Ok. So I have been listening to quite a bit of Atmos encoded music via Tidal and Apple Music. (Well in fact hours- Apple TV 4K is the best thing I have bought in ages)
After these many hours, I thought I would post my favourite tracks and a brief comment as to the reasons why.
I have confined the favourites to one album only- if they reside in Album format, that is.
So here is my top 10 - in no particular order:
1. Butter (instrumental)- BTS. Butter (Instrumental) by BTS
Who would've thought that K-Pop could sound so good? Well actually, somewhat OK- to the extent that I turned the vocal off. A reference quality mix that is very discrete, with a lot of rear channel music. A solid bass line. And a tune that stops and starts on a dime. A really fun mix that can be enjoyed in both the vocal mix and the intrumental, but the latter gets my nod- as it enables you to enjoy the fine details of what is a great Atmos test. (My kids actually put me on to this band. They even have have a BTS chicken nugget meal at MacDonalds here in Australia... Just a bit of pointless trivia for you. Talk about cross marketing).
2. Jaguar: Victoria Monet. Jaguar by Victoria Monét
This lady must have one hell of a libido as she loves singing about 'gettin' it on- and has the majority of her albums lyrical content devoted to it.. 'Jaguar' is a fine eg. of this as pointed out by a fellow QQ member that the lyrics to this song are very suggestive, and stacked full of innuendo. However this track is wonderfully mixed, bringing out the smooth tone of her vocals in all channels surrounding the listener, with a killer bass line. Love listening to this track as it makes my set-up sing. Give it a try. I am pretty sure you will agree.
3. Out of Sight- Yello. Out Of Sight by Yello.
What a fun album! You know an album is great when you really struggle to choose your best. I am probably going to attract a few comments suggesting that another track on this album is their favourite, however it is a pure treat to listen to the whole compilation of tracks - as you could mount a case for each of them being their fav's as they all are reference quality. This track is my favourite on the album, because I always get a kick out of how the vocal shifts both left and right to the lyrics that state the same. If I was to show off my surround set-up I would go to this album first. I could select all the tracks, however as I indicated above, I have decided to confine the top 10 to one track per album. A real show case of Atmos.
4. PERSONAL SHOPPER- Steven Wilson. PERSONAL SHOPPER by Steven Wilson.
What surround list would it be without Mr Wilson? This track attracted it's fair bit of criticism in pre- release posts- so I wasn't expecting much. However I actually enjoyed it when listening to it on Atmos. Not the greatest mix out there, but certainly worthy of being in the top 10. Probably my favourite on the album, hence why it is here.
5. Boom- Tiesto & Sevenn. BOOM by Tiësto & Sevenn.
Another fun to listen to track. Want sounds jumping out of 11 speakers in a radius around the room? Then this one is your panacea. A great pulsing bass filled drum beat at the front and sounds jumping out all around you. The mixer definitely had no fears on this one, as it certainly is not a conservative mix.
6. drivers license- Olivia Rodrigo. drivers license by Olivia Rodrigo.
A real slow burn song this one. (You will be wondering in the first minute or so why I picked it.) However it is a tragic love song, that when the voices surround you when it drops the expletive 'I just f***ing love you babe', it really has some emotional impact. A good example of how you can use Atmos on a more intimate side, that is a good vehicle for conveying emotion. (By the way if you want the non-explicit version, listen to the track on Tidal). The equivalent to watching a 'chick flick' for the dudes out there, but is surprisingly impactful.
7. Comes then goes- Pearl Jam. Comes Then Goes by Pearl Jam.
Ok on the opposite end of the scale from the prior track, now for some machismo. This one is on the list because it makes you feel in the room with the band- which when it comes to Pearl Jam has a degree of awe-inspiring-ness. (yes, I just created a word). Somewhat acoustic, and makes you feel like you have the band in the flesh in your theatre set-up. I don't think I would've enjoyed this album so much if it wasn't for ATMOS. It stacks up with their best, because of it.
8. Sucker- Jonas Brothers. Sucker by Jonas Brothers.
I have heard this song numerous times on the radio on plain ol' vanilla stereo. It really comes to life with ATMOS. You should hear hand clapping behind you, a strong sense of dynamism, and a great build up to the chorus. Then a nice airy whistle at the end of it that seems to just float in the sky. Another fun track that adds some life to pop music. I love ATMOS for it's ability to bring contemporary tracks that are recently released to the surround format in a blistering discrete mix. Just google latest top 10 tracks and the new ATMOS mixed tracks, and you will see a correlation there that has never been the same until perhaps the 70's with Quad. It is bringing new life, to an otherwise dying format.
9. Dancing in the living room- Jack Savoretti. Dancing In The Living Room by Jack Savoretti.
This track brings the disco to the home. Not always my go to track, but always gets my foot tapping each time I play it. Not a very well known artist here in Australia, so I would probably have never listened to this guy had it not been for ATMOS. A good mix that brings out the energy and vibe of the track. I can't imagine enjoying it so much if it was in stereo only.
10. Angie- Rolling Stones. Angie (2020) by The Rolling Stones.
Nice crystalline guitar coming from the left front channels. Good intimate vocals. Piano on the right. Strings kick in- and have an impact in the rears and front. Rolling Stones, sounding fresh. What is not to like?
Ok so probably missed out heaps. Apologies to Biilie Eilish, 070 Shake, Sergio Vallin, Laura Mvula, Lianne La Havas, AFFKt, Kraftwerk and others.
Would love to hear what is in your top 10, and why.
Hopefully this serves as a good starting point for those new to the format- like me.
Have fun.
After these many hours, I thought I would post my favourite tracks and a brief comment as to the reasons why.
I have confined the favourites to one album only- if they reside in Album format, that is.
So here is my top 10 - in no particular order:
1. Butter (instrumental)- BTS. Butter (Instrumental) by BTS
Who would've thought that K-Pop could sound so good? Well actually, somewhat OK- to the extent that I turned the vocal off. A reference quality mix that is very discrete, with a lot of rear channel music. A solid bass line. And a tune that stops and starts on a dime. A really fun mix that can be enjoyed in both the vocal mix and the intrumental, but the latter gets my nod- as it enables you to enjoy the fine details of what is a great Atmos test. (My kids actually put me on to this band. They even have have a BTS chicken nugget meal at MacDonalds here in Australia... Just a bit of pointless trivia for you. Talk about cross marketing).
2. Jaguar: Victoria Monet. Jaguar by Victoria Monét
This lady must have one hell of a libido as she loves singing about 'gettin' it on- and has the majority of her albums lyrical content devoted to it.. 'Jaguar' is a fine eg. of this as pointed out by a fellow QQ member that the lyrics to this song are very suggestive, and stacked full of innuendo. However this track is wonderfully mixed, bringing out the smooth tone of her vocals in all channels surrounding the listener, with a killer bass line. Love listening to this track as it makes my set-up sing. Give it a try. I am pretty sure you will agree.
3. Out of Sight- Yello. Out Of Sight by Yello.
What a fun album! You know an album is great when you really struggle to choose your best. I am probably going to attract a few comments suggesting that another track on this album is their favourite, however it is a pure treat to listen to the whole compilation of tracks - as you could mount a case for each of them being their fav's as they all are reference quality. This track is my favourite on the album, because I always get a kick out of how the vocal shifts both left and right to the lyrics that state the same. If I was to show off my surround set-up I would go to this album first. I could select all the tracks, however as I indicated above, I have decided to confine the top 10 to one track per album. A real show case of Atmos.
4. PERSONAL SHOPPER- Steven Wilson. PERSONAL SHOPPER by Steven Wilson.
What surround list would it be without Mr Wilson? This track attracted it's fair bit of criticism in pre- release posts- so I wasn't expecting much. However I actually enjoyed it when listening to it on Atmos. Not the greatest mix out there, but certainly worthy of being in the top 10. Probably my favourite on the album, hence why it is here.
5. Boom- Tiesto & Sevenn. BOOM by Tiësto & Sevenn.
Another fun to listen to track. Want sounds jumping out of 11 speakers in a radius around the room? Then this one is your panacea. A great pulsing bass filled drum beat at the front and sounds jumping out all around you. The mixer definitely had no fears on this one, as it certainly is not a conservative mix.
6. drivers license- Olivia Rodrigo. drivers license by Olivia Rodrigo.
A real slow burn song this one. (You will be wondering in the first minute or so why I picked it.) However it is a tragic love song, that when the voices surround you when it drops the expletive 'I just f***ing love you babe', it really has some emotional impact. A good example of how you can use Atmos on a more intimate side, that is a good vehicle for conveying emotion. (By the way if you want the non-explicit version, listen to the track on Tidal). The equivalent to watching a 'chick flick' for the dudes out there, but is surprisingly impactful.
7. Comes then goes- Pearl Jam. Comes Then Goes by Pearl Jam.
Ok on the opposite end of the scale from the prior track, now for some machismo. This one is on the list because it makes you feel in the room with the band- which when it comes to Pearl Jam has a degree of awe-inspiring-ness. (yes, I just created a word). Somewhat acoustic, and makes you feel like you have the band in the flesh in your theatre set-up. I don't think I would've enjoyed this album so much if it wasn't for ATMOS. It stacks up with their best, because of it.
8. Sucker- Jonas Brothers. Sucker by Jonas Brothers.
I have heard this song numerous times on the radio on plain ol' vanilla stereo. It really comes to life with ATMOS. You should hear hand clapping behind you, a strong sense of dynamism, and a great build up to the chorus. Then a nice airy whistle at the end of it that seems to just float in the sky. Another fun track that adds some life to pop music. I love ATMOS for it's ability to bring contemporary tracks that are recently released to the surround format in a blistering discrete mix. Just google latest top 10 tracks and the new ATMOS mixed tracks, and you will see a correlation there that has never been the same until perhaps the 70's with Quad. It is bringing new life, to an otherwise dying format.
9. Dancing in the living room- Jack Savoretti. Dancing In The Living Room by Jack Savoretti.
This track brings the disco to the home. Not always my go to track, but always gets my foot tapping each time I play it. Not a very well known artist here in Australia, so I would probably have never listened to this guy had it not been for ATMOS. A good mix that brings out the energy and vibe of the track. I can't imagine enjoying it so much if it was in stereo only.
10. Angie- Rolling Stones. Angie (2020) by The Rolling Stones.
Nice crystalline guitar coming from the left front channels. Good intimate vocals. Piano on the right. Strings kick in- and have an impact in the rears and front. Rolling Stones, sounding fresh. What is not to like?
Ok so probably missed out heaps. Apologies to Biilie Eilish, 070 Shake, Sergio Vallin, Laura Mvula, Lianne La Havas, AFFKt, Kraftwerk and others.
Would love to hear what is in your top 10, and why.
Hopefully this serves as a good starting point for those new to the format- like me.
Have fun.
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