STACK #225 July 2023

TECH FEATURE

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Can you enjoy Atmos and spatial audio using

ear gear? Atmos and spatial audio tracks can be played on all Bluetooth and wired headphones or earbuds as virtual surround, which only requires two drivers to create the effect. When using headphones and earbuds, multichannel surround sound is simulated using the left and right channels, creating a virtual 3D soundscape using aural deception. Clever algorithms manipulate frequencies and delay to trick the ears into hearing directional audio rather than stereo. Headphones and earbuds that support a spatial feature called ‘head tracking’ will deliver the maximum 3D effect. This keeps you in the centre of the simulated 360° soundscape and, as the name suggests, adjusts it to match the movement of your head – walk about and move your head and the sound will follow you. Where can you access music and songs in Dolby Atmos and spatial audio? Amazon Music and Apple Music offer a selection of tracks, albums, and playlists in Dolby Atmos and 360° spatial audio. More and more music is now being mixed and remastered for both, including many classic original stereo tracks. When it comes to the latter, purists might cry “sacrilege” – and some remixed tracks from The Beatles have been somewhat controversial – while others will celebrate enjoying an exciting new way of listening to their favourite songs.

Dolby Atmos and spatial audio are immersive formats that create a 3D sound experience and put you inside the music to enjoy your favourite songs in a new and exciting way. So, let’s take a closer look at what it’s all about. Words Bec Summer D olby Atmos and spatial audio take listening to the next level, creating an immersive 3D soundscape. This exciting SOUND ALL AROUND

tracks must be specifically mixed to create the immersive effect, and you’ll get the best room filling results from Atmos-supported speakers that have upward-firing drivers. Is spatial audio the same as Atmos? Sort of. Atmos

tech allows artists and audio engineers to separate and manipulate sound elements to create a directional effect, moving vocals and instruments around in different sound spaces to give music and songs a sense of breadth. What is Dolby Atmos? Dolby Atmos was initially designed for cinemas and has since found its way into everyday consumer tech like TVs, soundbars, smartphones, headphones, and earbuds. It’s a surround sound format that interprets audio as

Sample the wonders of Dolby Atmos Music and spatial audio with these 5 TOP TRACKS TO TRY

implements spatial audio by combining channel- and object-based sound and

adding a sense of height, whereas

objects, enabling the individual elements of a sound mix – vocals, instruments,

banging selections 1. Tiesto & Sevenn – BOOM

spatial audio itself creates a sense of being inside the sound field

2. Kanye West – Black Skinhead 3. Foo Fighters – Waiting on a War

and sound effects – to be directed to different speakers. It uses upward-firing speakers to add height channels, expanding 5.1 and 7.1 surround to create an enveloping 3D soundscape. To fully enjoy true Dolby Atmos with music,

as you move around, like being at a live music performance. When combined, Atmos and spatial audio deliver a greater virtual audio space that you can move around in.

4. Elton John – Rocket Man 5. Billie Eilish – Ocean Eyes

12 JULY 2023

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