Newbie Question (53 years after first hearing about Quad/Surround Sound)

[kfbkfb]

Mono, Stereo, Quad and 5.1 speaker setups are pretty self explanatory, my 2 Blu-ray audio Atmos albums don't have a recommended speaker arrangement statement/diagram (to match how the Atmos mix was monitored) in their booklets.

I don't have an Atmos setup, I know that there are several options for speaker number (>5.1), are all Blu-ray audio Atmos albums mixed to be listened to with a 7.1.4 setup (as this link implies that with the statement "gold standard layout is 7.1.4")?
https://www.audioholics.com/audio-technologies/dolby-atmos-best-setup-practices


Kirk Bayne

 

[jimfisheye]

By definition, Atmos is meant to be speaker agnostic. Instead of rendering a full audio mix, the format leads to a file that live pans the audio objects. So you hear the same mix in fewer speakers as much as it is able to translate.

It's all fun in theory!

In reality, we listen to the audio on speakers as we mix and we land on a mix that sounds right at the end of the day. It's not a theoretical exercise all of a sudden. We're still mixing and reacting to what we hear as always.

The speaker array most music mixers landed on was the 7.1.4 array. Yes, the Atmos mix objects may scale down to less and give close to the same vibe. But the mix is genuinely a 7.1.4 mix that happens to use the Atmos system for delivery. Not the other way around.

That has led some of us to set up that very same 7.1.4 configuration to chase the music mixes. The extended abilities of the object up/down mix system makes a bit more sense in movie soundtrack context. (Aside form the stereotypical crude movie mix anyway!)

You might still hear a lot when downmixing 7.1.4 to 5.1, for example. More than not being able to play the surround version at all like in the past (if you didn't have the system)! Not every mix will make full use of the speaker array to the point of demanding it. Some of the adventurous ones will though!

 

[kfbkfb]

IMHO, it would be helpful for Atmos surround sound releases to state the speaker arrangement that was used to make the mix (both on Atmos audio only albums and Atmos movie/concert video/TV soundtracks).

From what I've read, Dolby Labs exercises fairly tight control over Atmos mixing setups, stating the mixing setup would be helpful in trying experience what the mixer(s) heard.


Kirk Bayne