diff --git a/libs/ardour/ardour/segment_descriptor.h b/libs/ardour/ardour/segment_descriptor.h
index f9e7aac285..55ed7cf6da 100644
--- a/libs/ardour/ardour/segment_descriptor.h
+++ b/libs/ardour/ardour/segment_descriptor.h
@@ -19,9 +19,13 @@
 #ifndef __libardour_segment_descriptor_h__
 #define __libardour_segment_descriptor_h__
 
+#include <bitset>
+
 #include "temporal/timeline.h"
 #include "temporal/tempo.h"
 
+#include "evoral/SMF.h"
+
 class XMLNode;
 
 namespace ARDOUR {
@@ -58,6 +62,9 @@ public:
 	Temporal::Tempo tempo() const { return _tempo; }
 	void set_tempo (Temporal::Tempo const&);
 
+	Evoral::SMF::UsedChannels used_channels() const { return _used_channels; }
+	void set_used_channels (Evoral::SMF::UsedChannels);
+
 	Temporal::Meter meter() const { return _meter; }
 	void set_meter (Temporal::Meter const&);
 
@@ -69,6 +76,8 @@ public:
 private:
 	Temporal::TimeDomain _time_domain;
 
+	Evoral::SMF::UsedChannels _used_channels;
+
 	/* cannot use a union for these because Temporal::Beats has a
 	   "non-trivial" constructor.
 	*/
diff --git a/libs/ardour/segment_descriptor.cc b/libs/ardour/segment_descriptor.cc
index 32e246e270..4c8ef5fdc9 100644
--- a/libs/ardour/segment_descriptor.cc
+++ b/libs/ardour/segment_descriptor.cc
@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@
  * 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA.
  */
 
+#include <sstream>
+
 #include "pbd/enumwriter.h"
 #include "pbd/failed_constructor.h"
 #include "pbd/i18n.h"
@@ -128,6 +130,12 @@ SegmentDescriptor::set_meter (Meter const & m)
 	_meter = m;
 }
 
+void
+SegmentDescriptor::set_used_channels (Evoral::SMF::UsedChannels used)
+{
+	_used_channels = used;
+}
+
 XMLNode&
 SegmentDescriptor::get_state (void) const
 {
@@ -146,6 +154,9 @@ SegmentDescriptor::get_state (void) const
 	root->add_child_nocopy (_tempo.get_state());
 	root->add_child_nocopy (_meter.get_state());
 
+	std::string uchan = string_compose ("%1", _used_channels.to_ulong());
+	root->set_property (X_("used-channels"), uchan);
+
 	return *root;
 }
 
@@ -160,6 +171,18 @@ SegmentDescriptor::set_state (XMLNode const & node, int version)
 		return -1;
 	}
 
+	std::string uchan;
+	if (node.get_property (X_("used-channels"), uchan)) {
+	} else {
+		unsigned long ul;
+		std::stringstream ss (uchan);
+		ss >> ul;
+		if (!ss) {
+			return -1;
+		}
+		_used_channels = Evoral::SMF::UsedChannels(ul);
+	}
+
 	if (_time_domain == Temporal::AudioTime) {
 		if (node.get_property (X_("position"), _position_samples)) {
 			return -1;