diff --git a/src/layout/aax_layout.c b/src/layout/aax_layout.c
index 9d14dc11..eedcd2e4 100644
--- a/src/layout/aax_layout.c
+++ b/src/layout/aax_layout.c
@@ -26,7 +26,8 @@ fail:
 
 void render_vgmstream_aax(sample * buffer, int32_t sample_count, VGMSTREAM * vgmstream) {
     int samples_written=0;
-    aax_codec_data *data = vgmstream->codec_data;
+    aax_codec_data *data = vgmstream->layout_data;
+    //int samples_per_frame = get_vgmstream_samples_per_frame(vgmstream);
 
     while (samples_written<sample_count) {
         int samples_to_do;
@@ -55,8 +56,6 @@ void render_vgmstream_aax(sample * buffer, int32_t sample_count, VGMSTREAM * vgm
 
         samples_to_do = vgmstream_samples_to_do(samples_this_block, 1, vgmstream);
 
-        /*printf("samples_to_do=%d,samples_this_block=%d,samples_written=%d,sample_count=%d\n",samples_to_do,samples_this_block,samples_written,sample_count);*/
-
         if (samples_written+samples_to_do > sample_count)
             samples_to_do=sample_count-samples_written;
 
@@ -64,7 +63,6 @@ void render_vgmstream_aax(sample * buffer, int32_t sample_count, VGMSTREAM * vgm
         {
             int i;
             data->current_segment++;
-            /*printf("advance to %d at %d samples\n",data->current_segment,vgmstream->current_sample);*/
             reset_vgmstream(data->segments[data->current_segment]);
 
             /* carry over the history from the previous segment */
diff --git a/src/meta/aax.c b/src/meta/aax.c
index b61fa57e..28eb3b9c 100644
--- a/src/meta/aax.c
+++ b/src/meta/aax.c
@@ -1,17 +1,17 @@
 #include "meta.h"
 #include "../layout/layout.h"
 #include "../coding/coding.h"
-#include "aax_streamfile.h"
 #include "aax_utf.h"
 
+static STREAMFILE* setup_aax_streamfile(STREAMFILE *streamFile, off_t subfile_offset, size_t subfile_size, const char* fake_ext);
+
 
 #define MAX_SEGMENTS 2 /* usually segment0=intro, segment1=loop/main */
 
 /* AAX - segmented ADX [Bayonetta (PS3), Pandora's Tower (Wii), Catherine (X360), Binary Domain (PS3)] */
 VGMSTREAM * init_vgmstream_aax(STREAMFILE *streamFile) {
     VGMSTREAM * vgmstream = NULL;
-    char filename[PATH_LIMIT];
-    STREAMFILE * streamFileAAX = NULL;
+    int is_hca;
 
     int loop_flag = 0, channel_count = 0;
     int32_t sample_count, loop_start_sample = 0, loop_end_sample = 0;
@@ -51,7 +51,12 @@ VGMSTREAM * init_vgmstream_aax(STREAMFILE *streamFile) {
 
         if (result.name_offset+0x04 > aax_string_table_size)
             goto fail;
-        if (read_32bitBE(aax_string_table_offset + result.name_offset, streamFile) != 0x41415800) /* "AAX\0" */
+
+        if (read_32bitBE(aax_string_table_offset + result.name_offset, streamFile) == 0x41415800) /* "AAX\0" */
+            is_hca = 0;
+        else if (read_32bitBE(aax_string_table_offset + result.name_offset, streamFile) == 0x48434100) /* "HCA\0" */
+            is_hca = 1;
+        else
             goto fail;
 
         /* get offsets of constituent segments */
@@ -70,17 +75,14 @@ VGMSTREAM * init_vgmstream_aax(STREAMFILE *streamFile) {
     data = init_layout_aax(segment_count);
     if (!data) goto fail;
 
-    /* get temp file */
-    streamFile->get_name(streamFile,filename,sizeof(filename));
-    streamFileAAX = streamFile->open(streamFile,filename,STREAMFILE_DEFAULT_BUFFER_SIZE);
-    if (!streamFileAAX) goto fail;
-
     /* open each segment subfile */
     for (i = 0; i < segment_count; i++) {
-        STREAMFILE* temp_streamFile = open_aax_with_STREAMFILE(streamFileAAX,segment_offset[i],segment_size[i]);
+        STREAMFILE* temp_streamFile = setup_aax_streamfile(streamFile, segment_offset[i],segment_size[i], (is_hca ? "hca" : "adx"));
         if (!temp_streamFile) goto fail;
 
-        data->segments[i] = init_vgmstream_adx(temp_streamFile);
+        data->segments[i] = is_hca ?
+                init_vgmstream_hca(temp_streamFile) :
+                init_vgmstream_adx(temp_streamFile);
 
         close_streamfile(temp_streamFile);
 
@@ -138,18 +140,40 @@ VGMSTREAM * init_vgmstream_aax(STREAMFILE *streamFile) {
     vgmstream->coding_type = data->segments[0]->coding_type;
     vgmstream->layout_type = layout_aax;
 
-    vgmstream->codec_data = data;
+    vgmstream->layout_data = data;
     data->loop_segment = loop_segment;
 
     return vgmstream;
 
 fail:
-    close_streamfile(streamFileAAX);
     close_vgmstream(vgmstream);
     free_layout_aax(data);
     return NULL;
 }
 
+static STREAMFILE* setup_aax_streamfile(STREAMFILE *streamFile, off_t subfile_offset, size_t subfile_size, const char* fake_ext) {
+    STREAMFILE *temp_streamFile = NULL, *new_streamFile = NULL;
+
+    /* setup subfile */
+    new_streamFile = open_wrap_streamfile(streamFile);
+    if (!new_streamFile) goto fail;
+    temp_streamFile = new_streamFile;
+
+    new_streamFile = open_clamp_streamfile(temp_streamFile, subfile_offset,subfile_size);
+    if (!new_streamFile) goto fail;
+    temp_streamFile = new_streamFile;
+
+    new_streamFile = open_fakename_streamfile(temp_streamFile, NULL,fake_ext);
+    if (!new_streamFile) goto fail;
+    temp_streamFile = new_streamFile;
+
+    return temp_streamFile;
+
+fail:
+    close_streamfile(temp_streamFile);
+    return NULL;
+}
+
 
 /* CRI's UTF wrapper around DSP [Sonic Colors sfx (Wii), NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams sfx (Wii)] */
 VGMSTREAM * init_vgmstream_utf_dsp(STREAMFILE *streamFile) {
diff --git a/src/vgmstream.c b/src/vgmstream.c
index b8d262c4..6ba1b23c 100644
--- a/src/vgmstream.c
+++ b/src/vgmstream.c
@@ -570,10 +570,11 @@ void reset_vgmstream(VGMSTREAM * vgmstream) {
     if (vgmstream->coding_type==coding_ACM) {
         mus_acm_codec_data *data = vgmstream->codec_data;
         int i;
-
-        data->current_file = 0;
-        for (i=0;i<data->file_count;i++) {
-            acm_reset(data->files[i]);
+        if (data) {
+            data->current_file = 0;
+            for (i=0;i<data->file_count;i++) {
+                acm_reset(data->files[i]);
+            }
         }
     }
 
@@ -586,7 +587,8 @@ void reset_vgmstream(VGMSTREAM * vgmstream) {
             vgmstream->coding_type == coding_NWA5
        ) {
         nwa_codec_data *data = vgmstream->codec_data;
-        reset_nwa(data->nwa);
+        if (data)
+            reset_nwa(data->nwa);
     }
 
 
@@ -601,7 +603,7 @@ void reset_vgmstream(VGMSTREAM * vgmstream) {
     }
 
     if (vgmstream->layout_type==layout_aax) {
-        reset_layout_aax(vgmstream->codec_data);
+        reset_layout_aax(vgmstream->layout_data);
     }
 
     if (vgmstream->layout_type==layout_scd_int) {
@@ -819,7 +821,7 @@ void close_vgmstream(VGMSTREAM * vgmstream) {
     }
 
     if (vgmstream->layout_type==layout_aax) {
-        free_layout_aax(vgmstream->codec_data);
+        free_layout_aax(vgmstream->layout_data);
         vgmstream->codec_data = NULL;
     }
 
@@ -2047,7 +2049,8 @@ int vgmstream_do_loop(VGMSTREAM * vgmstream) {
             vgmstream->coding_type == coding_NWA5)
         {
             nwa_codec_data *data = vgmstream->codec_data;
-            seek_nwa(data->nwa, vgmstream->loop_sample);
+            if (data)
+                seek_nwa(data->nwa, vgmstream->loop_sample);
         }
 
         /* restore! */
@@ -2435,11 +2438,6 @@ static STREAMFILE * get_vgmstream_average_bitrate_channel_streamfile(VGMSTREAM *
 {
     //AAX, AIX, ACM?
 
-    if (vgmstream->layout_type==layout_aax) {
-        aax_codec_data *data = (aax_codec_data *) vgmstream->codec_data;
-        return data->segments[0]->ch[channel].streamfile; //todo not correct with multifile segments (ex. .ACM Ogg)
-    }
-
     if (vgmstream->layout_type==layout_scd_int) {
         scd_int_codec_data *data = (scd_int_codec_data *) vgmstream->codec_data;
         return data->intfiles[channel];
@@ -2485,10 +2483,10 @@ int get_vgmstream_average_bitrate(VGMSTREAM * vgmstream) {
     int bitrate = 0;
     int sample_rate = vgmstream->sample_rate;
     int length_samples = vgmstream->num_samples;
-    int channels = get_vgmstream_average_bitrate_channel_count(vgmstream);
+    int channels;
     STREAMFILE * streamFile;
 
-    if (!sample_rate || !channels || !length_samples)
+    if (!sample_rate || !length_samples)
         return 0;
 
     /* subsongs need to report this to properly calculate */
@@ -2496,6 +2494,16 @@ int get_vgmstream_average_bitrate(VGMSTREAM * vgmstream) {
         return get_vgmstream_average_bitrate_from_size(vgmstream->stream_size, sample_rate, length_samples);
     }
 
+    /* AAX layout is handled differently as it has multiple sub-VGMSTREAMs (may include special codecs) */
+    //todo not correct with multifile segments (ex. .ACM Ogg)
+    if (vgmstream->layout_type==layout_aax) {
+        aax_codec_data *data = (aax_codec_data *) vgmstream->layout_data;
+        return get_vgmstream_average_bitrate(data->segments[0]);
+    }
+
+    channels = get_vgmstream_average_bitrate_channel_count(vgmstream);
+    if (!channels) return 0;
+
     if (channels >= 1) {
         streamFile = get_vgmstream_average_bitrate_channel_streamfile(vgmstream, 0);
         if (streamFile) {
diff --git a/src/vgmstream.h b/src/vgmstream.h
index 49a1ed75..ebfb1237 100644
--- a/src/vgmstream.h
+++ b/src/vgmstream.h
@@ -797,6 +797,10 @@ typedef struct {
      * Note also that support must be added for resetting, looping and
      * closing for every codec that uses this, as it will not be handled. */
     void * codec_data;
+    /* Same, for special layouts.
+     * Reusing the above pointer causes bugs when it's using special layout + codec
+     * (vgmstream may try to free/loop/etc codec_data). */
+    void * layout_data;
 } VGMSTREAM;
 
 #ifdef VGM_USE_VORBIS