This means you can enjoy a Dolby Atmos audio mix on a simple stereo speaker system. Since effects exist as objects, they can simply be scaled to work within whatever Dolby Atmos configuration you have. In other words, audio mixes don't have to be rigidly designed for 2.1, 5.1, 7.1, or other specific speaker setups. Special metadata then tells a Dolby Atmos system where that specific sound is and how it should be directionally positioned to match the speakers or soundbar in your actual room. This means that instead of being designated to a set channel, sound effects can now exist as independent objects in a virtual environment.įor example, if a filmmaker wants to place a hovering helicopter into a movie's soundtrack, they can now position and reposition that individual effect wherever they'd like in a virtual mixing space. Instead, they can now create individual audio objects.
With Dolby Atmos, however, mixers are no longer limited to designing sound within fixed channels. Sound designers then had to place all of a movie's audio effects within those specific channels/locations to create surround sound. For instance, in a 5.1 speaker setup, there's a channel for left, right, center, left surround, right surround, and low frequency speakers. The core of what makes Dolby Atmos audio so special rests in one key process: object-based mixing.īefore Dolby Atmos technology, most soundtracks for movies and TVs shows used a process called "channel-based mixing." Under this method, audio mixes were designed with a fixed number of channels for a fixed number of speakers.
Atmos was first introduced in theaters back in 2012 with the release of Pixar's "Brave", before expanding to home theater products and home video titles in 2014.
Many Dolby Atmos soundbars feature up-firing drivers to bounce sound off of your ceiling.ĭolby Atmos is an immersive audio format for movie theaters and home theaters.