diff --git a/ivas_processing_scripts/audiotools/audiofile.py b/ivas_processing_scripts/audiotools/audiofile.py
index 9bd5265522d331b80eecda8b54f9e429d80f6c07..21476228050a7deb3335197e8151844d3fd7781a 100755
--- a/ivas_processing_scripts/audiotools/audiofile.py
+++ b/ivas_processing_scripts/audiotools/audiofile.py
@@ -289,6 +289,7 @@ def combine(
     in_filenames: list,
     out_file: str,
     in_fs: Optional[int] = 48000,
+    is_planar: Optional[bool] = False,
 ) -> None:
     """
     Combines audio files into one multi-channel file
@@ -327,6 +328,10 @@ def combine(
                 y = y[: x.shape[0], :]
             y = np.column_stack([y, x])
 
+    # set vertical channels to zero
+    if is_planar:
+        y[:, VERT_HOA_CHANNELS_ACN[VERT_HOA_CHANNELS_ACN < len(in_filenames)]] = 0
+
     write(out_file, y, fs=in_fs)
 
 
diff --git a/ivas_processing_scripts/audiotools/convert/scenebased.py b/ivas_processing_scripts/audiotools/convert/scenebased.py
index ab22713d9fe733d0669f2e7c9371286bc538246c..8183fd93ca712acdd334717cc2b7b03d510ad25c 100755
--- a/ivas_processing_scripts/audiotools/convert/scenebased.py
+++ b/ivas_processing_scripts/audiotools/convert/scenebased.py
@@ -175,6 +175,8 @@ def render_sba_to_sba(
 
     if sba_out.is_planar:
         zero_vert_channels(sba_out)
+    elif sba_in.is_planar:
+        sba_out.audio = sba_in.audio
 
 
 def rotate_sba(
diff --git a/ivas_processing_scripts/processing/evs.py b/ivas_processing_scripts/processing/evs.py
index d828b6e29b06c61c8dcd23bf93127534d1792d16..7239c3b97322c3b05b7f9457acf1cea65f3dbbe3 100755
--- a/ivas_processing_scripts/processing/evs.py
+++ b/ivas_processing_scripts/processing/evs.py
@@ -236,7 +236,7 @@ class EVS(Processing):
 
         # combine the decoded channels into the output file
         if out_file.suffix in [".wav", ".pcm"]:
-            combine(split_chan_out, out_file, in_fs=self.out_fs)
+            combine(split_chan_out, out_file, in_fs=self.out_fs, is_planar=is_planar)
             # copy ISM metadata for ISM pass-through
             if in_meta:
                 for idx in range(len(in_meta)):