diff --git a/plugins/cocoaui/Visualization/Scope/ScopeVisualizationViewController.m b/plugins/cocoaui/Visualization/Scope/ScopeVisualizationViewController.m
index 492fd2c63b..c638c328cf 100644
--- a/plugins/cocoaui/Visualization/Scope/ScopeVisualizationViewController.m
+++ b/plugins/cocoaui/Visualization/Scope/ScopeVisualizationViewController.m
@@ -392,11 +392,7 @@ - (void)displayLayer:(CALayer *)layer {
 
 #pragma mark - ShaderRendererDelegate
 
-- (BOOL)canDraw {
-    return _draw_data.points != NULL;
-}
-
-- (void)applyFragParamsWithViewport:(vector_uint2)viewport device:(id<MTLDevice>)device encoder:(id<MTLRenderCommandEncoder>)encoder viewParams:(ShaderRendererParams)viewParams {
+- (BOOL)applyFragParamsWithViewport:(vector_uint2)viewport device:(id<MTLDevice>)device encoder:(id<MTLRenderCommandEncoder>)encoder viewParams:(ShaderRendererParams)viewParams {
     float scale = (float)(viewParams.backingScaleFactor / [self scaleFactorForBackingScaleFactor:viewParams.backingScaleFactor]);
 
     struct ScopeFragParams params;
@@ -416,11 +412,19 @@ - (void)applyFragParamsWithViewport:(vector_uint2)viewport device:(id<MTLDevice>
     params.scale = scale;
     [encoder setFragmentBytes:&params length:sizeof (params) atIndex:0];
 
-    // Metal documentation states that MTLBuffer should be used for buffers larger than 4K in size.
-    // Alternative is to use setFragmentBytes, which also works, but could have compatibility issues on older hardware.
-    id<MTLBuffer> buffer = [device newBufferWithBytes:_draw_data.points length:_draw_data.point_count * sizeof (ddb_scope_point_t) * params.channels options:0];
+    if (_draw_data.points == NULL) {
+        char bytes[12] = {0};
+        [encoder setFragmentBytes:bytes length:12 atIndex:1];
+    }
+    else {
+        // Metal documentation states that MTLBuffer should be used for buffers larger than 4K in size.
+        // Alternative is to use setFragmentBytes, which also works, but could have compatibility issues on older hardware.
+        id<MTLBuffer> buffer = [device newBufferWithBytes:_draw_data.points length:_draw_data.point_count * sizeof (ddb_scope_point_t) * params.channels options:0];
 
-    [encoder setFragmentBuffer:buffer offset:0 atIndex:1];
+        [encoder setFragmentBuffer:buffer offset:0 atIndex:1];
+    }
+
+    return YES;
 }
 
 @end
diff --git a/plugins/cocoaui/Visualization/Shared/ShaderRenderer.h b/plugins/cocoaui/Visualization/Shared/ShaderRenderer.h
index aa977153ef..d43c2e7bd9 100644
--- a/plugins/cocoaui/Visualization/Shared/ShaderRenderer.h
+++ b/plugins/cocoaui/Visualization/Shared/ShaderRenderer.h
@@ -32,8 +32,7 @@ typedef struct {
 } ShaderRendererParams;
 
 @protocol ShaderRendererDelegate
-- (BOOL)canDraw;
-- (void)applyFragParamsWithViewport:(vector_uint2)viewport device:(nonnull id <MTLDevice>)device encoder:(nonnull id <MTLRenderCommandEncoder>)encoder viewParams:(ShaderRendererParams)params;
+- (BOOL)applyFragParamsWithViewport:(vector_uint2)viewport device:(nonnull id <MTLDevice>)device encoder:(nonnull id <MTLRenderCommandEncoder>)encoder viewParams:(ShaderRendererParams)params;
 @end
 
 @interface ShaderRenderer : NSObject
diff --git a/plugins/cocoaui/Visualization/Shared/ShaderRenderer.m b/plugins/cocoaui/Visualization/Shared/ShaderRenderer.m
index 8797e69cc7..3333f7ec09 100644
--- a/plugins/cocoaui/Visualization/Shared/ShaderRenderer.m
+++ b/plugins/cocoaui/Visualization/Shared/ShaderRenderer.m
@@ -110,9 +110,6 @@ - (void)drawableResize:(CGSize)drawableSize
 }
 
 - (void)renderToMetalLayer:(nonnull CAMetalLayer*)metalLayer viewParams:(ShaderRendererParams)viewParams {
-    if (![self.delegate canDraw]) {
-        return;
-    }
     if (_viewportSize.width == 0 || _viewportSize.height == 0) {
         return;
     }
@@ -159,22 +156,23 @@ - (void)renderToMetalLayer:(nonnull CAMetalLayer*)metalLayer viewParams:(ShaderR
 
     [renderEncoder setRenderPipelineState:_pipelineState];
 
-    // Pass in the parameter data.
-    [renderEncoder setVertexBytes:quadVertices
-                           length:sizeof(quadVertices)
-                          atIndex:ShaderRendererVertexInputIndexVertices];
-
     vector_uint2 vp = { (uint)_viewportSize.width, (uint)_viewportSize.height };
-    [renderEncoder setVertexBytes:&vp
-                           length:sizeof(vp)
-                          atIndex:ShaderRendererVertexInputIndexViewportSize];
+    if ([self.delegate applyFragParamsWithViewport:vp device:_device encoder:renderEncoder viewParams:viewParams]) {
+        // Pass in the parameter data.
+        [renderEncoder setVertexBytes:quadVertices
+                               length:sizeof(quadVertices)
+                              atIndex:ShaderRendererVertexInputIndexVertices];
 
-    [self.delegate applyFragParamsWithViewport:vp device:_device encoder:renderEncoder viewParams:viewParams];
+        [renderEncoder setVertexBytes:&vp
+                               length:sizeof(vp)
+                              atIndex:ShaderRendererVertexInputIndexViewportSize];
 
-    // Draw the triangle.
-    [renderEncoder drawPrimitives:MTLPrimitiveTypeTriangleStrip
-                      vertexStart:0
-                      vertexCount:4];
+        // Draw the triangle.
+        [renderEncoder drawPrimitives:MTLPrimitiveTypeTriangleStrip
+                          vertexStart:0
+                          vertexCount:4];
+
+    }
 
     // end
 
diff --git a/plugins/cocoaui/Visualization/SpectrumAnalyzer/SpectrumAnalyzerVisualizationViewController.m b/plugins/cocoaui/Visualization/SpectrumAnalyzer/SpectrumAnalyzerVisualizationViewController.m
index 496308296f..ce526fab7d 100644
--- a/plugins/cocoaui/Visualization/SpectrumAnalyzer/SpectrumAnalyzerVisualizationViewController.m
+++ b/plugins/cocoaui/Visualization/SpectrumAnalyzer/SpectrumAnalyzerVisualizationViewController.m
@@ -437,11 +437,7 @@ - (void)displayLayer:(CALayer *)layer {
 
 #pragma mark - ShaderRendererDelegate
 
-- (BOOL)canDraw {
-    return _draw_data.bars != NULL;
-}
-
-- (void)applyFragParamsWithViewport:(vector_uint2)viewport device:(id<MTLDevice>)device encoder:(id<MTLRenderCommandEncoder>)encoder viewParams:(ShaderRendererParams)viewParams {
+- (BOOL)applyFragParamsWithViewport:(vector_uint2)viewport device:(id<MTLDevice>)device encoder:(id<MTLRenderCommandEncoder>)encoder viewParams:(ShaderRendererParams)viewParams {
 
     struct SpectrumFragParams params;
 
@@ -462,8 +458,14 @@ - (void)applyFragParamsWithViewport:(vector_uint2)viewport device:(id<MTLDevice>
     assert(sizeof(struct SpectrumFragBar) == sizeof (ddb_analyzer_draw_bar_t));
 
     // bar data
+    if (_draw_data.bars == NULL) {
+        char bytes[12] = {0};
+        [encoder setFragmentBytes:bytes length:12 atIndex:1];
 
-    if (_draw_data.mode == DDB_ANALYZER_MODE_FREQUENCIES) {
+        // This buffer is unused in this scenario, but necessary to shut up API validator
+        [encoder setFragmentBytes:bytes length:4 atIndex:2];
+    }
+    else if (_draw_data.mode == DDB_ANALYZER_MODE_FREQUENCIES) {
         // In this scenario, the buffer is too large, need to use MTLBuffer.
         id<MTLBuffer> buffer = [device newBufferWithBytes:_draw_data.bars length:_draw_data.bar_count * sizeof (struct SpectrumFragBar) options:0];
 
@@ -482,5 +484,7 @@ - (void)applyFragParamsWithViewport:(vector_uint2)viewport device:(id<MTLDevice>
         // This buffer is unused in this scenario, but necessary to shut up API validator
         [encoder setFragmentBytes:_draw_data.bars length:4 atIndex:2];
     }
+
+    return YES;
 }
 @end