diff --git a/daemon/janus.c b/daemon/janus.c
index 3aed6ed9f..b1084ce0a 100644
--- a/daemon/janus.c
+++ b/daemon/janus.c
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ struct janus_session { // "login" session
 };
 
 TYPED_GHASHTABLE(janus_sessions_ht, uint64_t, struct janus_session, int64_hash, int64_eq, NULL,
-		(void (*)(struct janus_session *)) __obj_put)
+		(void (*)(struct janus_session *)) obj_put_gen)
 
 
 struct janus_handle { // corresponds to a conference participant
diff --git a/daemon/media_player.c b/daemon/media_player.c
index b9a377aad..788d0ed1e 100644
--- a/daemon/media_player.c
+++ b/daemon/media_player.c
@@ -109,12 +109,12 @@ static gboolean media_player_cache_entry_eq(const struct media_player_cache_inde
 static void __media_player_cache_entry_free(struct media_player_cache_entry *p);
 TYPED_GHASHTABLE(media_player_cache_ht, struct media_player_cache_index, struct media_player_cache_entry,
 			media_player_cache_entry_hash, media_player_cache_entry_eq,
-			NULL, (void(*)(struct media_player_cache_entry *)) __obj_put)
+			NULL, (void(*)(struct media_player_cache_entry *)) obj_put_gen)
 TYPED_GQUEUE(media_player_cache_entry, struct media_player_cache_entry)
 static media_player_cache_ht media_player_cache; // keys and values only ever freed at shutdown
 
 TYPED_GHASHTABLE(media_player_media_files_ht, str, struct media_player_media_file, str_hash, str_equal,
-		NULL, (void(*)(struct media_player_media_file *)) __obj_put);
+		NULL, (void(*)(struct media_player_media_file *)) obj_put_gen);
 static mutex_t media_player_media_files_lock = MUTEX_STATIC_INIT;
 static media_player_media_files_ht media_player_media_files;
 static rwlock_t media_player_media_files_names_lock = RWLOCK_STATIC_INIT;
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ static str_q media_player_media_files_names = TYPED_GQUEUE_INIT;
 // lock order: media_player_media_files_names_lock first, media_player_media_files_lock second
 
 TYPED_GHASHTABLE(media_player_db_media_ht, void, struct media_player_media_file, g_direct_hash, g_direct_equal,
-		NULL, (void(*)(struct media_player_media_file *)) __obj_put);
+		NULL, (void(*)(struct media_player_media_file *)) obj_put_gen);
 static mutex_t media_player_db_media_lock = MUTEX_STATIC_INIT;
 static media_player_db_media_ht media_player_db_media;
 static rwlock_t media_player_db_media_ids_lock = RWLOCK_STATIC_INIT;
diff --git a/lib/obj.h b/lib/obj.h
index 477fbb912..f6bec39b1 100644
--- a/lib/obj.h
+++ b/lib/obj.h
@@ -40,8 +40,8 @@ struct obj {
 	char			*type;
 #endif
 	unsigned int		ref;
+	void			(*clear_func)(void *);
 	void			(*free_func)(void *);
-	size_t			size;
 };
 
 
@@ -54,17 +54,15 @@ struct obj {
 
 #define OBJ_MAGIC 0xf1eef1ee
 
-#define obj_alloc(t,f)		({ \
+#define obj_alloc_full(t,f,a,d)		({ \
 		void (*__ff)(t *) = (f); \
-		void *__r = __obj_alloc(sizeof(t), (void (*)(void *)) __ff, #t, __FILE__, __func__, __LINE__); \
+		void (*__df)(t *) = (d); \
+		void *__r = __obj_alloc(sizeof(t), (void (*)(void *)) __ff, #t, __FILE__, __func__, __LINE__, \
+				a, (void (*)(void *)) __df); \
 		(t *) __r; \
 	})
-#define obj_alloc0(t,f)		({ \
-		void (*__ff)(t *) = (f); \
-		void *__r = __obj_alloc0(sizeof(t), (void (*)(void *)) __ff, #t, __FILE__, __func__, __LINE__); \
-		(t *) __r; \
-	})
-#define obj_alloc0_gen(t,a,b)	__obj_alloc0(a,b,t,__FILE__,__func__,__LINE__)
+
+#define obj_alloc0_gen(t,a,b)	__obj_alloc(a,b,t,__FILE__,__func__,__LINE__, g_malloc0, g_free)
 #define obj_hold(a)		__obj_hold(&(a)->obj,__FILE__,__func__,__LINE__)
 #define obj_get(a)		((__typeof__(a)) (__obj_get(&(a)->obj,__FILE__,__func__,__LINE__)))
 #define obj_put(a)		__obj_put(&(a)->obj,__FILE__,__func__,__LINE__)
@@ -72,12 +70,9 @@ struct obj {
 #define obj_get_o(a)		__obj_get(a,__FILE__,__func__,__LINE__)
 #define obj_put_o(a)		__obj_put(a,__FILE__,__func__,__LINE__)
 
-INLINE void __obj_init(struct obj *o, size_t size, void (*free_func)(void *),
-		const char *type, const char *file, const char *func, unsigned int line);
-INLINE void *__obj_alloc(size_t size, void (*free_func)(void *),
-		const char *type, const char *file, const char *func, unsigned int line);
-INLINE void *__obj_alloc0(size_t size, void (*free_func)(void *),
-		const char *type, const char *file, const char *func, unsigned int line);
+INLINE void *__obj_alloc(size_t size, void (*clear_func)(void *),
+		const char *type, const char *file, const char *func, unsigned int line,
+		void *(*alloc_func)(size_t), void (*free_func)(void *));
 INLINE struct obj *__obj_hold(struct obj *o,
 		const char *file, const char *func, unsigned int line);
 INLINE void *__obj_get(struct obj *o,
@@ -87,17 +82,14 @@ INLINE void __obj_put(struct obj *o,
 
 #else
 
-#define obj_alloc(t,f)		({ \
+#define obj_alloc_full(t,f,a,d)		({ \
 		void (*__ff)(t *) = (f); \
-		void *__r = __obj_alloc(sizeof(t), (void (*)(void *)) __ff); \
+		void (*__df)(t *) = (d); \
+		void *__r = __obj_alloc(sizeof(t), (void (*)(void *)) __ff, a, (void (*)(void *)) __df); \
 		(t *) __r; \
 	})
-#define obj_alloc0(t,f)		({ \
-		void (*__ff)(t *) = (f); \
-		void *__r = __obj_alloc0(sizeof(t), (void (*)(void *)) __ff); \
-		(t *) __r; \
-	})
-#define obj_alloc0_gen(t,a,b)	__obj_alloc0(a,b)
+
+#define obj_alloc0_gen(t,a,b)	__obj_alloc(a,b, g_malloc0, g_free)
 #define obj_hold(a)		__obj_hold(&(a)->obj)
 #define obj_get(a)		((__typeof__(a)) (__obj_get(&(a)->obj)))
 #define obj_put(a)		__obj_put(&(a)->obj)
@@ -105,9 +97,8 @@ INLINE void __obj_put(struct obj *o,
 #define obj_get_o(a)		__obj_get(a)
 #define obj_put_o(a)		__obj_put(a)
 
-INLINE void __obj_init(struct obj *o, size_t size, void (*free_func)(void *));
-INLINE void *__obj_alloc(size_t size, void (*free_func)(void *));
-INLINE void *__obj_alloc0(size_t size, void (*free_func)(void *));
+INLINE void *__obj_alloc(size_t size, void (*clear_func)(void *),
+		void *(*alloc_func)(size_t), void (*free_func)(void *));
 INLINE struct obj *__obj_hold(struct obj *o);
 INLINE void *__obj_get(struct obj *o);
 INLINE void __obj_put(struct obj *o);
@@ -115,24 +106,36 @@ INLINE void __obj_put(struct obj *o);
 #endif
 
 
+#define obj_alloc(t,f) obj_alloc_full(t, f, g_malloc, (void (*)(t *)) g_free)
+#define obj_alloc0(t,f) obj_alloc_full(t, f, g_malloc0, (void (*)(t *)) g_free)
+
 #define obj_release_o(op) do { if (op) obj_put_o((struct obj *) op); op = NULL; } while (0)
 #define obj_release(op) do { if (op) obj_put(op); op = NULL; } while (0)
 
+INLINE void obj_put_gen(struct obj *o) {
+	obj_put_o(o);
+}
+
 
 
 #include "log.h"
 
 
 
-INLINE void __obj_init(struct obj *o, size_t size, void (*free_func)(void *)
+INLINE void *__obj_alloc(size_t size, void (*clear_func)(void *),
 #if OBJ_DEBUG
-, const char *type, const char *file, const char *func, unsigned int line
+		const char *type, const char *file, const char *func, unsigned int line,
 #endif
-) {
+		void *(*alloc_func)(size_t), void (*free_func)(void *))
+{
+	struct obj *r;
+
+	r = alloc_func(size);
+
 #if OBJ_DEBUG
-	o->magic = OBJ_MAGIC;
-	o->type = strdup(type);
-	write_log(LOG_DEBUG, "obj_allocX(\"%s\") -> %p [%s:%s:%u]", type, o, file, func, line);
+	r->magic = OBJ_MAGIC;
+	r->type = strdup(type);
+	write_log(LOG_DEBUG, "obj_allocX(\"%s\") -> %p [%s:%s:%u]", type, r, file, func, line);
 #if OBJ_BACKTRACE
 	void *bt[4];
 	int addrs = backtrace(bt, 4);
@@ -144,40 +147,10 @@ INLINE void __obj_init(struct obj *o, size_t size, void (*free_func)(void *)
 	free(syms);
 #endif
 #endif
-	o->ref = 1;
-	o->free_func = free_func;
-	o->size = size;
-}
+	r->ref = 1;
+	r->clear_func = clear_func;
+	r->free_func = free_func;
 
-INLINE void *__obj_alloc(size_t size, void (*free_func)(void *)
-#if OBJ_DEBUG
-, const char *type, const char *file, const char *func, unsigned int line
-#endif
-) {
-	struct obj *r;
-
-	r = g_malloc(size);
-	__obj_init(r, size, free_func
-#if OBJ_DEBUG
-	, type, file, func, line
-#endif
-	);
-	return r;
-}
-
-INLINE void *__obj_alloc0(size_t size, void (*free_func)(void *)
-#if OBJ_DEBUG
-, const char *type, const char *file, const char *func, unsigned int line
-#endif
-) {
-	struct obj *r;
-
-	r = g_malloc0(size);
-	__obj_init(r, size, free_func
-#if OBJ_DEBUG
-	, type, file, func, line
-#endif
-	);
 	return r;
 }
 
@@ -239,15 +212,14 @@ INLINE void __obj_put(struct obj *o
 #endif
 	if (atomic_dec(&o->ref) != 1)
 		return;
-	if (o->free_func)
-		o->free_func(o);
+	if (o->clear_func)
+		o->clear_func(o);
 #if OBJ_DEBUG
 	o->magic = 0;
 	if (o->type)
 		free(o->type);
 #endif
-	if (o->size != -1)
-		g_free(o);
+	o->free_func(o);
 }
 
 
diff --git a/t/test-transcode.c b/t/test-transcode.c
index 156b5b3a8..3dede2f10 100644
--- a/t/test-transcode.c
+++ b/t/test-transcode.c
@@ -93,6 +93,9 @@ static void __start(const char *file, int line) {
 	ssrc_A = 1234;
 	ssrc_B = 2345;
 	ZERO(call);
+#if OBJ_DEBUG
+	call.obj.magic = OBJ_MAGIC;
+#endif
 	obj_hold(&call);
 	call.tags = tags_ht_new();
 	call.callid = STR("test-call");