diff --git a/src/spikeinterface/core/baserecording.py b/src/spikeinterface/core/baserecording.py
index b0f75930d3..bf2eff9c70 100644
--- a/src/spikeinterface/core/baserecording.py
+++ b/src/spikeinterface/core/baserecording.py
@@ -654,6 +654,17 @@ class BaseRecordingSegment(TimeSeriesSegment):
     Abstract class representing a multichannel timeseries, or block of raw ephys traces
     """
 
+    # Segments that know their channel count at construction (e.g. BinaryRecordingSegment,
+    # which needs it before being attached to a parent to compute the on-disk layout) set
+    # self.num_channels. Segments that don't leave this default and inherit the count from the
+    # parent recording, which is always attached by the time get_traces runs.
+    num_channels = None
+
+    def get_num_channels(self) -> int:
+        if self.num_channels is not None:
+            return self.num_channels
+        return self.parent_extractor.get_num_channels()
+
     def get_traces(
         self,
         start_frame: int | None = None,
diff --git a/src/spikeinterface/core/generate.py b/src/spikeinterface/core/generate.py
index 4fa68ebec0..b82568d643 100644
--- a/src/spikeinterface/core/generate.py
+++ b/src/spikeinterface/core/generate.py
@@ -2061,9 +2061,9 @@ def get_traces(
         channel_indices: list | None = None,
     ) -> np.ndarray:
         if channel_indices is None:
-            n_channels = self.templates.shape[2]
+            n_channels = self.get_num_channels()
         elif isinstance(channel_indices, slice):
-            stop = channel_indices.stop if channel_indices.stop is not None else self.templates.shape[2]
+            stop = channel_indices.stop if channel_indices.stop is not None else self.get_num_channels()
             start = channel_indices.start if channel_indices.start is not None else 0
             step = channel_indices.step if channel_indices.step is not None else 1
             n_channels = math.ceil((stop - start) / step)
diff --git a/src/spikeinterface/generation/drift_tools.py b/src/spikeinterface/generation/drift_tools.py
index 1800138dae..f7747091a3 100644
--- a/src/spikeinterface/generation/drift_tools.py
+++ b/src/spikeinterface/generation/drift_tools.py
@@ -542,9 +542,9 @@ def get_traces(
         end_frame = self.num_samples if end_frame is None else end_frame
 
         if channel_indices is None:
-            n_channels = self.drifting_templates.num_channels
+            n_channels = self.get_num_channels()
         elif isinstance(channel_indices, slice):
-            stop = channel_indices.stop if channel_indices.stop is not None else self.drifting_templates.num_channels
+            stop = channel_indices.stop if channel_indices.stop is not None else self.get_num_channels()
             start = channel_indices.start if channel_indices.start is not None else 0
             step = channel_indices.step if channel_indices.step is not None else 1
             n_channels = math.ceil((stop - start) / step)
diff --git a/src/spikeinterface/preprocessing/zero_channel_pad.py b/src/spikeinterface/preprocessing/zero_channel_pad.py
index 45d4809cd8..12f09ebcc6 100644
--- a/src/spikeinterface/preprocessing/zero_channel_pad.py
+++ b/src/spikeinterface/preprocessing/zero_channel_pad.py
@@ -35,7 +35,6 @@ def __init__(self, recording: BaseRecording, padding_start: int = 0, padding_end
         for segment in recording.segments:
             recording_segment = TracePaddedRecordingSegment(
                 segment,
-                recording.get_num_channels(),
                 self.dtype,
                 self.padding_start,
                 self.padding_end,
@@ -55,7 +54,6 @@ class TracePaddedRecordingSegment(BasePreprocessorSegment):
     def __init__(
         self,
         recording_segment: BaseRecordingSegment,
-        num_channels,
         dtype,
         padding_left,
         padding_end,
@@ -64,7 +62,6 @@ def __init__(
         self.padding_start = padding_left
         self.padding_end = padding_end
         self.fill_value = fill_value
-        self.num_channels = num_channels
         self.num_samples_in_original_segment = recording_segment.get_num_samples()
         self.dtype = dtype
 
@@ -76,7 +73,7 @@ def get_traces(self, start_frame, end_frame, channel_indices):
         if isinstance(channel_indices, (np.ndarray, list)):
             num_channels = len(channel_indices)
         elif channel_indices == slice(None):
-            num_channels = self.num_channels
+            num_channels = self.get_num_channels()
         else:
             raise ValueError(f"Unsupported channel_indices type: {type(channel_indices)} raise an issue on github ")
 
@@ -165,7 +162,7 @@ def __init__(self, recording: BaseRecording, num_channels: int, channel_mapping:
         self.parent_recording = recording
         self.num_channels = num_channels
         for segment in recording.segments:
-            recording_segment = ZeroChannelPaddedRecordingSegment(segment, self.num_channels, self.channel_mapping)
+            recording_segment = ZeroChannelPaddedRecordingSegment(segment, self.channel_mapping)
             self.add_recording_segment(recording_segment)
 
         # only copy relevant metadata and properties
@@ -182,14 +179,13 @@ def __init__(self, recording: BaseRecording, num_channels: int, channel_mapping:
 
 
 class ZeroChannelPaddedRecordingSegment(BasePreprocessorSegment):
-    def __init__(self, recording_segment: BaseRecordingSegment, num_channels: int, channel_mapping: list):
+    def __init__(self, recording_segment: BaseRecordingSegment, channel_mapping: list):
         BasePreprocessorSegment.__init__(self, recording_segment)
         self.parent_recording_segment = recording_segment
-        self.num_channels = num_channels
         self.channel_mapping = channel_mapping
 
     def get_traces(self, start_frame, end_frame, channel_indices):
-        traces = np.zeros((end_frame - start_frame, self.num_channels))
+        traces = np.zeros((end_frame - start_frame, self.get_num_channels()))
         traces[:, self.channel_mapping] = self.parent_recording_segment.get_traces(
             start_frame=start_frame, end_frame=end_frame, channel_indices=self.channel_mapping
         )