diff --git a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/AVSync.cs b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/AVSync.cs
index 1e13e2f68b..6a917dff17 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/AVSync.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/AVSync.cs
@@ -175,6 +175,9 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 	{
 		protected IVideoWriter w;
 
+		public bool UsesAudio { get { return w.UsesAudio; } }
+		public bool UsesVideo { get { return w.UsesVideo; } }
+
 		public void SetVideoCodecToken(IDisposable token)
 		{
 			w.SetVideoCodecToken(token);
diff --git a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/AviWriter.cs b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/AviWriter.cs
index 84e02d7bec..9c046a8e0a 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/AviWriter.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/AviWriter.cs
@@ -857,6 +857,9 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 		{
 			return "avi";
 		}
+
+		public bool UsesAudio { get { return parameters.has_audio; } }
+		public bool UsesVideo { get { return true; } }
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/FFmpegWriter.cs b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/FFmpegWriter.cs
index 51d7d08db1..40aa73d19e 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/FFmpegWriter.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/FFmpegWriter.cs
@@ -291,5 +291,8 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 		{
 			token = FFmpegWriterForm.FormatPreset.GetDefaultPreset();
 		}
+
+		public bool UsesAudio { get { return true; } }
+		public bool UsesVideo { get { return true; } }
 	}
 }
diff --git a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/GifWriter.cs b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/GifWriter.cs
index b82065c3c6..7472fcf072 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/GifWriter.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/GifWriter.cs
@@ -227,5 +227,8 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 				f = null;
 			}
 		}
+
+		public bool UsesAudio { get { return false; } }
+		public bool UsesVideo { get { return true; } }
 	}
 }
diff --git a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/IVideoWriter.cs b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/IVideoWriter.cs
index 3b5eaee849..ae059ac199 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/IVideoWriter.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/IVideoWriter.cs
@@ -19,6 +19,15 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 		/// </summary>
 		void SetDefaultVideoCodecToken();
 
+		/// <summary>
+		/// Returns whether this videowriter dumps audio
+		/// </summary>
+		bool UsesAudio { get; }
+
+		/// <summary>
+		/// Returns whether this videowriter dumps video
+		/// </summary>
+		bool UsesVideo { get; }
 
 		// why no OpenFile(IEnumerator<string>) ?
 		// different video writers may have different ideas of how and why splitting is to occur
diff --git a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/ImageSequenceWriter.cs b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/ImageSequenceWriter.cs
index 5807925db0..71f2b5da88 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/ImageSequenceWriter.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/ImageSequenceWriter.cs
@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 		{
 		}
 
+		public bool UsesAudio { get { return false; } }
+		public bool UsesVideo { get { return true; } }
 
 		public void OpenFile(string baseName)
 		{
diff --git a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/JMDWriter.cs b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/JMDWriter.cs
index 2121e9787e..870e1751fa 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/JMDWriter.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/JMDWriter.cs
@@ -790,5 +790,10 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 		}
 
 		public void SetFrame(int frame) { }
+
+		public bool UsesAudio { get { return true; } }
+		public bool UsesVideo { get { return true; } }
 	}
+
+
 }
diff --git a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/NutWriter.cs b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/NutWriter.cs
index 97d6c3ab2a..6e8770ed84 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/NutWriter.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/NutWriter.cs
@@ -138,5 +138,8 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 		{
 			// ignored
 		}
+
+		public bool UsesAudio { get { return true; } }
+		public bool UsesVideo { get { return true; } }
 	}
 }
diff --git a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/SynclessRecorder.cs b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/SynclessRecorder.cs
index 31a05ba85b..a8e4a84ded 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/SynclessRecorder.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/SynclessRecorder.cs
@@ -68,6 +68,9 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 			wwv.Dispose();
 		}
 
+		public bool UsesAudio { get { return true; } }
+		public bool UsesVideo { get { return true; } }
+
 		class DummyDisposable : IDisposable { public void Dispose() { } }
 
 		public IDisposable AcquireVideoCodecToken(IWin32Window hwnd) { return new DummyDisposable(); }
diff --git a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/WavWriter.cs b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/WavWriter.cs
index 6d0ff888bb..ccb8e6129e 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/WavWriter.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/AVOut/WavWriter.cs
@@ -205,6 +205,9 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 		public void SetVideoParameters(int width, int height) { }
 		public void SetFrame(int frame) { }
 
+		public bool UsesAudio { get { return true; } }
+		public bool UsesVideo { get { return false; } }
+
 		class WavWriterVToken : IDisposable
 		{
 			public void Dispose() { }
diff --git a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/MainForm.cs b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/MainForm.cs
index 973520d960..d9c1f2b482 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/MainForm.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/MainForm.cs
@@ -2817,8 +2817,10 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 					coreskipaudio = true;
 
 				{
-					bool render = !_throttle.skipnextframe || _currAviWriter != null;
+					bool render = !_throttle.skipnextframe;
 					bool renderSound = !coreskipaudio;
+					if (_currAviWriter != null && _currAviWriter.UsesVideo) render = true;
+					if (_currAviWriter != null && _currAviWriter.UsesAudio) renderSound = true;
 					Global.Emulator.FrameAdvance(render, renderSound);
 				}