Dolby Atmos on MacOS

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Franck

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I just upgraded my Mac to latest Monterey and this is what I found:

Screen Shot 2022-02-13 at 16.45.12.png


I noticed you need the right amount of outputs from an audio interface to see the Atmos options.

I did a little video about it (prior to Monterey), but the principles remain the same.



Now I need to find 2 speakers to mount on the ceiling to complement my Yamaha HS7 for a 5.1.2 setup. Any suggestions?
 
I have been waiting for this information. I am a computer-only (mac) 5.1 person currently. Does apple music spatial audio “work” beyond 5.1?
 
I have been waiting for this information. I am a computer-only (mac) 5.1 person currently. Does apple music spatial audio “work” beyond 5.1?
I have been listening to plenty spatial audio in 5.1 on my mac using Apple Music. I have even released one spatial audio track, and I have a quadraphonic album coming out on March 4th.
So I believe 5.1.2 or 7.1.4 will work on MacOS, it is in the settings. It was already in latest LogicPro, they just brought it in the OS.
 
Check if anything is coming out of the .2 (height) speakers when you play apple music spatial audio.
 
Check if anything is coming out of the .2 (height) speakers when you play apple music spatial audio.
I don't have height speakers, but I think I could simulate it and see if the Focusrite meters from the onboard mixer are reacting.
 
Unplug a surround and plug it in the height output for testing?
 
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Yes, I checked, with my released track Dystopia that I know has height audio.
From Apple Music nothing on the height speakers, and from Quicktime using the MP4 DD+JOC, no signal on the height speakers either.
I guess we need an upcoming update to core audio or quicktime/apple music. May be in 12.3 which should be out very soon.
 
Another data point. I took the plunge and upgraded to Monterey (macOS 12.2.1) and hooked up the another pair of speakers. I configured 5.1.2 in audio MIDI setup. Playing apple music spatial audio (your track) does send signal to the height speakers (which are still on the floor though :().
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Another data point. I took the plunge and upgraded to Monterey (macOS 12.2.1) and hooked up the another pair of speakers. I configured 5.1.2 in audio MIDI setup. Playing apple music spatial audio (your track) does send signal to the height speakers (which are still on the floor though :().
Oh that's great. I wonder if I need to reboot or restart something. I was not able to output height signal in this configuration. I may be missing something.
 
I was just looking at this. Is the Atmos decoder codec actually in iTunes? I bet not... But I'm not sure where to find test files and I haven't gone through all the tech hurdles around keeping the audio lossless and/or if lossless is even supported in iTunes (or some other media player app).

I have the latest build of ffmpeg and I've converted a couple mkv files someone shared to mp4 to test. I can look at the 7.1 base part and see 8 channels so it's at least 8 channels. That the 7.1 base has all 8 channels used means the full thing is 7.1.something.

Using the default setting in ffmpeg, converting a mkv file to mp4 resulted in a lossy conversion 10% the size of the original. I know there's some default bit rate in play. I'm running OS XII Monterey 12.2.1 on my backup Mac Pro at the moment. So far I just selected 7.1.4 output in the audio utility and currently have the output routed to Blackhole virtual audio device. I have Reaper up and I'm grabbing the 1st 12 channels so I can watch meters move.

The lossy converted mp4 files are playing in 5.1 only. The lossless converted files show up in iTunes, the playhead moves, but silent output. Hmmm... Lossy only?

Now I haven't read through everything I need to for all this yet. Looks like a deep well half filled with bullshit! Any shortcuts to the learning curve would be welcome. Just any kind of confirmation like: "No. The codec isn't in iTunes and you only get 5.1 unless you buy a receiver with the software built in." Or maybe I need to dig into ffmpeg and learn the conversion parameters? Or maybe there's a different media player with the codec included at this point? Perhaps a different conversion app than ffmpeg?

Shit, sorry. They're calling iTunes "Music Player" now. (How creative!) I was honestly surprised to even see 5.1 coming out of iTunes, frankly! They've been broken for surround for so long! Maybe Apple has a couple tricks left up their sleeve after all? I was pleasantly surprised at the ease of the OS install after the last 3 shit messes they made too.

I skimmed a few pages of search result and saw talk of connecting an Apple TV to spoof the system or something like that. I got the impression that there needs to be some secret handshake between a software containing hardware device regardless of it you have enough channels of output connected to the system. Hope that's wrong! If that's what they're up to though, that could lead to spoofing the spoof via software, right? Zero chance I'm ever buying an Apple TV or some AVR for software access.
 
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iTunes seems limited to 5.1
I converted a 7.1 flac to mp4 and it's still only outputting 6 channels
flac is still being locked out it appears
m4a doesn't work either though
So iTunes is no go.

Seeing the output options in the audio utility makes it look like Apple is just expecting this to be available soon though. That's promising maybe.

VLC player is outputting all 8 channels of a flac.
(Don't know if they're the correct order. I just want to see meters right now!)
But only 8 channels from the Atmos mp4. So, the 7.1 base track and no metadata decoded into height channels because I don't have an Atmos codec installed.

Here we go...

I see screen shots on the internets showing the Music app preference screen with an Atmos setting menu. Then I see some forum posts from someone asking where that disappeared to with the 12.2.1 update. I never downloaded the 12.0.1 installer. No Atmos settings in preferences. They pulled it! @^*&%#&%

Done with this for tonight.
 
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Here is what I am seeing with:
macOS Monterey 12.2.1 (21D62) -USB-> 8-channel DAC -> 7 speakers & sub
Audio MIDI Setup speaker configuration to 5.1.2 atmos.

I get signals on all 5.1.2 channels when playing spatial audio in Apple Music. I see 5.1 only when playing atmos mp4 files from Tools & Media Sample Media Video Streams | Dolby Developer
in either QuickTime player or VLC.
 
Same MacOS
Connected to a 64 channel virtual audio device at the moment.

I can verify at least a 7.1 file by looking at it in a DAW.
VLC plays all 8 channels of a 7.1 flac or mp4 copy of it with 7.1.4 (Atmos) audio selected in Audio MIDI Setup
If I change it to 5.1.2, I see the expected 6 channels now with the sides and rears getting mixed together.
Same if I play a mp4 Atmos file. Same as in I only see 8 channels of 7.1 audio in 7.1.4 speaker mode. Or 6 in 5.1.2 mode.

And then the Apple Music app only ever plays 6 channels (5.1)

I've seen a forum response saying the Atmos controls are in preferences on their machine with the same version Music app.

I think there's something going on here with the controls hidden in the Music app unless you have some hardware plugged in or maybe the right paid account. I don't have a paid music account or any Atmos AVR.

If there's an Atmos decoder in core audio though, I can push the above aside and find a 'real' media player! That's promising. Except for the part where I can't actually find that Atmos media player app, I mean.

And if you need an account to reveal the Atmos height channels. But it only works with their streaming content. And the player only does 5.1. Um...
That would be a problem anyway.
 
It looks like the bottom line is you need a subscription to Apple Music to unlock the Atmos controls in the Music player app and then the only content you can use is the streaming. Unlocking it for the streaming does not let you play your own files.

The promising take away from this is it really looks like the Atmos decoder codec must be either in the Music app or core audio. My guess is core audio based on the speaker array selection and older dolby decoders living there. Also the height and object channels need to be downmixed on systems with fewer speakers which would cue off the speaker array selection in Audio MIDI Setup. It might lead to the possibility of some 3rd party media player app supporting Atmos playback from file.
 
One more data point, atmos seems to work in the Apple TV app (the program not the hardware) for streaming content. I can open local files but atmos does not seem to work for them.
 
I stumbled on a way to play Apple Music Atmos in 5.1 from my 2017 iMac to the trusty old Yamaha AVR using HDMI from a display port adapter connected to a thunderbolt port.
No Apple TV box required!

I there's a more appropriate thread to post this info to, please let me know.

I've always used the display port to send video to the tv connected to the AVR.
This allows display mirroring and watching internet browser streaming movies on the bigger screen.
In system preferences, the sound device displayed as a tv and could only play stereo.

View attachment 75306

View attachment 75307

After signing up for a free trial of Apple Music, I discovered a hack to get the receiver to show up as sound option.
Power off the TV connected to AVR HDMI out!
Now the Yamaha RX-V375 displays on the menu as a destination for sound output.

View attachment 75308

Voilá!
Johnny Winter in Quad!

I'm a tickled-pink retiree with so much surround music available free for the next three months I'll never get to it all.
:51QQ

View attachment 75305


I just tried this connection successfully using a 2017 Macbook Pro USB-C output to HDMI using a converter into the HDMI AUX port on the Marantz AVR SR7013. The stats on the Marantz indicate the input is 48 bit rate and channels are 3/4/.1 ?
(Playing David Gilmour's On An Island)
Where is the dialog box for "Audio Quality"?
 
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