Craig Hawkins, Creative Director of Audio Militia breaks down ATMOS and how this new frontier of Spacial Audio actually works.
Dolby ATMOS is an audio technology that allows artists to position individual sounds all around you. It creates a three-dimensional audio experience that immerses you in the music or movie you're listening to.
In cinemas, Dolby Atmos systems have multiple speakers, including those mounted on the ceiling. This setup enables precise positioning of sounds in the vertical dimension, giving a sense of height and depth. In home theaters, ceiling-mounted speakers are used along with surround sound speakers to create an immersive soundstage.
Dolby Atmos improves the spatial accuracy of sound, making it feel more realistic. Sounds can seamlessly move between speakers, creating a smooth and continuous audio environment. This accuracy is especially noticeable with ambient sounds like raindrops falling overhead.
The technology expands the soundstage beyond traditional speaker locations by adding overhead speakers. This envelops the listener in sound from all directions, enhancing the immersive experience. It allows filmmakers and sound designers to position audio objects vertically, adding depth to storytelling.
Dolby Atmos has transformed the entertainment industry, enhancing the movie-watching experience in cinemas and bringing cinematic audio to home theaters. It has gained recognition, with many films incorporating Dolby Atmos soundtracks to intensify cinematic moments. Consumers can now enjoy Dolby Atmos content on streaming platforms and Blu-ray discs.
Although Dolby ATMOS
is primarily designed for speaker setups, it can also be enjoyed through binaural headphones. However, the headphone experience has some limitations compared to dedicated speaker systems. Binaural rendering techniques are used to simulate sound coming from different directions and distances, creating a more immersive and spatially accurate experience compared to traditional stereo audio.
Audio Militia is officially internationally accredited in Dolby Atmos mixing. We have the ability to create immersive Atmos mixes from the ground up or port existing stereo or 5.1 mixes into the Dolby Atmos environment. As streaming platforms offer more and more Dolby Atmos content to consumers, the need to mix in this immersive format continues to grow. We offer post-production-focused Dolby Atmos mixing from inception to final master and deliverables, as well as Dolby Atmos mixing for music formats, such as Apple's "Spatial Audio."