5.1 vs. Dolby Atmos... What's the Difference? - Dolby Atmos Masterclass Ep. 1 | ADAM Audio

Summary

In this video, engineer Rob Burrell from Nashville, Tennessee, delves into the technical fundamentals and basic concepts of mixing in Dolby Atmos. He contrasts it with traditional 5.1 surround sound, highlighting the limitations of 5.1 in creating accurate spatial audio. Dolby Atmos, with its advanced mathematical algorithms, allows for precise placement of sound objects in a three-dimensional space, ensuring consistent audio experience across various playback formats, from cinema systems to personal headphones. Burrell explains the use of beds and objects in Dolby Atmos, showcasing its revolutionary impact on audio engineering.

Takeaways

• 🎙️ Rob Burrell is an engineer from Nashville, Tennessee, who discusses the basics of mixing in Dolby Atmos.
• 🔊 Traditional 5.1 surround sound has limitations, with five speakers and two discrete surround channels, which can cause phasing issues when panning audio sources.
• 🚀 Dolby Atmos uses advanced mathematical algorithms developed by rocket scientists to solve phase problems and allow for 3D audio placement.
• 📍 Atmos enables the placement of audio objects anywhere in a three-dimensional space, creating an immersive listening experience.
• 🎬 Whether in a cinema with many speakers or using headphones, Dolby Atmos ensures objects maintain their position in the soundstage.
• 🛏️ A basic Atmos 'bed' consists of a 7.1.2 setup with additional height speakers, providing a foundation for object placement.
• 🔄 Atmos supports 128 assignable audio objects that can be precisely positioned and remain consistent across playback systems.
• 🎧 The Dolby Atmos format can upscale to a large cinema system or downscale to personal devices like AirPod Pros.
• 🎼 Mixing in Atmos offers greater creative freedom, allowing for unique placements like a guitar player on the listener's shoulder.
• 📉 The transition from 5.1 to Atmos represents a significant leap in audio capabilities, moving beyond the limitations of traditional surround sound.
• 🔧 The Dolby Atmos engine is responsible for the real-time decoding and placement of audio objects in a 3D space.

Q & A

Who is Rob Burrell and what is his profession?

Rob Burrell is an engineer based out of Nashville, Tennessee.

What is the main topic of discussion in the script?

The main topic of discussion is the fundamentals and basic concepts of mixing in Dolby Atmos.

How does the 5.1 speaker setup differ from Dolby Atmos?

The 5.1 setup consists of five speakers and two surround channels, while Dolby Atmos allows for a three-dimensional placement of sound objects, including height channels.

What problem does Dolby Atmos solve that was present in the 5.1 setup?

Dolby Atmos solves the phase problems that occurred when panning a source between speakers in the 5.1 setup, providing a more consistent experience for all listeners.

What is a 'bed' in the context of Dolby Atmos?

A 'bed' in Dolby Atmos is a 7.1.2 setup, which includes left, center, right speakers, left and right surrounds, left and right rear surrounds, a subwoofer channel (LFE), and two height speakers.

How many assignable sound sources, or 'objects', does Dolby Atmos allow for?

Dolby Atmos allows for 128 assignable sound sources or 'objects'.

How does Dolby Atmos handle the positioning of sound objects across different playback systems?

Dolby Atmos uses real-time math and decoding to ensure that sound objects maintain their position regardless of the number of channels used for playback.

What is the significance of the math written by Dolby's engineers?

The math written by Dolby's engineers allows for the precise placement and movement of sound objects in a three-dimensional space, ensuring consistency across different playback formats.

How does Dolby Atmos enhance the creative possibilities for sound engineers?

Dolby Atmos enhances creative possibilities by allowing sound engineers to place sound objects anywhere in a three-dimensional space, creating immersive and personalized listening experiences.

Can Dolby Atmos be experienced on personal devices like AirPod Pros?

Yes, Dolby Atmos can be experienced on personal devices like AirPod Pros, as the format uses real-time math and decoding to maintain object positioning.

What is the advantage of Dolby Atmos over the traditional 5.1 setup for cinema experiences?

Dolby Atmos offers a more immersive and three-dimensional sound experience, with the ability to place sound objects anywhere in the listening space, as opposed to the limited channel-based setup of 5.1.

Outlines

00:00

🎥 Introduction to Dolby Atmos Mixing

Rob Burrell, an engineer from Nashville, Tennessee, introduces the concept of mixing in Dolby Atmos. He explains the fundamental differences between traditional 5.1 surround sound and Dolby Atmos, highlighting the latter's ability to overcome phase issues by using a three-dimensional space with height channels. Burrell emphasizes the flexibility of Atmos, which allows for the placement of audio objects anywhere within the 3D space, ensuring consistent audio experience across different playback systems, from a cinema with many speakers to headphones.

Keywords

💡Dolby Atmos

Dolby Atmos is a surround sound technology that revolutionizes audio by introducing a three-dimensional space for sound placement. In the video, it is contrasted with the traditional 5.1 surround sound system, highlighting its ability to create a more immersive audio experience by allowing sound objects to be placed anywhere in a 3D space, regardless of the playback system's speaker configuration.

💡5.1 Surround Sound

5.1 Surround Sound is an audio setup that includes five speakers (left, center, right, left surround, and right surround) and one subwoofer channel. It is mentioned in the script as having limitations in sound placement, particularly when trying to pan a sound source between speakers, which can lead to phasing issues and a less consistent experience for listeners not in the ideal seating position.

💡Phasing Issues

Phasing issues refer to the audio phenomenon where sound waves from different speakers interfere with each other, causing some frequencies to cancel out or reinforce unexpectedly. The script discusses how Dolby Atmos addresses these issues by using advanced math to ensure consistent sound placement across different speaker setups.

💡Rocket Scientists

The term 'rocket scientists' is used metaphorically in the script to emphasize the advanced and innovative nature of the math and technology behind Dolby Atmos. It suggests that the precision and complexity involved in creating Dolby Atmos is on par with the work of scientists and engineers in the aerospace industry.

💡Three-Dimensional Space

Three-Dimensional Space is a core concept in the script, referring to the ability of Dolby Atmos to place audio objects in a立体 space, not just horizontally but also vertically. This allows for a more realistic and immersive sound experience, as sound can be positioned above, below, in front of, or behind the listener.

💡Height Channels

Height channels are a feature of Dolby Atmos that adds speakers above the listener, creating a sense of height in the sound field. The script mentions that these channels, combined with the traditional surround and stereo speakers, enable the creation of a full 3D audio environment.

💡Beds and Objects

In the context of Dolby Atmos, 'beds' and 'objects' are terms used to describe different types of audio elements. A 'bed' is a continuous sound layer, like the 7.1.2 setup described in the script, while 'objects' are discrete, assignable sound sources that can be placed anywhere in the 3D space, contributing to the immersive experience.

💡128 Assignable Sources

The script mentions that Dolby Atmos allows for up to 128 assignable sources, which are individual sound elements that can be independently placed and moved within the 3D audio space. This high number of sources greatly enhances the flexibility and precision of sound design in Dolby Atmos.

💡Upscale and Downscale

Upscaling and downscaling refer to the process of adjusting audio content to fit different playback systems, from a cinema with many speakers to headphones. The script explains that Dolby Atmos uses advanced algorithms to maintain the position and integrity of sound objects, ensuring a consistent experience regardless of the playback system.

💡Binaural Headphones

Binaural headphones are a type of headphone that uses two microphones to record sound, simulating the binaural hearing experience. In the script, they are mentioned as an example of a playback system where Dolby Atmos can provide an immersive audio experience, with sound objects maintaining their positions even in a personal listening environment.

💡Immersive Audio Experience

An immersive audio experience is the end goal of Dolby Atmos, as described in the script. It involves creating a soundscape where the listener feels surrounded by and within the audio, with sounds coming from all directions, including above. This is achieved through the precise placement and movement of sound objects in a 3D space.

Highlights

Rob Burrell, an engineer from Nashville, Tennessee, discusses the fundamentals of mixing in Dolby Atmos.

Dolby Atmos is compared to 5.1, offering a more advanced audio experience.

In 5.1, there were five speakers and two discrete surround channels, creating challenges when panning sources.

Dolby Atmos uses mathematical solutions to address phase problems in audio panning.

Atmos allows for placing audio objects in a three-dimensional space with height channels.

The Dolby Atmos format performs real-time math and decoding, maintaining object placement across different playback systems.

A basic Atmos bed consists of 7.1.2 channels, including height speakers and a subwoofer.

Atmos supports 128 assignable audio objects that can be positioned anywhere in 3D space.

The Dolby Atmos engine can upscale or downscale audio to match the playback system, maintaining object positioning.

5.1 had limitations, while Atmos provides greater flexibility in audio placement.

Atmos enables creative audio placements, such as a guitar player on the listener's shoulder.

The listener's experience remains consistent whether using AirPod Pros or a cinema setup.

Dolby Atmos is designed to work with a range of playback systems, from cinemas to headphones.

The format's adaptability ensures a consistent audio experience across different listening environments.

Dolby Atmos' mathematical approach to audio placement offers a significant advancement over traditional surround sound systems.

The technology allows for a more immersive and personalized audio experience.

Dolby Atmos represents a shift towards more dynamic and flexible audio mixing techniques.

Transcripts

[Music]

ready

fire away

[Music]

i'm rob burrell and i'm an engineer

based out of nashville tennessee

and we are going to be talking today

about

the fundamentals technically and the

basic concepts

of mixing in dolby atmos

the way that atmos works uh

on a on a basic level compared to 5.1

5.1 was five speakers left center right

and two surround channels that

were essentially from a music standpoint

they were discrete

channels you could place things in those

channels

but trying to pan a source halfway in

between

the front left and the rear

left could often be problematic

it would it would work for the one

person

in the proper seating position

but it would kind of fall apart for

everyone else because there were phasing

issues what atmos does

is they have literal brilliant rocket

scientists over there at dolby that have

written

math to fix all those phase problems

when you're moving not only from speaker

to speaker but because we use

height channels they can now allow you

to place an

object anywhere inside a

three-dimensional space

which means you can create any

three-dimensional space that you want

and it means that

whether you're in a cinema with 65

speakers

or you're in you know airpod pros in

your head

because the format is

it's doing math and decoding in real

time

those objects stay in place

no matter how many channels you're

playing back

when i talk about an object we'll see

this when i get into

uh into pro tools

atmos uses beds

and objects so a basic bed

is a 7.1.2 bed which is

left center right left surround right

surround

left rear surround right rear surround

with a single subwoofer

channel a single subwoofer channel lfe

channel

and then two height speakers that's a

bed

the objects are

one of 128 assignable

sources that you can place

anywhere in a three-dimensional space

and because

that object has math that is saying

where it exists in a three-dimensional

space

the dolby engine can then

upscale that to a 64-channel cinema

or down into binaural headphones and

that object will always stay in that

same position

so the accuracy across

multiple scaled sized formats

can remain the same 5.1 had so many

limitations of what you can do

and now atmos literally

allows me to place things here here

here put you know put a guitar player on

my shoulder

whatever i want and and the listener is

going to experience it that way

whether they're on airpod pros or you

know

playing back even in a cinema