An audio engineer explains why Dolby Atmos Music is “definitely going to supersede stereo”

[sarumbear]

Both the Binaural downmix that you mentioned and the full object-based audio mix are available. If you have an Apple TV 4K with an HDMI connection to an Atmos capable reciever you will get immersive multi-channel audio.

Reading further on the Dolby website:

Dolby Digital Plus with Atmos Content (also referred to as Dolby Digital Plus JOC) is a high-efficiency lossy codec used for streaming delivery as well as terrestrial broadcast. Dolby Digital Plus JOC can be used for both channel-based and immersive audio. The number of elements used by spatial coding is determined by the bit rate of the encode. A bit rate of 384kbps uses 12 elements, while bit rates of 448kbps and above use 16 elements.

Dolby TrueHD is a lossless codec for both channel-based and immersive audio. It is used exclusively for Blu-ray disc delivery.

It looks like the spatial version of the tracks are also lossy.

 

[abdo123]

that is a very niche case.

you mean the Atmos capable receiver?

That's the only way to properly decode Atmos in general, not really an 'Apple' thing.

Apple has only been authorized to software down-mix / decode to stereo, mono and Binaural as far as i know.

 

[abdo123]

It looks like the spatial version of the tracks are also lossy.

yes, it's 128 objects jammed into 16 tracks (traditionally referred to as channels in this case).

Atmos is backwards compatible all the way to dolby digital+ (5.1) this way.

 

[sarumbear]

you mean the Atmos capable receiver?

That's the only way to properly decode Atmos in general, not really an 'Apple' thing.

Apple has only been authorized to software down-mix / decode to stereo, mono and Binaural as far as i know.

Obviously you need an AVR but you said that the only way you can feed audio to an AVR is via an Apple TV 4K device.

 

[julian_hughes]

I wish the movie industry would take all this investment in Atmos and put it into original writing and screenplays instead of serving up the same old same old.

 

[sarumbear]

yes, it's 128 objects jammed into 16 tracks (traditionally referred to as channels in this case).

Atmos is backwards compatible all the way to dolby digital+ (5.1) this way.

So the choice is get lossless or immersive? You go back to compression in order to hear music from the ceiling?

 

[abdo123]

Apple TV 4K device.

yeah i think Atmos wasn't happy with decoupling the full experience from HDMI copy protection so they didn't allow them to have full decoder functionality.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

Obviously you need an AVR but you said that the only way you can feed audio to an AVR is via an Apple TV 4K device.

Yes. That is the case.

 

[AdamG]

Dolby Atmos music is available from 3 Music Streaming Services and the content is growing.

Read here: https://www.dolby.com/experience/music/

Best Dolby Atmos Music Streaming Services

Don't choose a music streaming service until you read this. You may even consider switching to one with Dolby Atmos Music after taking this in.

www.audioadvice.com

Apple alone advertises over 75 million songs in ATMOS:

How To Prepare Your Music For Apple Spatial Audio With Dolby Atmos

In this blog, you'll learn everything you need to know about Apple's new Spatial Audio format, including what is Dolby Atmos, what hardware and software you need to mix in Dolby Atmos, as well as a few tips and tricks for creative immersive Atmos mixes.

www.masteringthemix.com

 

[sarumbear]

Apple alone advertises over 75 million songs in ATMOS:

How To Prepare Your Music For Apple Spatial Audio With Dolby Atmos

In this blog, you'll learn everything you need to know about Apple's new Spatial Audio format, including what is Dolby Atmos, what hardware and software you need to mix in Dolby Atmos, as well as a few tips and tricks for creative immersive Atmos mixes.

www.masteringthemix.com

False news! That is the total number of tracks on Apple Music. Login and see...

 

[sarumbear]

Dolby Atmos music is available from 3 Music Streaming Services and the content is growing.

Read here: https://www.dolby.com/experience/music/

I wonder why and how Amazon Music is not using the Dolby name? I have never seen a Dolby product used without their name firmly attached to it. What is interesting is that Amazon Music clearly separates Spatial (immersive) and HD (lossless).

Amazon Music Unlimited | 100 million songs ad-free‎

100 million songs with new releases from today's most popular artists. Download songs and albums to listen offline wherever you are. Always ad-free.

www.amazon.co.uk

 

[Taddpole]

I wonder why and how Amazon Music is not using the Dolby name? I have never seen a Dolby product used without their name firmly attached to it. What is interesting is that Amazon Music clearly separates Spatial (immersive) and HD (lossless).

Amazon Music Unlimited | 100 million songs ad-free‎

100 million songs with new releases from today's most popular artists. Download songs and albums to listen offline wherever you are. Always ad-free.

www.amazon.co.uk

Amazon does mention the Dolby name but they are also enabling Sony 360 spatial playback too. So makes sense for them to use term spatial rather than specify at times

 

[sarumbear]

Amazon does mention the Dolby name but they are also enabling Sony 360 spatial playback too. So makes sense for them to use term spatial rather than specify at times

Great! We are back to the Quadrophonic days of the 70s, and the SQ vs QS fight.

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

I wish the movie industry would take all this investment in Atmos and put it into original writing and screenplays instead of serving up the same old same old.

Speaking as someone who worked a couple decades in movies, I wouldn't hold your breath.

 

[julian_hughes]

For a truly immersive experience read a good book.

 

[Dogen]

It seems the trend is more mono replacing stereo. Most people are listening to Bluetooth devices that are essentially mono.

 

[mhardy6647]

Just saw a Dolby ad on Sound on Sound magazine. An authoritative publishing on audio recording. Dolby boasts that there are “100s of tracks” on Apple Music. According to Apple there are more than 50 Million tracks on their system. 100s of Atmos tracks since May looks like Atmos for music is a failure. Yet another surround failure?

Probably says more about Apple Music than it does about Atmos (even as cynical about Atmos as I am)...

 

[AdamG]

False news! That is the total number of tracks on Apple Music. Login and see...

I gave you citations and you just say False news. Not much help or effort on your end. I don’t mind being proven wrong, but your going to need something more than just your word for it.

 

[mhardy6647]

Great! We are back to the Quadrophonic days of the 70s, and the SQ vs QS fight.

Imagine that.
We've been in that "competing standards" thing for... oh... quite a while now.

 

[richard12511]

Agree. Looking at the albums and songs in Apple Music that support DA (with new ones added constantly), which includes popular artists and genres like pop, hip hop, rocks, in addition to classical and jazz, the launch looks more promising than SACD, DVD-Audio in the early 2000s.

Indeed. I've been really impressed with just how much of the music I actually listen to is available in multi-channel. It's certainly not 50% or anything, but it's definitely a sizable percentage, and multi-channel just sounds so much better than stereo. The difference is huge. I would go so far as to say the jump from stereo to multi-channel was easily bigger than the jump between any of my speaker upgrades.

Either way, it's 100% multi-channel now for me, whether that's true multi-channel or upmixed stereo. The fact that Toole himself is such a proponent of it really sold me on trying it. H even goes so far as to say that stereo is hopelessly flawed, and that multi-channel is basically needed for true fidelity.