diff --git a/assignment-client/src/audio/AudioMixer.cpp b/assignment-client/src/audio/AudioMixer.cpp
index f402050265..63b4716f82 100644
--- a/assignment-client/src/audio/AudioMixer.cpp
+++ b/assignment-client/src/audio/AudioMixer.cpp
@@ -105,7 +105,9 @@ int AudioMixer::addStreamToMixForListeningNodeWithStream(PositionalAudioStream*
     float repeatedFrameFadeFactor = 1.0f;
 
     if (!streamToAdd->lastPopSucceeded()) {
-        if (_streamSettings._repetitionWithFade) {
+        if (_streamSettings._repetitionWithFade && !streamToAdd->getLastPopOutput().isNull()) {
+            // reptition with fade is enabled, and we do have a valid previous frame to repeat.
+            // calculate its fade factor, which depends on how many times it's already been repeated.
             repeatedFrameFadeFactor = calculateRepeatedFrameFadeFactor(streamToAdd->getConsecutiveNotMixedCount() - 1);
             if (repeatedFrameFadeFactor == 0.0f) {
                 return 0;
diff --git a/libraries/audio/src/AudioRingBuffer.h b/libraries/audio/src/AudioRingBuffer.h
index 65e6947115..522c1b8fff 100644
--- a/libraries/audio/src/AudioRingBuffer.h
+++ b/libraries/audio/src/AudioRingBuffer.h
@@ -108,6 +108,8 @@ public:
             _bufferLast(bufferFirst + capacity - 1),
             _at(at) {}
 
+        bool isNull() const { return _at == NULL; }
+
         bool operator==(const ConstIterator& rhs) { return _at == rhs._at; }
         bool operator!=(const ConstIterator& rhs) { return _at != rhs._at; }
         const int16_t& operator*() { return *_at; }