Dolby Atmos Home Entertainment - Everything You Need To Know

July 12, 2020 Mike Thornton

Are you used to mixing in stereo, or maybe you are mixing in 5.1 for broadcast or OTT channels like Netflix and now you want to migrate to mixing in Dolby Atmos for home entertainment content? In this article, we look at what it takes to make your studio suitable to mix in Dolby Atmos, whether you need certification, what hardware and software you will need, how to build or convert your studio to Dolby Atmos, as well as our exclusive 6 part tutorial series on setting up and using Pro Tools Ultimate and Dolby Atmos Production Suite to work together in this exclusive everything-you-need-to-know guide to working in Dolby Atmos Home Entertainment.

What Is Dolby Atmos?

Dolby Atmos is an immersive experience that utilises up to 64 speaker channels. The speakers completely envelop the audience from behind the screen, on the walls and overhead. Dolby Atmos is designed to enhance the conventional 7.1 surround formats by adding an additional stereo overhead array and up to 118 “sound objects”. These objects can be moved through the theatre in all 3 dimensions. Dolby Atmos Cinema processors take into account the exact specification and dimensions of any playback auditorium so that the effect is the same in each theatre. Watch this video as Dolby explains it much better than we could in words.

As well as a 7.1.2 channel-based system, every speaker can be individually assigned. This is essential, for the second part of the Dolby Atmos system - the objects. You can have up to 118 objects, that are separate sound elements that, any one of which, you can position around the theatre at will. So a Dolby Atmos mix consists of three primary elements:

Audio Beds: 7.1.2 Channel-based premixes or stems (including their multichannel panning)
Object Audio: 118 soundtrack elements that can be panned anywhere in the 3D space of the theatre by using the x, y and z axes. Dolby Atmos metadata is used to store the panner automation of the objects. The system takes the objects and uses the Dolby Atmos metadata to steer them around the 3D space. In mixing space this metadata is processed by the Dolby Rendering and Mastering Unit otherwise known as the RMU, which can be hardware or software.

Do I Need Dolby Certification To Work In Dolby Atmos Home Entertainment?

For theatrical cinema release, you must use a Dolby Certified studio to mix and master your Dolby Atmos audio mix. When it comes to Home Entertainment, it depends on whether the broadcaster of OTT delivery channel requires you to use a Dolby accredited studio or not.

Although Netflix recommends working with the DARDT (Dolby Atmos Room Design Tool) to help you with speaker selection and placement, what Netflix says in their Originals Delivery Specifications Version OC-3-3 that “Dolby Certification is not required for Home Atmos mix rooms”.

Learn more: For more detail on the advice and specifications from Netflix check out our article Netflix Update Guidance On Dolby Atmos Workflows.

That’s Netflix, but we advise you to check with other publishers and broadcasters to see what their requirements are.

This article assumes that you will not need Dolby Certification, but even if you do the advice here should get you in a good place to be ready for the certification process.

What Hardware And Software Do You Need To Work In Dolby Atmos?

You only need to use a hardware Dolby Atmos Rendering and Mastering Unit for theatrical cinema releases. For all other Dolby Atmos work, you can use either of these two solutions…

The Dolby Atmos Production Suite which is the version of the Renderer that can be used on the same macOS computer, alongside your DAW. It's available for purchase via the Avid marketplace, or as a 30-day free trial via the Dolby Developer portal and cost $299.
The Dolby Atmos Mastering Suite which has all of the features of the Dolby Atmos Production Suite, in addition to advanced controls and features. It runs on a separate dedicated Mac or Windows computer (rendering and mastering workstation) connected via a MADI or Dante interface to a computer hosting a DAW. The software cost $995 but remember you will have to buy it as a bundle with an approved computer and interfaces.

For Netflix, Other Home Entertainment, Music And VR where Dolby Certification is not required then providing you are happy to use a Mac computer and that it is powerful enough to handle your DAW and the Dolby Software Renderer then the Dolby Atmos Production Suite is going to be a very cost-effective solution.

Which DAWs Can I Use To Mix In Dolby Atmos?

Dolby state that supported DAWs includes Ableton Live, Apple Logic Pro, Avid Pro Tools, and Steinberg Nuendo. That said some DAWs make it easier to work in Dolby Atmos. Avid Pro Tools and Steinberg Nuendo are the only two DAWs that have native integration for Dolby Atmos. You will need Pro Tools Ultimate 2018 and above to access the Dolby Atmos native integration workflows.

What Monitoring Setup Do I Need For Dolby Atmos?

In the Dolby Atmos Mastering Suite and the Dolby Atmos Production Suite you can configure up to 22 speakers, giving a maximum configuration that would be 5 across the front, 2 pairs of speakers on the sides, 5 pairs of overheads, 1 pair of rears and a sub. In reality, most rooms with these renderers tend not to go beyond a 9.1.6 configuration and more commonly 7.1.4, which is the smallest configuration that Dolby recommend for mixing Dolby Atmos content, whether that is music or home entertainment content.

This means that if you are wanting to mix music or post-production, you will need a 7.1.4 monitoring system. Although you can work on smaller systems like a 5.1.2 setup, you will not be able to properly experience how you mix will translate to other spaces, which is why Dolby recommends a minimum system to be 7.1.4.

Ideally, all 11 speakers should be the same brand and model. but rather than the rear speakers being a smaller model from the same brand, it is suggested that the height speakers can be a smaller model as attaching large speakers to the ceiling comes with its own challenges.

But overall its the same concept, the fronts should all be the same, it is best if the sides match the fronts, but the sides, rears and heights speakers can be smaller models from the same brand.

For a 7.1.4 monitoring system, not only will you need 11 speakers plus a speaker to handle the LFE channel, which is a step up from 5.1 and an even bigger jump from just the 2 speakers you needed for stereo, but you will also need to have a 7.1.4 monitor controller. These are not very common and will not be cheap either, but there is another way and that is to combine your audio interface and monitor controller.

From Avid, there is the Avid MTRX and now the MTRX Studio. The MTRX Studio is especially interesting in the context of a Dolby Atmos setup as it comes with a built-in SPQ card, which is an option with the full-sized Avid MTRX.

From Focusrite, there is the Red 16Line, which can be configured as a monitor controller although there is not a speaker calibration option available. That said, the Focusrite Red 16Line is especially suited to Dolby Atmos workflows as Alan Sallabank demonstrated in part 3 of our series on Setting up and working in Dolby Atmos Using The Dolby Atmos Audio Bridge - An Alternative Workflow - Free Expert Tutorial Part 3.

Learn more: For more detail on what hardware and software you will need to mix in Dolby Atmos Home Entertainment then check out our article Dolby Atmos - What Hardware And Software Do You Need To Work In Atmos?

How To Build A Studio Suitable For Working In Dolby Atmos Home Entertainment

We have featured two home-based Dolby Atmos studio builds so far. The first was a conversion of an existing home studio belonging to Korey Pereira, MPSE, who is the owner and creative director of Soularity Sound, a post-production company based in Austin, Texas. The second was a new-build with a purpose-built studio in his back garden by Graham Kirkman.

Both articles focused on the practical issues involved in building or converting a studio into a space to mix Dolby Atmos with a Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 setup. Graham Kirkman’s advice is to…

“Plan ahead in detail! I had an app on my iPad called Live Home 3D that enabled me to be able to plan out the studio in 3D. I spent hours and hours drawing and re-drawing it until I got it to where I wanted it and then sent this plan off to the building company who approved it and then, just as building work was about to start….COVID-19 raised its ugly head….

Eventually, the guys were allowed back on site and building began. I was so glad I’d planned everything out as the building shot along and if I’d had major changes it could have been a nightmare. The only things I had to change from my original plan were the locations for the power sockets and where the ceiling speakers would go because with the lights and ceiling acoustic treatment I had limited space for the speakers.”

Graham already had a 7.1 monitoring system from his previous loft-based studio with Dynaudio LYD 8’s across the LCR and Dynaudio BM5a MKII’s for surrounds)…

“I only needed the 4 ceiling speakers. I really wanted to keep everything Dynaudio, but the only ones that would have fitted (physically) were in-ceiling ones and I didn’t want to drill 4 rather large holes into the soundproofed ceiling, so a quick search showed that 4 Genelec 8010s would be perfect for me.”

When it came to speaker choice for Korey, his previous setup consisted of 5x JBL LSR4326P and 1x LSR4312SP…

“With all of the other bigger rooms in town I work with use JBL Cinema-Series speakers, I wanted to make sure whatever I went with would translate to those rooms. I looked at several models and ended up settling on the JBL 7-Series. The biggest draw for me was the ability to mix and match between passive and powered and large and small speakers. He chose 3 x JBL LSR708P (Left, Center and Right) and 8 x JBL LSR705i (4 surrounds / 4 overheads) with a Crown 8|300N amplifier to power the surround and overhead speakers), a JBL Intonato 24 (for monitor control and room tuning) with a JBL Intonato Desktop Controller”.

For Graham when it came to a monitor controller after one blind alley he went for a Focusrite Red 16Line to serve as both the audio interface and 7.1.4 monitor controller.

Learn more: If you are considering either upgrading an existing studio or building a new studio then to check out our articles Building A DIY Home Studio For Dolby Atmos Mixing for more detail on Korey’s studio conversion and Building A Dolby Atmos Equipped Garden Studio - A Complete Guide for more detail on Graham’s new-build.

Is It Worth Investing In Dolby Atmos? Audio Professionals Give Their Verdict

In this article we outline the business case for Dolby Atmos by asking industry experts, mixing in Dolby Atmos to share their business reasoning for investing in Dolby Atmos.

In commenting on our article Dolby Atmos Home Entertainment - Everything You Need To Know, community member Sam Fishkin asked…

“This is all fantastic guidance but will you also discuss the pros/cons of making the conversion to Atmos from a business standpoint? What companies are asking for Atmos in their deliverables, what’s the potential upcharge for doing the work, and how much new business is out there to divide up?”

To help answer this question we turned to a number of people at the top of their games who have recently chosen to upgrade their own facilities to enable them to mix and deliver content in Dolby Atmos. We put Sam’s question to them and here are their responses.

To learn what our Expert Panel had to say in response to Sam’s question and more, check out the full article Is It Worth Investing In Dolby Atmos? Audio Professionals Give Their Verdict.

What's The Point Of Dolby Atmos For Consumers?

What is the point in creating content in Dolby Atmos if consumers do not have the equipment to take advantage of the immersive object-based format? In this article, we will investigate the take-up and benefits of delivering content to the consumer in Dolby Atmos.

In the comments section of our article Is It Worth Investing In Dolby Atmos? Audio Professionals Give Their Verdict community member Walter Riggi asked this question…

“How does the consumer digest Atmos? I've never seen any commoner homes have 5.1 speakers properly positioned in their listening environment. I highly doubt they'll have any clue OR space to properly position Atmos. Our facility is moving to Atmos rapidly and this article is encouraging, but the question still is a hot point when speaking with my colleagues. Anyone shed some light? Please and thanks.”

It’s a good question, as what is the point in creating great content in Dolby Atmos if we cannot get it in front of consumers.

To learn more about how Dolby Atmos content can be delivered to the consumer check out the full article What's The Point Of Dolby Atmos For Consumers?

Apple Spatial Audio With Dolby Atmos Support Released

On May 17th 2021, Apple announced Apple Music is bringing industry-leading sound quality to subscribers with the addition of Spatial Audio with support for Dolby Atmos in June 2021. Today Apple officially released Spatial Audio, powered by Dolby Atmos for Apple Music during its WWDC keynote. We have all the details…

Apple Music will automatically play Dolby Atmos tracks on all AirPods and Beats headphones as long as they are fitted with an H1 or W1 chip. Note that the AirPods Pro didn’t launch with spatial audio support, but it should automatically download and install the required firmware.

You don't need a pair of Apple or Beats headphones in order to listen to Dolby Atmos tracks from an iPhone or iPad – any headphones will work, as long as you enable a specific setting.

Read our article Apple Spatial Audio With Dolby Atmos Support Released to get all the latest information.

Apple Spatial Audio - Who Will Benefit?

Apple has rolled out their “Spatial Audio supported by Dolby Atmos” feature in a new version of iOS and on their Apple Music platform. On various professional forums, it’s fair to say that some very smart audio engineers are well into the process of figuring out - well, everything. In this article, Reid Caulfield, takes a look at what we think we know so far, how this affects audio professionals and asks who needs or wants, Immersive Sound for anything?

What Kind Of Things Need Figuring Out? Apart from “everything”? There are A/B and phase-cancellation comparisons between Apple & Dolby’s Atmos offering, vs TIDAL’s, and all of the speculation as to exactly how these various services are generating Binaural audio from their various channel-count starting points, and whether/how they are upmixing from smaller channel formats (e.g. stereo).

All of that said, there is the smell of opportunity is in the air.

To learn more read the full article Apple Spatial Audio - Who Will Benefit?

Apple Spatial Audio - Is It All Hype?

Apple released Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos support on the same day as the WWDC21 keynote address. Whilst we have been reporting uncertainty regarding Apple’s binaural implementation, there are mixed reports coming out about the immersive audio experience on Apple Music. In this article, we explore some of the early concerns.

To learn more and to read about what our observations, having listened to some tracks in Dolby Atmos on Apple Music check out the full article Apple Spatial Audio - Is It All Hype?

How To Setup And Use A Dolby Atmos System Using Pro Tools Ultimate And Dolby Atmos Production Suite

Mixing in Dolby Atmos can unlock a whole new world of creative possibilities and really bring any piece to life with immersive audio. However, in order to ensure that all your creative efforts aren’t thwarted at the final hurdle - delivery, it’s vitally important to plan ahead.

This means starting the process by carefully analysing your delivery requirements - what you need to deliver in order for your content to reach the outside world, whether it’s a commissioned piece or self-funded and distributed.

Objects And Beds

Whereas in “traditional” surround systems, you send audio to specific speaker locations, prearranged in the playback room, Dolby Atmos works differently. You still have the option to route to and pan between specific speakers - this case, the “Beds”, which can be up to 7.1.2 in size, but Dolby Atmos also gives you the option of using “Objects”.

These differ from Beds in that they are not fixed speaker locations, but point sources of sound, that exist in a 3D space. Because these are point sources rather than speaker channels, their position within the 3D listening space remains the same, regardless of how many physical speakers you have in your listening area.

A Series Of 6 Tutorials

Across a series of 6 articles, brought to you with the support of Avid, Post-Production Specialist and Immersive Audio expert Alan Sallabank shared detailed tips and tricks to help you get to grips with the audio post-production workflows for content to be delivered in Dolby Atmos Home Entertainment, which will be especially useful if you are delivering to the likes of Netflix and Amazon.

Multi-national and streaming distributors are especially keen on Dolby Atmos, as it is what is known as a “single file delivery”, which automatically adapts according to the playback device.

What You Will Need

The Dolby Atmos Production Suite and The Dolby Audio Bridge are software solutions, so while you don’t need any specific Avid or Dolby hardware to follow the advice in these tutorials, you will need specific versions of software -

Pro Tools Ultimate 2019.10 or later - 2020.3 recommended
Dolby Atmos Production Suite v3.4

Running everything in software does also put quite a strain on your host computer, so we would also recommend that you are running a machine with at least six physical cores and at least 32GB of RAM.

Dolby Atmos - Setting Up Your Pro Tools Session And The Dolby Atmos Production Suite - Free Expert Tutorial Part 1

In this free video tutorial, looking at Dolby Atmos Home Entertainment workflows, we start with how to set up your Pro Tools session and the Dolby Atmos Production Suite as well as a look at some terminology.

Every Atmos production will also be distributed on media that does not or cannot support Dolby Atmos. For this reason, as well as the Atmos master mix, you will also have to provide numerous different “flat” mixes - non-immersive WAV files, for every Atmos mix you produce, plus stems to enable localisation and promotions. Even if you are working on a micro-budget production or a self-funded production, it’s vitally important to be prepared.

Once you’ve worked out exactly what you need to deliver, you can then move to setting up your room in Dolby Atmos Production Suite to match the speaker setup you have.

Learn more: To understand how to set up your Dolby Atmos system check put our article Setting Up Your Pro Tools Session And The Dolby Atmos Production Suite.

Dolby Atmos - Using The Dolby Audio Bridge The Way Avid And Dolby Recommend - Free Expert Tutorial Part 2

In this free video tutorial, looking at Dolby Atmos Home Entertainment workflows, we cover the workflows recommended by Avid and Dolby, relating to using the Dolby Audio Bridge and the Dolby Atmos Production Suite.

Because of the unique way that the Dolby Audio Bridge works with Pro Tools and the Dolby Atmos Renderer, you can easily find yourself experiencing issues with digital clocking errors, sync drift, control surface latency, and timecode discontinuities unless you get the specific setup of your system correct from the outset. In this second tutorial, we show how to set up your clocking and interfaces in such a way that you avoid damaging your speakers and your sanity.

Learn more: To understand how to set up your Dolby Atmos system check put our article Using The Dolby Audio Bridge The Way Avid And Dolby Recommend.

Using The Dolby Atmos Audio Bridge - An Alternative Workflow - Free Expert Tutorial Part 3

Next, we look at an alternative (and some may say “off-piste”) and definitely “not qualified by Avid” way of getting the best out of the Dolby Atmos Production Suite and Pro Tools Ultimate, including being able to bring the re-render outputs back into the same Pro Tools session all on one machine, which is something you cannot do with the Avid & Dolby approved workflow.

Since the release of Pro Tools Ultimate 2019.10, non-HDX users have been able to properly access the full potential of the Dolby Audio Bridge’s 128 audio paths. We show how you can do this using a Focusrite Red 6Line, Audinate Dante Virtual Soundcard & Dante Controller and Source Elements Source Nexus Pro.

Learn more: To get the inside story on our unique workflow to be able to bring back the re-renders into Pro Tools son one machine then check out our article Using The Dolby Atmos Audio Bridge - An Alternative Workflow - Free Expert Tutorial Part 3.

Dolby Atmos - How To Keep Loudness In Check - Free Expert Tutorial Part 4

In this part, we take a look at managing loudness in your Dolby Atmos Home Entertainment mixes to ensure that your mixes sound right whatever they’re played on.

With the Dolby Atmos workflow, you will be delivering a “single file” format that is preferred by most international distributors, which automatically adapts its playback according to the capabilities of the playback device. When it comes to loudness, what this means is that there is no offline process available to automatically gain loudness and true-peak compliance.

The most commonly used loudness standard for OTT distributors, like Netflix, that carry Dolby Atmos is the “Gated Dial Norm”. This makes sense as across all the different possible listening configurations, one thing stays the same - the loudness of the dialogue, as it predominantly comes from the centre speaker (or phantom centre in configurations such as 2.0).

Learn more: To learn how to keep loudness under control in your Dolby Atmos mix sessions, check out our article Dolby Atmos - How To Keep Loudness In Check - Free Expert Tutorial Part 4.

Dolby Atmos - Using Upmixers, 3D Reverbs With Objects - Free Expert Tutorial Part 5

In this free video tutorial, looking at Dolby Atmos Home Entertainment workflows, Alan looks at best practice when using immersive upmixing and reverb plug-ins, with a firm focus on ensuring downmix compatibility. We look at how to set up 2 Dolby Atmos compatible upmixing plugins - Nugen Audio Halo Upmix 3D and PerfectSurround Penteo 16 Pro as well as two Dolby Atmos compatible reverb plugins iZotope (Exponential Audio) Stratus 3D and the brand new Liquidsonics Cinematic Rooms Pro.

Learn more: If you want to explore the different ways that different plug-ins facilitate being able to output to a higher channel count than the default 7.1.2 format available in Pro Tools then check out our article Dolby Atmos - Using Upmixers, 3D Reverbs With Objects - Free Expert Tutorial Part 5.

Dolby Atmos - How To Master Using The Dolby Atmos Production Suite - Free Expert Tutorial Part 6

In this free video tutorial, the sixth in a series of 6, looking at Dolby Atmos Home Entertainment workflows, we now progress to the end game - Mastering. We circle round to where we started and look in detail at all the deliverables that are required as well as the Atmos master mix because the production will also be distributed on mediums that do not or cannot support Dolby Atmos.

We also have a glossary of terms as working in Dolby Atmos brings with some more jargon that you will need to understand.

Like every process to do with Dolby Atmos, preparation is absolutely the key to successfully achieving your aims. We would absolutely recommend carefully re-watching the previous episodes of this series to ensure that your system is optimally set up and that you have the correct workflow regarding beds and objects to allow you to deliver what is required from you by the distributor.

In the video tutorial, Alan demonstrates mastering and delivery to varying technical requirements, using a short film - “Image Nation”, produced by Angela Sant’Albano and Solia Cates. Although this was a micro-budget production, he felt that the best way to compliment the stunning 4K pictures was with an Atmos mix. The Dolby Atmos Production Suite combined with our exclusively developed workflows, really helped him deliver on time and within a very tight budget.

Learn more: If you would like to understand how to master your Dolby Atmos production as well as prepare all the other deliverables that will be needed then check out our article Dolby Atmos - How To Master Using The Dolby Atmos Production Suite - Free Expert Tutorial Part 6.

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