diff --git a/libs/ardour/ardour/segment_descriptor.h b/libs/ardour/ardour/segment_descriptor.h
index 26471a3989..f9e7aac285 100644
--- a/libs/ardour/ardour/segment_descriptor.h
+++ b/libs/ardour/ardour/segment_descriptor.h
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ namespace ARDOUR {
 class SegmentDescriptor {
 public:
 	SegmentDescriptor ();
+	SegmentDescriptor (XMLNode const &, int version);
 
 	/* This object does not use the tempo map to convert between time
 	 * domains, since it describes things that are not (always) on the
diff --git a/libs/ardour/segment_descriptor.cc b/libs/ardour/segment_descriptor.cc
index 80baa90f02..32e246e270 100644
--- a/libs/ardour/segment_descriptor.cc
+++ b/libs/ardour/segment_descriptor.cc
@@ -16,9 +16,10 @@
  * 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA.
  */
 
-#include "pbd/xml++.h"
 #include "pbd/enumwriter.h"
+#include "pbd/failed_constructor.h"
 #include "pbd/i18n.h"
+#include "pbd/xml++.h"
 
 #include "temporal/tempo.h"
 
@@ -36,6 +37,19 @@ SegmentDescriptor::SegmentDescriptor ()
 {
 }
 
+
+SegmentDescriptor::SegmentDescriptor (XMLNode const & node, int version)
+	: _time_domain (AudioTime)
+	, _position_samples (0)
+	, _duration_samples (0)
+	, _tempo (120, 4)
+	, _meter (4, 4)
+{
+	if (!set_state (node, version)) {
+		throw failed_constructor ();
+	}
+}
+
 void
 SegmentDescriptor::set_position (samplepos_t s)
 {