diff --git a/osu.Game/Rulesets/Objects/Drawables/DrawableHitObject.cs b/osu.Game/Rulesets/Objects/Drawables/DrawableHitObject.cs
index 0d97066b35..26d2ffe3ce 100644
--- a/osu.Game/Rulesets/Objects/Drawables/DrawableHitObject.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/Rulesets/Objects/Drawables/DrawableHitObject.cs
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Rulesets.Objects.Drawables
             config.BindWith(OsuSetting.PositionalHitSounds, userPositionalHitSounds);
 
             // Explicit non-virtual function call.
-            base.AddInternal(Samples = new PausableSkinnableSound(Array.Empty<ISampleInfo>()));
+            base.AddInternal(Samples = new PausableSkinnableSound());
         }
 
         protected override void LoadAsyncComplete()
@@ -266,7 +266,8 @@ namespace osu.Game.Rulesets.Objects.Drawables
             // In order to stop this needless update, the event is unbound and re-bound as late as possible in Apply().
             samplesBindable.CollectionChanged -= onSamplesChanged;
 
-            Samples.Samples = Array.Empty<ISampleInfo>();
+            // Release the samples for other hitobjects to use.
+            Samples.Samples = null;
 
             if (nestedHitObjects.IsValueCreated)
             {
@@ -334,8 +335,6 @@ namespace osu.Game.Rulesets.Objects.Drawables
         /// </summary>
         protected virtual void LoadSamples()
         {
-            Samples.Samples = Array.Empty<ISampleInfo>();
-
             var samples = GetSamples().ToArray();
 
             if (samples.Length <= 0)
diff --git a/osu.Game/Skinning/PausableSkinnableSound.cs b/osu.Game/Skinning/PausableSkinnableSound.cs
index 758b784649..be4664356d 100644
--- a/osu.Game/Skinning/PausableSkinnableSound.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/Skinning/PausableSkinnableSound.cs
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 // See the LICENCE file in the repository root for full licence text.
 
 using System.Collections.Generic;
+using JetBrains.Annotations;
 using osu.Framework.Allocation;
 using osu.Framework.Bindables;
 using osu.Framework.Threading;
@@ -14,16 +15,20 @@ namespace osu.Game.Skinning
     {
         protected bool RequestedPlaying { get; private set; }
 
-        public PausableSkinnableSound(ISampleInfo sample)
-            : base(sample)
+        public PausableSkinnableSound()
         {
         }
 
-        public PausableSkinnableSound(IEnumerable<ISampleInfo> samples)
+        public PausableSkinnableSound([NotNull] IEnumerable<ISampleInfo> samples)
             : base(samples)
         {
         }
 
+        public PausableSkinnableSound([NotNull] ISampleInfo sample)
+            : base(sample)
+        {
+        }
+
         private readonly IBindable<bool> samplePlaybackDisabled = new Bindable<bool>();
 
         private ScheduledDelegate scheduledStart;
diff --git a/osu.Game/Skinning/SkinnableSound.cs b/osu.Game/Skinning/SkinnableSound.cs
index eca1b9b03f..67d13118d9 100644
--- a/osu.Game/Skinning/SkinnableSound.cs
+++ b/osu.Game/Skinning/SkinnableSound.cs
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 using System;
 using System.Collections.Generic;
 using System.Linq;
+using JetBrains.Annotations;
 using osu.Framework.Allocation;
 using osu.Framework.Audio;
 using osu.Framework.Audio.Track;
@@ -38,18 +39,23 @@ namespace osu.Game.Skinning
         [Resolved(CanBeNull = true)]
         private IPooledSampleProvider pooledProvider { get; set; }
 
-        public SkinnableSound(ISampleInfo sample)
-            : this(new[] { sample })
+        public SkinnableSound()
         {
         }
 
-        public SkinnableSound(IEnumerable<ISampleInfo> samples)
+        public SkinnableSound([NotNull] IEnumerable<ISampleInfo> samples)
+            : this()
         {
             this.samples = samples.ToArray();
 
             InternalChild = SamplesContainer = new AudioContainer<PoolableSkinnableSample>();
         }
 
+        public SkinnableSound([NotNull] ISampleInfo sample)
+            : this(new[] { sample })
+        {
+        }
+
         private ISampleInfo[] samples;
 
         public ISampleInfo[] Samples
@@ -57,8 +63,7 @@ namespace osu.Game.Skinning
             get => samples;
             set
             {
-                if (value == null)
-                    throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(value));
+                value ??= Array.Empty<ISampleInfo>();
 
                 if (samples == value)
                     return;