diff --git a/apps/decoder.c b/apps/decoder.c
index 628f61917afd6a1128c81aa70675a5c52a32013f..a812a2a133cfa5b8bafb170fb1291c8926b14274 100644
--- a/apps/decoder.c
+++ b/apps/decoder.c
@@ -1681,6 +1681,18 @@ static bool parseCmdlIVAS_dec(
         return false;
     }
 
+#ifdef SUPPORT_JBM_TRACEFILE
+    /* Validate options that depend on other options */
+    if ( arg->jbmTraceFilename != NULL && arg->delayCompensationEnabled
+         /* This decMode check should be removed once timestamp sync issues between JBM trace and audio are fixed in EVS */
+         && arg->decMode != IVAS_DEC_MODE_EVS )
+    {
+        fprintf( stderr, "Error: Writing to a JBM trace file requires delay compensation to be disabled with -no_delay_cmp\n\n" );
+        usage_dec();
+        return false;
+    }
+#endif
+
     return true;
 }
 
@@ -1717,7 +1729,8 @@ static void usage_dec( void )
     fprintf( stdout, "                      EVS RTP Payload Format. The SDP parameter hf_only is required.\n" );
     fprintf( stdout, "                      Reading RFC4867 AMR/AMR-WB RTP payload format is not supported.\n" );
 #ifdef SUPPORT_JBM_TRACEFILE
-    fprintf( stdout, "-Tracefile TF       : VoIP mode: Generate trace file named TF\n" );
+    fprintf( stdout, "-Tracefile TF       : VoIP mode: Generate trace file named TF. Requires -no_delay_cmp to\n" );
+    fprintf( stdout, "                      be enabled so that trace contents remain in sync with audio output.\n" );
 #endif
 #ifdef DEBUGGING
 #ifdef VARIABLE_SPEED_DECODING
diff --git a/lib_com/options.h b/lib_com/options.h
index d0cd5d1599bd560b5edda0826f4145df8ad26f19..e8a517733546321ba59ce88ec4a75d5b0e4d3008 100644
--- a/lib_com/options.h
+++ b/lib_com/options.h
@@ -146,6 +146,7 @@
 #endif /* DEBUGGING */
 
 /*#define DISABLE_LIMITER*/                     /* disable the limiter - needed for testing Bitexactness between different renderer framings */
+/*#define DEBUG_APA_SILENCE_NON_SCALED*/        /* Switch APA into mode that replaces contents of non-scaled frames with silence. Useful for identifying scaled regions in the audio output of the decoder  */
 
 /* #################### End DEBUGGING switches ############################ */
 
diff --git a/lib_dec/jbm_pcmdsp_apa.c b/lib_dec/jbm_pcmdsp_apa.c
index 3305a1e48d6601bb5489d3f38a23c27e0ba00f66..e2555a234e176437c7e5e675c7381408e4686f92 100644
--- a/lib_dec/jbm_pcmdsp_apa.c
+++ b/lib_dec/jbm_pcmdsp_apa.c
@@ -725,6 +725,17 @@ uint8_t apa_exec(
         ps->nFramesSinceSetScale >>= statsResetShift;
     }
 
+#ifdef DEBUG_APA_SILENCE_NON_SCALED
+    if ( l_in == *l_out )
+    {
+        set_zero( a_out, *l_out );
+    }
+    else
+    {
+        set_f( a_out, (float) INT16_MAX, *l_out );
+    }
+#endif
+
     return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/readme.txt b/readme.txt
index f54b6b86355ac4e32f8ea8aef3de6e8f91c2a080..04d6c5a49736893cafc5a56fecc9fe3f22fada7d 100644
--- a/readme.txt
+++ b/readme.txt
@@ -279,7 +279,8 @@ Options:
                       The decoder may read rtpdump files containing TS26.445 Annex A.2.2
                       EVS RTP Payload Format. The SDP parameter hf_only is required.
                       Reading RFC4867 AMR/AMR-WB RTP payload format is not supported.
--Tracefile TF       : VoIP mode: Generate trace file named TF
+-Tracefile TF       : VoIP mode: Generate trace file named TF. Requires -no_delay_cmp to
+                      be enabled so that trace contents remain in sync with audio output.
 -fec_cfg_file       : Optimal channel aware configuration computed by the JBM
                       as described in Section 6.3.1 of TS26.448. The output is
                       written into a .txt file. Each line contains the FER indicator