Atmos finally decoded in PC/Mac

[wisechoice]

Is there a way to play Atmos Binaural on a DAC + Headphone AMP connected to PC or Mac?
(the same format reproduced with Apple Music or Amazon Music on Android/iOS with headphones connected)

You can do this with Apple’s binaural renderer by setting Atmos to always on in Playback settings in Apple Music on the Mac. It will output a stereo signal.

Or you can use Logic Pro X with either the Dolby or Apple renderers, with routing via Blackhole 16ch or similar, but to get a 7.1.2 speaker layout configuration for Blackhole 16ch (as opposed to 7.1.4), which Logic will need for Atmos, you need to use the forked version of the SwitchAudio tool here: https://github.com/franckhlmartin/switchaudio-os

 

[wisechoice]

You can do this with Apple’s binaural renderer by setting Atmos to always on in Playback settings in Apple Music on the Mac. It will output a stereo signal.

Or you can use Logic Pro X with either the Dolby or Apple renderers, with routing via Blackhole 16ch or similar, but to get a 7.1.2 speaker layout configuration for Blackhole 16ch (as opposed to 7.1.4), which Logic will need for Atmos, you need to use the forked version of the SwitchAudio tool here: https://github.com/franckhlmartin/switchaudio-os

You can also set a 7.1.4 speaker configuration in Audio MIDI setup, and it will work, but the height channels won’t be mapped correctly. You may or may not notice the difference when it’s rendered binaurally.

 

[wisechoice]

As i said It's free, and even without an AVR or interface. I was simply talking about that combination, and while I respect your personal opinion about VB cables, it doesn't seem like a valid reason for you to say that I'm using something like a child's toy. Many users, including those using VBmatrix, are already using it on ASR, and now they’ve all turned into children playing with toys.

I think it was someone else who said that, not the person you just responded to.

 

[Lion♡]

I think it was someone else who said that, not the person you just responded to.

Yes, I edited it. I confused the username.

 

[LionIT]

You can do this with Apple’s binaural renderer by setting Atmos to always on in Playback settings in Apple Music on the Mac. It will output a stereo signal.

Or you can use Logic Pro X with either the Dolby or Apple renderers, with routing via Blackhole 16ch or similar, but to get a 7.1.2 speaker layout configuration for Blackhole 16ch (as opposed to 7.1.4), which Logic will need for Atmos, you need to use the forked version of the SwitchAudio tool here: https://github.com/franckhlmartin/switchaudio-os

I had already managed to do it in this way:
Apple Music > BlackHole 12ch set to 7.1.4 in Audio MIDI > Reaper > Binauralizer VST with custom HRIR/BRIR > DAC
I tried Apple's binauralizer but I honestly don't like it.
Unfortunately by binaurlising Apple Music 7.1.4 audio which is in AC3 format there is no distance rendering as with the newer AC4 with Dolby renderer.
But it always sounds better than Apple Binaural.

 

[wisechoice]

Can someone explain what an object actually is in Atmos, after the session has been mastered? It is metadata, OK. But what is it referring to? Some blend of the source sounds in a 7.1.2 multi-channel audio file? How is that analogous to vector art? It sounds more like texture mapping of a pixelated 2D image, unless I’m completely misunderstanding.

 

[JRR]

Just get an AVR/AVP. Switching between stereo, the surround sound format graveyard, and Atmos is going to be a challenge

 

[Sal1950]

Just get an AVR/AVP. Switching between stereo, the surround sound format graveyard, and Atmos is going to be a challenge

WHAT ?

 

[VoidX]

View attachment 445272
View attachment 445273

The combination of VBCable 16ch and Cavern, working without the need for additional AVR or interfaces, is quite interesting.
@VoidX nice job. thank you

What players are compatible? I'll add them to the docs.

 

[somebodyelse]

Can someone explain what an object actually is in Atmos, after the session has been mastered? It is metadata, OK. But what is it referring to? Some blend of the source sounds in a 7.1.2 multi-channel audio file? How is that analogous to vector art? It sounds more like texture mapping of a pixelated 2D image, unless I’m completely misunderstanding.

Broadly speaking it's an audio channel that has metadata defining its location over time. The processor will determine how much of that channel to mix into each speaker channel (and maybe how much to delay it) based on the location data and the positions of the speakers. The free codec Google, Samsung and others are working on has something comparable - the location movement part is defined here:
https://aomediacodec.github.io/iamf/v1.0.0-errata.html#processing-animated-params

 

[Lion♡]

What players are compatible? I'll add them to the docs.

Thank you for your contribution.
I haven’t done many tests, and other users are trying it out.

Daum PotPlayer – this is the player from my capture.
Foobar2000 – another user has verified it.
jRiver – one of my captures.

VLC – it didn’t work for me.
Windows Media Player – it didn’t work.

 

[VoidX]

Thank you for your contribution.
I haven’t done many tests, and other users are trying it out.

Daum PotPlayer – this is the player from my capture.
Foobar2000 – another user has verified it.
jRiver – one of my captures.

VLC – it didn’t work for me.
Windows Media Player – it didn’t work.

What about MPC-HC?

 

[raif71]

It's illegal to rip CDs for your own use in the UK. It's hard to imagine this is the only country with futile rules.

Hmm...it's like asking people to pay for the air they're breathing or illegal for collecting rain water for own use.

 

[Lion♡]

What about MPC-HC?

I’ll test it later. (Or I’ll suggest another user try it.)

 

[Audionaut]

Or you can use Logic Pro X with either the Dolby or Apple renderers, with routing via Blackhole 16ch or similar, but to get a 7.1.2 speaker layout configuration for Blackhole 16ch (as opposed to 7.1.4), which Logic will need for Atmos, you need to use the forked version of the SwitchAudio tool

So if you have successfully bent and compressed a 16-channel audio signal so that it reproduces two channels, don't you end up with a virtually enhanced stereo signal?
The point of the whole procedure is not clear to me. I assume it is also sufficient to play an existing stereo signal with Dolby Headphone.

 

[wisechoice]

So if you have successfully bent and compressed a 16-channel audio signal so that it reproduces two channels, don't you end up with a virtually enhanced stereo signal?
The point of the whole procedure is not clear to me. I assume it is also sufficient to play an existing stereo signal with Dolby Headphone.

The purpose is to simulate the way it would sound in 3D space, with the illusion of accurate 3D imaging, depth effects, instrument separation, etc. Since you only have two ears, this is possible in principle with the correct signal processing.

 

[wisechoice]

Broadly speaking it's an audio channel that has metadata defining its location over time. The processor will determine how much of that channel to mix into each speaker channel (and maybe how much to delay it) based on the location data and the positions of the speakers. The free codec Google, Samsung and others are working on has something comparable - the location movement part is defined here:
https://aomediacodec.github.io/iamf/v1.0.0-errata.html#processing-animated-params

That’s what it is when you’re mixing, but when the file is output it’s folded down somehow.

Edit: never mind, I’m clearly wrong about this.

 

[VoidX]

I’ll test it later. (Or I’ll suggest another user try it.)

Thanks! One last question, do they work while playing the 8+ channel renders with video? I've heard of JRiver only supporting 8+ channels while playing audio only.

 

[VoidX]

Thanks! One last question, do they work while playing the 8+ channel renders with video? I've heard of JRiver only supporting 8+ channels while playing audio only.

Thanks @Lion for the report, added to the guide.

 

[Lion♡]

Thanks @Lion for the report, added to the guide.

Since other Korean users were getting interested in your software’s VB-Cable–based Atmos playback, I decided to give it a quick try too. If I used Atmos more often, I could have tested more things, but I don’t, so the info I provided is just from my own playback attempts—and as I mentioned before, I’m not very familiar with players. So the MPC-HC issue was probably my mistake as well. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of much help!