Whether or not we get our music by streaming providers, satellite tv for pc radio, CDs, or vinyl, most of it has been recorded utilizing the time-honored strategy of two-channel stereo. However over the previous few years, there’s been a rising motion within the recording trade towards so-called spatial audio codecs. The most well-liked of those codecs is Dolby Atmos Music, and it will possibly make good ol’ stereo sound like mono AM radio.
However what precisely is Dolby Atmos Music? How is it completely different than stereo? And what sort of gear do it’s good to hearken to it at residence and on the go? We’ve received every little thing it’s good to know to get on the Dolby Atmos Music prepare.
What’s Dolby Atmos Music?
In the event you’ve been to see a blockbuster motion film within the theaters, you’ve in all probability already heard what Dolby Atmos can do for films, with its immersive, three-dimensional sound discipline. Dolby Atmos Music places that very same expertise into the fingers of musicians and producers, letting them craft songs that possess a better sense of area and depth than the normal stereo recordings we’re used to.
Extra on Dolby Atmos:
Hold the channels open
Fashionable-day music producers have entry to some very subtle digital recording tools that lets them combine music from dozens of separate channels (additionally known as tracks). Nevertheless, regardless of what number of channels they begin with, in the event that they’re making a stereo recording, these a number of channels have to be mixed ultimately into simply two channels: A left and a proper, which corresponds to the 2 audio system in a stereo atmosphere. Dolby Atmos Music, alternatively, is a local encompass sound expertise, with assist for as much as 128 channels and as much as 34 separate audio system in a house theater, together with audio system that may direct sound down towards the listener from the ceiling.
That sounds just like the sort of factor you’d get in a business movie show, and it’s — Dolby Atmos is used for creating extremely immersive soundtracks for films, with sound that feels prefer it’s coming from in entrance of you, behind you, either side, and above. However that very same recording method can be utilized with music for the same consequence: Whole sonic immersion.
It might be simple to dismiss Dolby Atmos Music as merely a technique to play regular tracks over a encompass sound setup. In spite of everything, each residence theater receiver can take a stereo supply like vinyl, CD, or streaming media and run it by circuits and software program that optimize it for a encompass system, like a 7.1 speaker setup. However Atmos Music isn’t a conversion of stereo into multichannel encompass — it’s a from-scratch-made recording that makes use of these further channels in an entire new manner.
One of many defining traits of each Dolby Atmos for films and Dolby Atmos Music is that an object (or within the case of music, an instrument or vocal observe) will be manipulated in 3D area by the producer independently from different sounds. For instance, when listening to Atmos Music on an Atmos-compatible sound system, you may hear the violins from the entrance of the room as a symphony begins, however because the music continues over time, these devices may very well be step by step shifted in area to really feel as if they’re coming from throughout you, whereas the entire different devices keep put.
It’s an unprecedented diploma of management for producers, and very like the 3D impact in films, it will possibly really feel jarring and even tacky if it’s executed in a ham-fisted manner. However by the identical token, it will possibly additionally really feel chic when the spatial choices are manipulated by a deft and skilled hand.
How can I hearken to Dolby Atmos Music?
Listening to Dolby Atmos Music is feasible when you’ve got a supply of Dolby Atmos Music and an audio gadget that’s able to enjoying this format.
Atmos Music sources
For most individuals, the simplest technique to entry Dolby Atmos Music tracks might be to make use of a music streaming service. As of June 2022, your choices are Apple Music, Tidal, and Amazon Music. Apple Music and Amazon Music embrace Dolby Atmos Music tracks of their normal $10 per 30 days value tiers, whereas Tidal requires a costlier $20 per 30 days HiFi Plus subscription.
Sadly for Spotify followers, that service hasn’t introduced any plans to supply Dolby Atmos Music tracks. This will likely change if Spotify ever launches its promised Hello-Fi lossless music tier.
For audiophiles, the perfect Dolby Atmos Music supply is Blu-ray discs. Blu-ray discs can be utilized to play Atmos Music and a number of other albums have been launched on this format. Beatles followers might be joyful to know that Abbey Street occurs to be certainly one of them.
The largest benefit of Dolby Atmos Music on Blu-ray is that the audio is introduced in Dolby TrueHD, a 24-bit high-resolution, lossless audio format, making it the very best attainable high quality for Atmos.
These embrace stay live performance performances in addition to particular Dolby Atmos variations of music albums, just like the thirtieth Anniversary launch of <em>Kick</em> by INXS.
Atmos Music-capable audio units
In the event you personal a Dolby Atmos-capable soundbar or A/V receiver, these are your Dolby Atmos Music choices.
- Use a Dolby Atmos-capable streaming gadget just like the Apple TV 4K or Nvidia Protect TV/Protect TV Professional.
- You’ll want a streaming music app like Apple Music, Tidal, or Amazon Music and a subscription stage that offers you entry to the Dolby Atmos Music catalogs these providers provide.
- Some providers like Netflix provide stay live performance movies in Dolby Atmos, like Taylor Swift’s Popularity Stadium Tour. Once more, you’ll want the suitable subscription stage to get entry to Dolby Atmos content material.
- From a Dolby Atmos-capable Blu-ray participant.
- You’ll want Blu-ray discs that embrace Dolby Atmos audio tracks.
For both of those eventualities, you’ll want to ensure your audio system is receiving its sign from an HDMI connection. Connecting a Blu-ray participant to your TV through HDMI after which connecting your TV to your soundbar through optical cable gained’t work. For extra on Dolby Atmos’s connection necessities, see our explainer: know when you’re truly getting Dolby Atmos sound.
Some good TVs, like LG’s WebOS, assist streaming music apps like Apple Music, however they don’t essentially assist Dolby Atmos Music as a format. You should definitely test the entire specs in your setup.
In the event you’re a Sonos consumer, you’ve got yet another alternative: So long as you personal a Sonos Arc, Arc SL, or a Beam Gen 2 soundbar, you’ll be able to stream Dolby Atmos Music tracks from Amazon Music immediately to those audio system utilizing the Sonos app.
Atmos Music on wi-fi audio system
There are presently two wi-fi audio system which can be Dolby Atmos-compatible. Apple’s now-discontinued HomePod, which might play Dolby Atmos tracks from Apple Music, and the Amazon Echo Studio 3D wi-fi good speaker, which might do the identical factor utilizing Amazon Music.
Atmos Music on smartphones and tablets
In contrast to Dolby Atmos Music on soundbars, A/V receivers, or good audio system, which all require Atmos-compatible gear, an rising variety of smartphones and tablets are Dolby Atmos-compatible and don’t require any extra {hardware}. Any set of wired or wi-fi headphones will work, however there are two key caveats:
- Your cellphone should assist spatial audio, or the expertise have to be embedded in your most well-liked streaming app.
- Your most well-liked music service should have a Dolby Atmos catalog, and its app should assist streaming in Dolby Atmos in your specific cellphone.
iPhone 7 and newer fashions all assist spatial audio, as do the next iPads:
- iPad Professional 12.9-inch (Third-generation) and later
- iPad Professional 11-inch
- iPad Air (Third-generation) and later
- iPad (Sixth-generation) and later
- iPad mini (Fifth-generation) and later
Spatial audio assist on Android units is nice on quite a lot of fashions from Samsung, Motorola, LG, Sony, and Huawei. Google’s Pixel line of telephones doesn’t have native Dolby Atmos assist, which signifies that Apple Music and Tidal can’t ship Atmos playback on Pixels, although this might change — a future model of Android might allow it on Pixel 6 or newer fashions. Amazon Music is an exception to this rule — Amazon has embedded Dolby Atmos assist into its app, making it unbiased of any given cellphone’s capabilities — together with older iPhones.
What sort of music is offered in Dolby Atmos Music?
Dolby is presently partnered with two main music corporations: Common Music Group and Warner Music Group. Each corporations have mentioned they are going to be releasing new recordings in addition to back-catalog classics within the Atmos Music format. The precise variety of Atmos Music tracks isn’t one thing any of the gamers have shared publicly, although earlier commitments peg the scale within the hundreds.
Warner hasn’t provided an inventory of its accessible artists, however Common has mentioned its Atmos Music contributions will embrace tracks from Bastille, The Beatles, Billie Eilish, Elton John, Girl Gaga, Luciano Pavarotti, Marvin Gaye, and The Weeknd — to call a number of.
Are there another methods to expertise Dolby Atmos Music?
Some golf equipment are starting to put in Dolby Atmos Music programs that give performing DJs the flexibility to manage their music in 3D area across the membership. These embrace Ministry of Sound in London, Sound-Bar in Chicago, and Halcyon in San Francisco.
Are there any rivals to Dolby Atmos Music?
Atmos Music’s most vital competitors comes from Sony. The brand new 360 Actuality Audio format (360RA), which gave our workers the chills throughout the demo at CES 2019, can also be an immersive, object-based audio format for each audio system and headphones. It made its streaming debut on the Deezer music service in October 2019 and arrived on Tidal shortly afterward. Now you can discover 360RA tracks on Amazon Music and Nugs.internet, too.
As the brand new child on the block, 360RA has an extended, steep climb to catch as much as Dolby Atmos it doesn’t matter what Sony says. 360RA presently falls brief on each the recording and playback sides of the equation. Early critiques of Sony’s 360RA audio system, the SRS-RA3000 and SRS-RA5000, counsel that Dolby doesn’t have to fret — not within the brief time period, no less than.
Nevertheless, because the proprietor of the huge Sony BMG music publishing empire, Sony has an enormous benefit in pushing its idea of immersive music ahead, so it’s powerful to rely the newcomer out at this level. The subsequent few years might be crucial to the success of those competing applied sciences. And sure, customers will probably discover themselves caught in one other format warfare.
Dolby Atmos is completely different than the rest in the marketplace proper now, making it tough to completely recognize it with out listening to it your self.
If you’re able to make the change from lackluster stereo music to Dolby’s revolutionary “immersive” system, Dolby’s proprietary tech will take you there. Sony or DTS will catch up ultimately, however for now, Dolby’s main the pack. Actually, we are able to’t wait to listen to how music will enhance subsequent.
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