Dolby has released v5.1 of the new all-in-one Renderer application announced back in March with support for head tracking devices and more. We have the details.

Back in March 2023, Dolby announced a new Renderer application that brought together Dolby’s industry-leading audio production tools – the Dolby Atmos Production Suite and the Dolby Atmos Mastering Suite – into an all-in-one solution for creators.

Dolby Atmos Renderer V5.1 New Feature Summary

Dolby has now announced v5.1 of this application with the following new features…

• Support for head tracking devices

• Binaural Renderer mode settings persistent between Renderer relaunches.

• Dolby Atmos Binaural Settings plug-in (v1.3) includes two user presets.

• On Windows, access to the control panel (or settings) application of an ASIO device via the Renderer Settings window.

• New View menu and keyboard shortcuts, to maximize or minimize the objects view (virtual 3D room), and change view and show options in the objects view.

  • The Renderer now includes View menus and keyboard shortcuts, to maximize or minimize the objects view (virtual 3D room), and change view and show options in the objects view.

• Improved resolution of objects moving in objects view. Additionally, the head icon in the person view is more defined.

• Option + C keyboard shortcut to clear all clip indicators in the Renderer main window meters when clipping occurs.

• Loudness measurements in the summary .txt file and timeline .csv file now have one decimal place. This matches the loudness analysis values that display in the Renderer UI.

• Navigation between EQ page sliders for graphic equalizer bands, Bass, and Treble with left and right arrow keys (after clicking on one of the sliders).

More On Dolby Atmos Renderer Head Tracking

You can use a head tracking device to track head movements while listening to binaural content in the Renderer. The binaural output is rendered according to the position of the head tracking device. This allows you to interact with three degrees of freedom inside the virtual room. The direction of the head tracking device is visually represented when person view is selected in the object view.

With Headphone output and Binaural Render mode enabled, you can enable Renderer head tracking in the Renderer preferences, and select the Dolby OSC head tracker driver (provided with the Renderer) or a head tracking driver provided by your head tracking device manufacturer.

Head tracking tracks the orientation of your head and allows you to interact with three degrees of freedom inside the virtual room in real-time when monitoring binaurally with headphones.

With Dolby Atmos Renderer v5.1, creators will be able to use a compatible 3rd party head tracking device to experience head tracking while mixing Dolby Atmos content. Enabling head tracking while mixing allows creators to get more inside the mix when creating Dolby Atmos content binaurally with headphones.

Initially, with Dolby Atmos Renderer v5.1, you can enable head tracking when using the Supperware Head Tracker 1. It is expected that additional devices will be available in the future.

Once head tracking is switched on in preferences, you can use a compatible partner head tracking device to track head movements while listening to binaural content in the Renderer. The binaural output is rendered according to the position of the head tracking device. This allows you to interact with three degrees of freedom inside the virtual room. The direction of the head tracking device is visually represented when person view is selected in the object view. However, the output to the head tracking device does not depend on the view mode; it also works in theater view. However, if you want to see the person in the object room, you need to switch to person view.

Note that head tracking with the Dolby Atmos Renderer is purely for monitoring to provide the best possible headphone mix. No metadata is written into the DD+JOC or Dolby AC-4 bitstream.

Head tracking in Dolby Atmos Renderer is specifically for content creators to use while mixing Dolby Atmos binaurally. The experience is very similar to the consumer experience when using head tracking in consumer devices that support Dolby Atmos. However, these consumer devices allow head tracking on both Dolby Atmos and stereo content, and no head position metadata is passed from the creator to the consumer.

Head tracking tracks the orientation of your head and allows you to interact with the virtual room in real-time when monitoring binaurally in headphones. Dolby Atmos Personalized Rendering, or Personalized Head Related Transfer Function (PHRTF), allows users to create a profile of their head using a mobile app, and then load that profile into the Renderer to improve the binaural listening experience. The two technologies can be used independently or together.

Head tracking while mixing in Dolby Atmos is currently only available with the Dolby Atmos Renderer application. However, Dolby has told us that they are always working with DAW partners on improvements to the workflow, so this could be possible in the future.

How To Download The Dolby Atmos Renderer V5.1

If you have brought or already upgraded to Dolby Atmos Renderer V5.0 then you can download the latest version from either Dolby Customer support or Avid. Users of Avid Link who already own Renderer V5.0 will find it in the Products tab.