diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index dbdbb9d80fe3222bfc3b74df1e33a60da834608f..13ffc92020126b425e6eeca7262c7e9e311927c0 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ variables:
   LONG_TEST_SUITE: "tests/codec_be_on_mr_nonselection tests/renderer --param_file scripts/config/self_test_ltv.prm --use_ltv"
   LONG_TEST_SUITE_NO_RENDERER: "tests/codec_be_on_mr_nonselection --param_file scripts/config/self_test_ltv.prm --use_ltv"
   SHORT_TEST_SUITE: "tests/codec_be_on_mr_nonselection"
+  ENCODER_TEST_SUITE: "tests/codec_be_on_mr_nonselection/test_param_file.py --param_file scripts/config/self_test_basop_encoder.prm"
   TEST_SUITE: ""
   DUT_ENCODER_PATH: "./IVAS_cod"
   DUT_DECODER_PATH: "./IVAS_dec"
@@ -28,6 +29,8 @@ variables:
   CI_REGRESSION_THRESH_ODG: "-0.05"
   GIT_CLEAN_FLAGS: -ffdxq
   INSTR_DIR: "scripts/c-code_instrument"
+  BUILD_WITH_DEBUG_MODE_INFO: ""
+  ENCODER_TEST: ""
   MANUAL_PIPELINE_TYPE:
     description: "Type for the manual pipeline run. Use 'pytest-compare' to run comparison test against reference float codec."
     value: 'default'
@@ -117,25 +120,33 @@ stages:
     echo "Commit time was $CI_COMMIT_TIMESTAMP"
     date | xargs echo "System time is"
 
+.activate-debug-mode-info-if-set: &activate-debug-mode-info-if-set
+  - if [ "$BUILD_WITH_DEBUG_MODE_INFO" = "true" ]; then
+  -   sed -i.bak -e "s/\/\*\ *\(#define\ *DEBUGGING\ *\)\*\//\1/g" lib_com/options.h
+  -   sed -i.bak -e "s/\/\*\ *\(#define\ *DEBUG_MODE_INFO\ *\)\*\//\1/g" lib_com/options.h
+  - fi
+
 .build-reference-binaries: &build-reference-binaries
-- current_commit_sha=$(git rev-parse HEAD)
-### build reference binaries
-- git checkout $REFERENCE_BRANCH
-- git pull
-- make clean
-- make -j
-- mv ./IVAS_cod ./$REF_ENCODER_PATH
-- mv ./IVAS_dec ./$REF_DECODER_PATH
-- mv ./IVAS_rend ./IVAS_rend_ref
-### Return to current branch
-- git restore .
-- git checkout $current_commit_sha
+  - current_commit_sha=$(git rev-parse HEAD)
+  ### build reference binaries
+  - git checkout $REFERENCE_BRANCH
+  - git pull
+  - *activate-debug-mode-info-if-set
+  - make clean
+  - make -j
+  - mv ./IVAS_cod ./$REF_ENCODER_PATH
+  - mv ./IVAS_dec ./$REF_DECODER_PATH
+  - mv ./IVAS_rend ./IVAS_rend_ref
+  ### Return to current branch
+  - git restore .
+  - git checkout $current_commit_sha
 
 
 .build-reference-and-dut-binaries: &build-reference-and-dut-binaries
 ### build reference binaries
   - *build-reference-binaries
 ### build dut binaries
+  - *activate-debug-mode-info-if-set
   - make clean
   - make -j
 
@@ -147,7 +158,9 @@ stages:
   - python3 tests/create_short_testvectors.py
   # create references
   - exit_code=0
-  - python3 -m pytest $TEST_SUITE -v --update_ref 1 --create_ref -n auto --ref_encoder_path $REF_ENCODER_PATH --ref_decoder_path $REF_DECODER_PATH --dut_encoder_path $DUT_ENCODER_PATH --dut_decoder_path $DUT_DECODER_PATH || exit_code=$?
+  - enc_stats_arg=""
+  - if [ "$ENCODER_TEST" = "true" ]; then enc_stats_arg="--enc_stats"; fi
+  - python3 -m pytest $TEST_SUITE -v --update_ref 1 $enc_stats_arg --create_ref -n auto --ref_encoder_path $REF_ENCODER_PATH --ref_decoder_path $REF_DECODER_PATH --dut_encoder_path $DUT_ENCODER_PATH --dut_decoder_path $DUT_DECODER_PATH || exit_code=$?
 
 .update-scripts-repo: &update-scripts-repo
   - cd $SCRIPTS_DIR
@@ -291,11 +304,17 @@ stages:
     - if [ $LEVEL_SCALING != "1.0" ];then
     -   *apply-testv-scaling
     - fi
+
+    - if [ "$ENCODER_TEST" = "true" ]; then BUILD_WITH_DEBUG_MODE_INFO="true"; fi
     - *build-and-create-reference-outputs
 
+    - comp_args="--mld --ssnr --odg"
+    - if [ "$ENCODER_TEST" = "true" ]; then comp_args="${comp_args} --enc_stats"; fi
+    - echo "$comp_args"
+
     ### run pytest
     - exit_code=0
-    - python3 -m pytest --tb=no $TEST_SUITE -v --create_cut --html=report.html --self-contained-html --junit-xml=report-junit.xml --mld --ssnr --odg -n auto --testcase_timeout $testcase_timeout --ref_encoder_path $REF_ENCODER_PATH --ref_decoder_path $REF_DECODER_PATH --dut_encoder_path $DUT_ENCODER_PATH --dut_decoder_path $DUT_DECODER_PATH || exit_code=$?
+    - python3 -m pytest --tb=no $TEST_SUITE -v --create_cut --html=report.html --self-contained-html --junit-xml=report-junit.xml $comp_args -n auto --testcase_timeout $testcase_timeout --ref_encoder_path $REF_ENCODER_PATH --ref_decoder_path $REF_DECODER_PATH --dut_encoder_path $DUT_ENCODER_PATH --dut_decoder_path $DUT_DECODER_PATH || exit_code=$?
     - zero_errors=$(cat report-junit.xml | grep -c 'errors="0"') || true
 
     - python3 scripts/parse_xml_report.py report-junit.xml $CSV_ARTIFACT_NAME
@@ -683,6 +702,24 @@ build-codec-linux-instrumented-make:
     - bash scripts/prepare_instrumentation.sh -m MEM_ONLY -p BASOP
     - make -j -C $INSTR_DIR
 
+build-codec-linux-debugging-make:
+  rules:
+    - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == 'web'
+    - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == 'push' && $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH == $CI_DEFAULT_BRANCH
+    - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == 'merge_request_event' && $CI_MERGE_REQUEST_TARGET_BRANCH_NAME == "main" # only have MR pipelines for MRs to main
+    - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == 'schedule'
+    - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == 'push'
+      when: never
+  extends:
+    - .build-job-linux
+  timeout: "7 minutes"
+  variables:
+    BUILD_WITH_DEBUG_MODE_INFO: "true"
+  script:
+    - *print-common-info
+    - *activate-debug-mode-info-if-set
+    - make -j
+
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------
 # Short test jobs that run in merge request pipelines
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -771,8 +808,9 @@ ivas-pytest-compare_to_ref-short-enc:
     - .test-job-linux
   before_script:
     - USE_LTV=0
+    - ENCODER_TEST="true"
     - DUT_DECODER_PATH=./$REF_DECODER_PATH
-    - TEST_SUITE="$SHORT_TEST_SUITE"
+    - TEST_SUITE="$ENCODER_TEST_SUITE"
     - LEVEL_SCALING=1.0
   <<: *ivas-pytest-anchor
 
@@ -783,8 +821,9 @@ ivas-pytest-compare_to_ref-short-enc-lev-10:
     - .test-job-linux    
   before_script:
     - USE_LTV=0
+    - ENCODER_TEST="true"
     - DUT_DECODER_PATH=./$REF_DECODER_PATH
-    - TEST_SUITE="$SHORT_TEST_SUITE"
+    - TEST_SUITE="$ENCODER_TEST_SUITE"
     - LEVEL_SCALING=0.3162
   <<: *ivas-pytest-anchor
 
@@ -795,8 +834,9 @@ ivas-pytest-compare_to_ref-short-enc-lev+10:
     - .test-job-linux    
   before_script:
     - USE_LTV=0
+    - ENCODER_TEST="true"
     - DUT_DECODER_PATH=./$REF_DECODER_PATH
-    - TEST_SUITE="$SHORT_TEST_SUITE"
+    - TEST_SUITE="$ENCODER_TEST_SUITE"
     - LEVEL_SCALING=3.162
   <<: *ivas-pytest-anchor
 
@@ -841,7 +881,7 @@ ivas-pytest-compare_to_ref-short-dec-lev-10:
     - .rules-pytest-to-ref-short
     - .test-job-linux    
   before_script:
-    - USE_LTV=0  
+    - USE_LTV=0
     - DUT_ENCODER_PATH=./$REF_ENCODER_PATH
     - TEST_SUITE="$SHORT_TEST_SUITE"
     - LEVEL_SCALING=0.3162
@@ -852,12 +892,13 @@ ivas-pytest-compare_to_ref-short-dec-lev+10:
     - .rules-pytest-to-ref-short
     - .test-job-linux    
   before_script:
-    - USE_LTV=0  
+    - USE_LTV=0
     - DUT_ENCODER_PATH=./$REF_ENCODER_PATH
     - TEST_SUITE="$SHORT_TEST_SUITE"
     - LEVEL_SCALING=3.162
   <<: *ivas-pytest-anchor
 
+### jobs that compare the output synthesis to the input files directly
 ivas-pytest-compare-to-input-short-dec:
   extends:
     - .rules-pytest-to-input-short
diff --git a/lib_enc/speech_music_classif_fx.c b/lib_enc/speech_music_classif_fx.c
index 6f8fba9f1e49c0fc7f74d14ca84ab9f1a4522b38..54ea16f6f8bef652577d0a504dac206052ed317b 100644
--- a/lib_enc/speech_music_classif_fx.c
+++ b/lib_enc/speech_music_classif_fx.c
@@ -2624,8 +2624,10 @@ Word16 ivas_smc_gmm_fx(
     mvs2s( &hSpMusClas->past_dec[0], &hSpMusClas->past_dec[1], HANG_LEN - 2 );
     hSpMusClas->past_dec[0] = dec;
     move16();
+#ifndef IVAS_FLOAT_FIXED
 #ifdef DEBUG_MODE_INFO
     dbgwrite( &st->hSpMusClas->wdlp_0_95_sp_32fx, sizeof( Word32 ), 1, 1, "res/wdlp_0_95_sp.x" );
+#endif
 #endif
 
     return dec;