]->tcxonly )
             {
@@ -238,6 +242,7 @@ ivas_error ivas_ism_metadata_enc(
 
     rate_ism_importance( nchan_transport, hIsmMeta, hSCE, ism_imp );
 
+#ifndef TUNE_360_OBJECT_WITH_NOISE
     /* relax the importance decision in "stereo" coding for noisy audio */
     if ( ism_mode == ISM_MODE_DISC && num_obj == 2 )
     {
@@ -257,7 +262,7 @@ ivas_error ivas_ism_metadata_enc(
             }
         }
     }
-
+#endif
     /*----------------------------------------------------------------*
      * Write ISm common signaling
      *----------------------------------------------------------------*/