diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index d70343e2366a7d862098e97a777583ff5eb07b5e..d3635cca246be3296a52dfe5e1209ae5ecb950cf 100755
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -108,6 +108,7 @@ conditions_to_generate:
           bin: ~/git/ivas-codec/IVAS_dec
 postprocessing:
     fmt: "BINAURAL"
+	fs: 48000
 ```
 
 </details>
@@ -130,6 +131,8 @@ postprocessing:
 ### Deletion of temporary directories containing 
 ### intermediate processing files, bitstreams etc.; default = false
 # delete_tmp: true
+### Master seed for random processes like bitstream error pattern generation; default = 0
+# master_seed: 5
 
 ### Any relative paths will be interpreted relative to the working directory the script is called from!
 ### Usage of absolute paths is recommended.
@@ -160,13 +163,6 @@ output_path: "./tmp_output"
 ### searches for the specified substring in found filenames; default = null
 # input_select:
 #  - "48kHz"
-
-### Horizontally concatenate input items into one long file; default = false
-# concatenate_input: true
-### Specify preamble duration in ms; default = 0
-# preamble: 40
-### Flag wheter to use noise (amplitude +-4) for the preamble or silence; default = false (silence)
-# pad_noise_preamble: true
 ```
 
 </details>
@@ -220,6 +216,37 @@ input:
 
 </details>
 
+### Optional pre-processing on whole signal(s)
+
+<details>
+<summary>Click to expand</summary>
+
+```yaml
+# preprocessing_2:
+    ### Options for processing of the concatenated item (concatenate_input: true) or
+    ### the individual items (concatenate_input: false) after previous pre-processing step
+    ### Horizontally concatenate input items into one long file; default = false
+    # concatenate_input: true
+    ### Specify the concatenation order in a list of strings. If not specified, the concatenation order would be
+    ### as per the filesystem on the users' device
+    ### Should only be used if concatenate_input = true
+    # concatenation_order: []
+    ### Specify preamble duration in ms; default = 0
+    # preamble: 10000
+    ### Flag wheter to use noise (amplitude +-4) for the preamble or silence; default = false (silence)
+    # preamble_noise: true
+    ### Additive background noise
+    # background_noise:
+        ### REQUIRED: SNR for background noise in dB
+        # snr: 10
+        ### REQUIRED: Path to background noise, must have same format and sampling rate as input signal(s)
+        # background_noise_path: ".../noise.wav"
+        ### Seed for delay offest; default = 0
+        # seed_delay: 10
+```
+
+</details>
+
 ### Bitstream processing
 
 <details>
@@ -248,6 +275,8 @@ input:
     # error_pattern: "path/pattern.192"
     ### Error rate in percent
     # error_rate: 5
+	### Additional seed to specify number of preruns; default = 0
+    # prerun_seed: 2
 ```
 </details>
 
@@ -341,7 +370,7 @@ conditions_to_generate:
           ### Path to decoder binary; default search for IVAS_dec in bin folder (primary) and PATH (secondary)
           bin: ~/git/ivas-codec/IVAS_dec
           ### Decoder output format; default = postprocessing fmt
-          fmt: "CICP19"
+          fmt: "7_1_4"
           ### Decoder output sampling rate; default = null (same as input)
           # fs: 48000
           ### Additional commandline options; default = null
@@ -382,8 +411,8 @@ conditions_to_generate:
 postprocessing:
     ### REQUIRED: Target format for output
     fmt: "BINAURAL"
-    ### Target sampling rate in Hz for resampling; default = null (no resampling)
-    # fs: 16000
+    ### REQUIRED: Target sampling rate in Hz for resampling; default = null (no resampling)
+    fs: 48000
     ### Low-pass cut-off frequency in Hz; default = null (no filtering)
     # lp_cutoff: 24000
     ### Target loudness in LKFS; default = null (no loudness change applied)
diff --git a/examples/TEMPLATE.yml b/examples/TEMPLATE.yml
index 8b5ecea467ab309ad6c85e7560e0fa8803fc4537..47f6a195247227dfb2cf0e07eba5722ad86c6e06 100755
--- a/examples/TEMPLATE.yml
+++ b/examples/TEMPLATE.yml
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ input:
     # background_noise:
         ### REQUIRED: SNR for background noise in dB
         # snr: 10
-        ### REQUIRED: Path to background noise
+        ### REQUIRED: Path to background noise, must have same format and sampling rate as input signal(s)
         # background_noise_path: ".../noise.wav"
         ### Seed for delay offest; default = 0
         # seed_delay: 10
diff --git a/ivas_processing_scripts/__init__.py b/ivas_processing_scripts/__init__.py
index 036ddd6b9e9e6631827cb226546cbbbc71ec8496..b4d9c07b48b99b8316769c2f4d122660ba36bbc5 100755
--- a/ivas_processing_scripts/__init__.py
+++ b/ivas_processing_scripts/__init__.py
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ from ivas_processing_scripts.processing import chains, config
 from ivas_processing_scripts.processing.processing import (
     preprocess,
     preprocess_2,
+    preprocess_background_noise,
     process_item,
     reorder_items_list,
     reverse_process_2,
@@ -127,12 +128,18 @@ def main(args):
 
         # run preprocessing only once
         if hasattr(cfg, "preprocessing"):
+            # save process info for background noise
+            cfg.pre = cfg.proc_chains[0]["processes"][0]
             preprocess(cfg, logger)
 
         # preprocessing on whole signal(s)
         if hasattr(cfg, "preprocessing_2"):
             # save process info to revert it later
             cfg.pre2 = cfg.proc_chains[0]["processes"][0]
+            # preprocess background noise
+            if hasattr(cfg, "preprocessing") and hasattr(cfg.pre2, "background_noise"):
+                preprocess_background_noise(cfg)
+            # preprocess 2
             preprocess_2(cfg, logger)
 
         # run conditions
diff --git a/ivas_processing_scripts/processing/chains.py b/ivas_processing_scripts/processing/chains.py
index db5df6ab7d00a9b285d3d896bcdceee661d354fb..e4f4a69ff70ef9689468268d484f185fb980b3af 100755
--- a/ivas_processing_scripts/processing/chains.py
+++ b/ivas_processing_scripts/processing/chains.py
@@ -139,6 +139,7 @@ def get_preprocessing_2(cfg: TestConfig) -> dict:
             "seed_delay": background_cfg.get("seed_delay", 0),
             "master_seed": cfg.master_seed,
             "output_fmt": cfg.postprocessing["fmt"],
+            "background_object": None,
         }
     else:
         background = None
diff --git a/ivas_processing_scripts/processing/preprocessing_2.py b/ivas_processing_scripts/processing/preprocessing_2.py
index 425dbd23cb20b4c8731823872741c4d3f3f072f5..0bacc8eeb6580fe8f05db7355a0839fc475c45a3 100644
--- a/ivas_processing_scripts/processing/preprocessing_2.py
+++ b/ivas_processing_scripts/processing/preprocessing_2.py
@@ -32,7 +32,6 @@
 
 import logging
 from pathlib import Path
-from warnings import warn
 
 import numpy as np
 
@@ -104,18 +103,21 @@ class Preprocessing2(Processing):
         range_delay = (1, 2400000)
 
         # load background noise
-        noise_object = audio.fromfile(
-            self.in_fmt,
-            self.background_noise["background_noise_path"],
-            fs=self.in_fs,
-            in_meta=in_meta,
-        )
+        if self.background_noise["background_object"] is not None:
+            noise_object = self.background_noise["background_object"]
+        else:
+            noise_object = audio.fromfile(
+                self.in_fmt,
+                self.background_noise["background_noise_path"],
+                fs=self.in_fs,
+                in_meta=in_meta,
+            )
 
         # if noise is too short raise error
         if len(noise_object.audio) < len(audio_object.audio):
             raise ValueError("Background noise too short for audio signal")
         if len(noise_object.audio) - range_delay[1] < len(audio_object.audio):
-            warn(
+            raise ValueError(
                 "Background noise may be to short for audio signal when considering the random delay"
             )
 
diff --git a/ivas_processing_scripts/processing/processing.py b/ivas_processing_scripts/processing/processing.py
index 4b367606abf120a0ebd97aa3635b36c9ea5b42b6..a4fcb2fff3f7bf4d12d1878b9b7b662d056fcd47 100755
--- a/ivas_processing_scripts/processing/processing.py
+++ b/ivas_processing_scripts/processing/processing.py
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ from ivas_processing_scripts.audiotools.audiofile import (
     trim,
     write,
 )
+from ivas_processing_scripts.audiotools.convert.__init__ import convert
 from ivas_processing_scripts.audiotools.metadata import (
     add_remove_preamble,
     concat_meta_from_file,
@@ -453,3 +454,36 @@ def remove_preamble(cfg):
             write(path_input, x, fs)
 
     return
+
+
+def preprocess_background_noise(cfg):
+    # TODO: add checks and errors for sampling rate and number channels compared to input signals
+    # create audio objects
+    input_audio = audio.fromfile(
+        cfg.input["fmt"],
+        cfg.pre2.background_noise["background_noise_path"],
+        fs=cfg.input.get("fs", None),
+    )
+    output_audio = audio.fromtype(cfg.pre.out_fmt)
+    output_audio.fs = input_audio.fs
+    if cfg.pre.out_fs is None:
+        out_fs = input_audio.fs
+    else:
+        out_fs = cfg.pre.out_fs
+
+    # only consider format conversion, resampling and high-pass filtering
+    convert(
+        input=input_audio,
+        output=output_audio,
+        in_fs=input_audio.fs,
+        out_fs=out_fs,
+        in_hp50=cfg.pre.in_hp50,
+    )
+
+    # save result in cfg
+    # cfg.preprocessing_2["background_noise"].update({"background_object": output_audio})
+    cfg.proc_chains[0]["processes"][0].background_noise[
+        "background_object"
+    ] = output_audio
+
+    return