diff --git a/src/playsim/d_player.h b/src/playsim/d_player.h
index 3c649b5dbe..44f72d0025 100644
--- a/src/playsim/d_player.h
+++ b/src/playsim/d_player.h
@@ -391,7 +391,7 @@ public:
 	float		BlendB = 0;
 	float		BlendA = 0;
 
-	FString		SoundClass = "player";
+	FString		SoundClass = "";
 	FString		LogText;	// [RH] Log for Strife
 	FString		SubtitleText;
 	int			SubtitleCounter;
diff --git a/src/playsim/p_acs.cpp b/src/playsim/p_acs.cpp
index c67ec1cc5f..fe7eba54fd 100644
--- a/src/playsim/p_acs.cpp
+++ b/src/playsim/p_acs.cpp
@@ -4313,6 +4313,10 @@ void DLevelScript::DoSetActorProperty (AActor *actor, int property, int value)
 		{
 			if (actor->player != NULL)
 			{
+				if(!strcmp(Level->Behaviors.LookupString(value), ""))
+				{
+					actor->player->SoundClass = "";
+				}
 				actor->player->SoundClass = Level->Behaviors.LookupString(value);
 			}
 		}
@@ -4416,7 +4420,7 @@ int DLevelScript::GetActorProperty (int tid, int property)
 	case APROP_MaxStepHeight: return DoubleToACS(actor->MaxStepHeight);
 	case APROP_MaxDropOffHeight: return DoubleToACS(actor->MaxDropOffHeight);
 	case APROP_DamageType:	return GlobalACSStrings.AddString(actor->DamageType.GetChars());
-	case APROP_SoundClass:	return GlobalACSStrings.AddString(actor->player->SoundClass.GetChars());
+	case APROP_SoundClass:	return GlobalACSStrings.AddString(GetSoundClass(actor));
 
 	default:				return 0;
 	}
@@ -4490,7 +4494,7 @@ int DLevelScript::CheckActorProperty (int tid, int property, int value)
 		case APROP_Species:		string = actor->GetSpecies().GetChars(); break;
 		case APROP_NameTag:		string = actor->GetTag(); break;
 		case APROP_DamageType:	string = actor->DamageType.GetChars(); break;
-		case APROP_SoundClass:  string = actor->player->SoundClass; break;
+		case APROP_SoundClass:  string = GetSoundClass(actor); break;
 	}
 	if (string == NULL) string = "";
 	return (!stricmp(string, Level->Behaviors.LookupString(value)));
diff --git a/src/sound/s_advsound.cpp b/src/sound/s_advsound.cpp
index 5a9c4be9d7..5699b327b4 100644
--- a/src/sound/s_advsound.cpp
+++ b/src/sound/s_advsound.cpp
@@ -1608,27 +1608,21 @@ bool S_AreSoundsEquivalent (AActor *actor, int id1, int id2)
 //
 //===========================================================================
 
-static const char *GetSoundClass(AActor *pp)
+const char *GetSoundClass(AActor *pp)
 {
 	auto player = pp->player;
 
-	/*I couldn't just init SoundClass to NAME_SoundClass, GZDoom won't launch at all. Probably because that info is not parsed by the time the variable is initialized.
-	So I just SoundClass to NAME_SoundClass here if NAME_SoundClass is not null and the current SoundClass is player*/
-	if (strcmp(pp->player->SoundClass.GetChars(), "player") == 0 && pp->NameVar(NAME_SoundClass) != NAME_None)
-		pp->player->SoundClass = pp->NameVar(NAME_SoundClass).GetChars();
-
-	FString sclass = player ? pp->player->SoundClass.GetChars() : "player";
-
 	if (player != nullptr &&
 		(player->mo == nullptr || !(player->mo->flags4 &MF4_NOSKIN)) &&
 		(unsigned int)player->userinfo.GetSkin() >= PlayerClasses.Size() &&
 		(unsigned)player->userinfo.GetSkin() < Skins.Size() &&
-		strcmp(pp->player->SoundClass.GetChars(),sclass) == 0)
+		player->SoundClass.IsEmpty())
 	{
 		return Skins[player->userinfo.GetSkin()].Name.GetChars();
 	}
+	auto sclass = player->SoundClass.IsEmpty() ? pp->NameVar(NAME_SoundClass).GetChars() : player->SoundClass.GetChars();
 
-	return sclass;
+	return sclass ? sclass : "player";
 }
 
 //==========================================================================
diff --git a/src/sound/s_sound.h b/src/sound/s_sound.h
index c8bcf7ebcb..29b2f7b2bb 100644
--- a/src/sound/s_sound.h
+++ b/src/sound/s_sound.h
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ bool S_AreSoundsEquivalent (AActor *actor, int id1, int id2);
 bool S_AreSoundsEquivalent (AActor *actor, const char *name1, const char *name2);
 int S_LookupPlayerSound (const char *playerclass, int gender, const char *logicalname);
 int S_LookupPlayerSound (const char *playerclass, int gender, FSoundID refid);
+const char *GetSoundClass(AActor *pp);
 int S_FindSkinnedSound (AActor *actor, FSoundID refid);
 int S_FindSkinnedSoundEx (AActor *actor, const char *logicalname, const char *extendedname);
 int S_AddSound (const char *logicalname, const char *lumpname, FScanner *sc=NULL);	// Add sound by lumpname