diff --git a/src/sfloader/fluid_sffile.c b/src/sfloader/fluid_sffile.c
index 5f95571e..0e7ffe26 100644
--- a/src/sfloader/fluid_sffile.c
+++ b/src/sfloader/fluid_sffile.c
@@ -2634,6 +2634,11 @@ static int fluid_sffile_read_vorbis(SFData *sf, unsigned int start_byte, unsigne
         goto error_exit;
     }
 
+    if((sfinfo.format & SF_FORMAT_OGG) == 0)
+    {
+        FLUID_LOG(FLUID_WARN, "OGG sample is not OGG compressed, this is not officially supported");
+    }
+
     wav_data = FLUID_ARRAY(short, sfinfo.frames * sfinfo.channels);
 
     if(!wav_data)
diff --git a/src/sfloader/fluid_sfont.c b/src/sfloader/fluid_sfont.c
index fb0b75ac..140fc3c5 100644
--- a/src/sfloader/fluid_sfont.c
+++ b/src/sfloader/fluid_sfont.c
@@ -700,6 +700,9 @@ int fluid_sample_set_pitch(fluid_sample_t *sample, int root_key, int fine_tune)
  */
 int fluid_sample_validate(fluid_sample_t *sample, unsigned int buffer_size)
 {
+#define EXCLUSIVE_FLAGS (FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_MONO | FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_RIGHT | FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_LEFT)
+    static const unsigned int supported_flags = EXCLUSIVE_FLAGS | FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_LINKED | FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_OGG_VORBIS | FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_ROM;
+
     /* ROM samples are unusable for us by definition */
     if(sample->sampletype & FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_ROM)
     {
@@ -707,6 +710,28 @@ int fluid_sample_validate(fluid_sample_t *sample, unsigned int buffer_size)
         return FLUID_FAILED;
     }
 
+    if(sample->sampletype & ~supported_flags)
+    {
+        FLUID_LOG(FLUID_WARN, "Sample '%s' has unknown flags, possibly using an unsupported compression; sample ignored", sample->name);
+        return FLUID_FAILED;
+    }
+
+    if((sample->sampletype & EXCLUSIVE_FLAGS) & ((sample->sampletype & EXCLUSIVE_FLAGS) - 1))
+    {
+        FLUID_LOG(FLUID_INFO, "Sample '%s' should be either mono or left or right; using it anyway", sample->name);
+    }
+
+    if((sample->sampletype & FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_LINKED) && (sample->sampletype & EXCLUSIVE_FLAGS))
+    {
+        FLUID_LOG(FLUID_INFO, "Linked sample '%s' should not be mono, left or right at the same time; using it anyway", sample->name);
+    }
+
+    if((sample->sampletype & EXCLUSIVE_FLAGS) == 0)
+    {
+        FLUID_LOG(FLUID_INFO, "Sample '%s' has no flags set, assuming mono", sample->name);
+        sample->sampletype = FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_MONO;
+    }
+
     /* Ogg vorbis compressed samples in the SF3 format use byte indices for
      * sample start and end pointers before decompression. Standard SF2 samples
      * use sample word indices for all pointers, so use half the buffer_size
@@ -729,6 +754,7 @@ int fluid_sample_validate(fluid_sample_t *sample, unsigned int buffer_size)
     }
 
     return FLUID_OK;
+#undef EXCLUSIVE_FLAGS
 }
 
 /* Check the sample loop pointers and optionally convert them to something
diff --git a/test/CMakeLists.txt b/test/CMakeLists.txt
index 4d6d4f8d..67be9595 100644
--- a/test/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/test/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ ADD_FLUID_TEST(test_synth_chorus_reverb)
 ADD_FLUID_TEST(test_snprintf)
 ADD_FLUID_TEST(test_synth_process)
 ADD_FLUID_TEST(test_ct2hz)
+ADD_FLUID_TEST(test_sample_validate)
 ADD_FLUID_TEST(test_seq_event_queue_sort)
 ADD_FLUID_TEST(test_seq_scale)
 ADD_FLUID_TEST(test_jack_obtaining_synth)
diff --git a/test/test_sample_validate.c b/test/test_sample_validate.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0d166116
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/test_sample_validate.c
@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+
+#include "test.h"
+#include "fluidsynth.h"
+#include "sfloader/fluid_sfont.h"
+#include "utils/fluid_sys.h"
+
+
+// this tests ensures that samples with invalid SfSampleType flag combinations are rejected
+int main(void)
+{
+    fluid_sample_t* sample = new_fluid_sample();
+    sample->start = 0;
+    sample->end = 1;
+
+    /// valid flags
+    {
+        sample->sampletype = FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_OGG_VORBIS;
+        TEST_SUCCESS(fluid_sample_validate(sample, 2));
+
+        sample->sampletype = FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_LINKED;
+        TEST_SUCCESS(fluid_sample_validate(sample, 2));
+
+        sample->sampletype = FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_MONO;
+        TEST_SUCCESS(fluid_sample_validate(sample, 2));
+
+        sample->sampletype = FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_RIGHT;
+        TEST_SUCCESS(fluid_sample_validate(sample, 2));
+
+        sample->sampletype = FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_LEFT;
+        TEST_SUCCESS(fluid_sample_validate(sample, 2));
+    }
+
+    /// valid, but unsupported linked sample flags
+    {
+        sample->sampletype = FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_LINKED;
+        TEST_SUCCESS(fluid_sample_validate(sample, 2));
+
+        sample->sampletype = FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_LINKED | FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_OGG_VORBIS;
+        TEST_SUCCESS(fluid_sample_validate(sample, 2));
+
+        sample->sampletype = FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_LINKED | FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_MONO;
+        TEST_SUCCESS(fluid_sample_validate(sample, 2));
+
+        sample->sampletype = FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_LINKED | FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_RIGHT;
+        TEST_SUCCESS(fluid_sample_validate(sample, 2));
+
+        sample->sampletype = FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_LINKED | FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_LEFT;
+        TEST_SUCCESS(fluid_sample_validate(sample, 2));
+    }
+
+    /// valid, but rejected ROM sample flags
+    {
+        sample->sampletype = FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_ROM;
+        TEST_ASSERT(fluid_sample_validate(sample, 2) == FLUID_FAILED);
+
+        sample->sampletype = FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_ROM | FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_OGG_VORBIS;
+        TEST_ASSERT(fluid_sample_validate(sample, 2) == FLUID_FAILED);
+
+        sample->sampletype = FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_ROM | FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_LINKED;
+        TEST_ASSERT(fluid_sample_validate(sample, 2) == FLUID_FAILED);
+
+        sample->sampletype = FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_ROM | FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_MONO;
+        TEST_ASSERT(fluid_sample_validate(sample, 2) == FLUID_FAILED);
+
+        sample->sampletype = FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_ROM | FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_RIGHT;
+        TEST_ASSERT(fluid_sample_validate(sample, 2) == FLUID_FAILED);
+
+        sample->sampletype = FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_ROM | FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_LEFT;
+        TEST_ASSERT(fluid_sample_validate(sample, 2) == FLUID_FAILED);
+    }
+
+    /// invalid flag combinations
+    {
+        // no flags set? technically illegal, but handle it as mono
+        sample->sampletype = 0;
+        TEST_SUCCESS(fluid_sample_validate(sample, 2));
+
+        sample->sampletype = FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_MONO | FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_RIGHT;
+        TEST_SUCCESS(fluid_sample_validate(sample, 2));
+
+        sample->sampletype |= FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_LEFT;
+        TEST_SUCCESS(fluid_sample_validate(sample, 2));
+
+        sample->sampletype |= FLUID_SAMPLETYPE_LINKED;
+        TEST_SUCCESS(fluid_sample_validate(sample, 2));
+    }
+
+    // unknown flags must be rejected (this seems to be implicitly required by SF3)
+    {
+        sample->sampletype = 0x20;
+        TEST_ASSERT(fluid_sample_validate(sample, 2) == FLUID_FAILED);
+
+        sample->sampletype |= 0x40;
+        TEST_ASSERT(fluid_sample_validate(sample, 2) == FLUID_FAILED);
+
+        sample->sampletype = 0x80;
+        TEST_ASSERT(fluid_sample_validate(sample, 2) == FLUID_FAILED);
+
+        sample->sampletype <<= 1;
+        TEST_ASSERT(fluid_sample_validate(sample, 2) == FLUID_FAILED);
+    }
+
+    delete_fluid_sample(sample);
+
+    return EXIT_SUCCESS;
+}