Tidal Adds Dolby Atmos Music

[popshop]

I have an Integra DTR 40.6. It's a 7 output model with HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 support. I can choose height speakers, or wides, but not both. So 5.1.2 (back heights).
Am I correct in reading (most of) this thread that Firestick doesn't work, but that Firestick 4k does? My TV is not 4k.

More important, has anyone seen any info on submitting mixes to Tidal? I'm quite curious on the possibility of other atmos mixes getting heard.

 

[humprof]

Hey @popshop (and all): I can confirm--through a 10-day-long process of trial and error--that Firestick doesn't work, but Firestick 4K does. As of this evening, I'm finally up and running, having enjoyed some Beck and Rufus and Horace Silver so far!

(And I for one would love to stream some of your stuff mixed for Atmos....)

 

[humprof]

So has anyone stumbled on any new tracks yet?

Or better yet: has anyone figured out a way to learn if/how/when new Atmos content is added?

 

[EricKalet]

So has anyone stumbled on any new tracks yet?

Or better yet: has anyone figured out a way to learn if/how/when new Atmos content is added?

I've been posting as I've been noticing or finding new stuff here on the listening to now in Dolby Atmos thread. No real indication as to if/how/when new content added, seems to be every few days.

https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/forums/threads/listening-to-now-in-dolby-atmos.28410/post-493151

 

[mattB2]

There seems to have been a couple of new playlists added and maybe a couple of albums but most of the stuff has no interest for me. There seemed to be an album by Rhapsody added which mentions ATMOS but this turned out to be stereo.

 

[humprof]

I've been posting as I've been noticing or finding new stuff here on the listening to now in Dolby Atmos thread. No real indication as to if/how/when new content added, seems to be every few days.

https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/forums/threads/listening-to-now-in-dolby-atmos.28410/post-493151

They're not making this easy, are they?

Thanks, though, Eric. I noticed some of those new playlists, too, although it seems they mostly consist of tracks we've already seen.

I don't want to piss & moan too loud, since Tidal is free to try. (Not counting the expense of the new hardware and the hours of setup-related frustration.) Plus, it's still early days. But I gotta say...I'm underwhelmed so far. Creaky interface, difficult search function, and--most of all--a dearth of Atmos content.

Granted, most of us on this forum are not in Tidal's target demographic. But apart from the Blue Notes and the Barenboim Beethovens--all which sound great, but none of which are Atmos demo material, exactly--my playlist only has a couple dozen tracks so far (mostly classic R&B and funk), and the vast majority of those are ones I won't come back to after the first listen.

Anyway, I'll give it the full 60 days. But for those of us who signed on primarily for Atmos: I hope they let more of those 2500+ tracks out of the vault soon (and offer us an easier way to find them). Here's an idea: create a "feature" where the mixing engineers we know and love get to tout some of the Atmos tracks they're most proud of.

 

[IMachine]

They will add songs......AFTER 60 DAYS!

 

[EricKalet]

They're not making this easy, are they?

Thanks, though, Eric. I noticed some of those new playlists, too, although it seems they mostly consist of tracks we've already seen.

I don't want to piss & moan too loud, since Tidal is free to try. (Not counting the expense of the new hardware and the hours of setup-related frustration.) Plus, it's still early days. But I gotta say...I'm underwhelmed so far. Creaky interface, difficult search function, and--most of all--a dearth of Atmos content.

Totally true the new playlists are mainly what most of us here have already discovered. Definitely take advantage of the full 60 days and hopefully more will be released soon. I know I've mentioned before, this roll out is eerily similar to when Tidal started with "masters/Mqa" that was right before I left to go to Qobuz. There was maybe a few hundred tracks in MQA and then it built up over several months, certainly way past what a 60 day free trial would afford.

 

[EricKalet]

There seems to have been a couple of new playlists added and maybe a couple of albums but most of the stuff has no interest for me. There seemed to be an album by Rhapsody added which mentions ATMOS but this turned out to be stereo.

Yes that Rhapsody album states "Dolby Atmos Experience" but it certainly is not an experience, beyond 2.0

 

[musicmemorabiliashoppellc]

I am in the US and can play Riders on the Storm.

I cannot play B-52's "Rock Lobster." It's the only track where I've seen the not permitted error.

Where is "Rock Lobster" cant find it in 5.1 anywhere on Tidal

 

[edisonbaggins]

There seems to have been a couple of new playlists added and maybe a couple of albums but most of the stuff has no interest for me. There seemed to be an album by Rhapsody added which mentions ATMOS but this turned out to be stereo.

Atmos Experience is in the name of the album. So, it will show up if you search for Atmos, but not in the Available in Atmos section, IIRC.
Hopefully they'll get around to offering the Atmos version. It is very cool.

 

[harync]

Where is "Rock Lobster" cant find it in 5.1 anywhere on Tidal

I went back to check and it has now been completely removed.

 

[mattB2]

Atmos Experience is in the name of the album. So, it will show up if you search for Atmos, but not in the Available in Atmos section, IIRC.
Hopefully they'll get around to offering the Atmos version. It is very cool.

Maybe they should have stuck with the "Prometheus Cinematic And Live" part of the title and dropped "the Dolby ATMOS Experience" line as it is untrue and misleading.

The better solution would have been to use the actual ATMOS mix from the Blu-ray but this was probably beyond the scope of their current agreement.

 

[edisonbaggins]

Maybe they should have stuck with the "Prometheus Cinematic And Live" part of the title and dropped "the Dolby ATMOS Experience" line as it is untrue and misleading.

The better solution would have been to use the actual ATMOS mix from the Blu-ray but this was probably beyond the scope of their current agreement.

Agreed. I don't think it's meant to be deceptive though. The artist named the piece. There's a stereo version that gets licensed for streaming. It comes up in searches. There are a lot of other artists and albums with Atmos in the title that come up in the search too.

 

[mattB2]

Agreed. I don't think it's meant to be deceptive though. The artist named the piece. There's a stereo version that gets licensed for streaming. It comes up in searches. There are a lot of other artists and albums with Atmos in the title that come up in the search too.

Yes, this was the main problem when I was doing the initial searches on Tidal. A lot of albums seem to have ATMOS in the title but are purely stereo albums. The only consolation is that the ATMOS mixes that are there are pretty decent (apart from the Allman Brothers which seems to come through a layer of cotton wool).

 

[northernsoul]

There seems to have been a couple of new playlists added and maybe a couple of albums but most of the stuff has no interest for me. There seemed to be an album by Rhapsody added which mentions ATMOS but this turned out to be stereo.

Maybe they should have stuck with the "Prometheus Cinematic And Live" part of the title and dropped "the Dolby ATMOS Experience" line as it is untrue and misleading.

The better solution would have been to use the actual ATMOS mix from the Blu-ray but this was probably beyond the scope of their current agreement.

I wish the live set would have ben an atmos mix, the vocals on that one smoke the studio Atmos mix.

 

[key_wiz]

So I was hesitant to even give this a try seeing as my system is only 5.2 and reading so many stories here about people getting errors, having to download updates, etc. But my Yamaha receiver has an Atmos logo and I have a Firestick so....

Well it seems to have worked really easily. App downloaded easily on the Firestick and I searched for Atmos and started playing "Automatic for the People" and voila! Getting it in full surround. I presume the amp is downmixing the other Atmos speakers to the 5 I have? I don't really have the room to set up other speakers comfortably, unless I want to go the "upfiring" route. But as long as I'm not missing any actual musical bits, I'm ok with 5.1.

Sounds pretty good! $20 a month might be a little steep but I'll play with the app for a month. If it has enough other content and flexibility that I can ditch the Pandora Plus I pay $5 a month for now, then it might be worth it. At least until they get a lot more content.

 

[key_wiz]

Hmm... so sounds like peeps like me with old fashioned 5.1 set-ups are out of luck? If anyone with 5.1 gets something going with this stuff, please let us know

I had no problems with my old fashioned set up.

 

[key_wiz]

It’s very interesting. There’s certainly not enough for me to maintain a subscription, but it is an interesting peek at where things could go.

I have all of the Rush surround releases, so their songs in Atmos weren’t too exciting. There were a few treats I didn’t already have in surround that were fun, though:

Styx: Renegade
This is a very different mix than the stereo. Harmonies, organ, and synth are deemphasized vs. guitar and lead vocal. The big synth is relegated to low volume in the rear left, for some reason. It’s an odd take. Mostly, I was happy for an indication that the Styx masters from that era may have survived.
Note: This is actually a different take of at least the vocals. Listen around 1:15 for instance and you’ll hear “oh, mama” in the Atmos vs. “Dear mama” in the original album version. (Edit: Wondering now if this is based on the Regeneration re-recording?)

Pat Benatar: We Belong
This was lushly mixed in the original and sounded very nice In Atmos, if not super discrete.

Prince: When Doves Cry
Lots of movement in the guitar. Surround mixes of 1999 and Purple Rain albums could be great.

One frustration is that the audio often doesn’t kick in on my Onkyo until a few seconds into the song.

I briefly had the majority of my surround collection accessible in 5.1 via the Computer app on Apple TV, but a series of Apple upgrades, and some flaws in the way DVD Audio Extractor was arranging and tagging ALAC, led to channels being mismapped over the last year, so I gave up and just listen from disc images on my studio iMac. This Tidal session is making me want to get my collection working in the living room again.

Renegade does sound odd. I can't tell if it's a different recording or not. I think they may have just mixed Dennis DeYoung (both vocals and keyboards) so far back that it changed the sound completely. The lead vocal sounds different but not SO different that I think he recorded it again decades later. Maybe it's a different take at least in some parts? Some of the rhythm guitar parts sound different but that could just be the way they are mixed/blended together.

I don't get the kick in thing on my Yamaha.

 

[key_wiz]

My Fire Stick 4K is only outputting stereo audio while playing Atmos tracks even though I have the audio settings set to Best Available. I also have the Fire Stick inserted directly into my AVR. Thank goodness I am not paying for Tidal because this is more of a hassle than it’s worth.

I did not have this problem with my Fire Stick 4K inserted directly into my AVR. My AVR states it is Atmos compatible. Is yours? This may be necessary?