I uninstalled any Dolby app installed on my PC by using IObit Uninstaller. It asks you to do Powerful Scan which basically scans the Registry Editor to clean any residue after an uninstall. Delete everything it finds and then restart your PC. Enable Dolby Atmos for Headphones from Spatial Sound settings and reinstall Dolby Atmos when prompted.
![]()
Tested the trial and worked perfectly. Today, once I had ran out of the trial I decided to purchase for the 15$. After purchase I was directed to re-enable the atmos through the program and any time I try to enable it in spatial sound it reverts back to none before I even have the option to apply it. I have reinstalled windows and uninstalled/reinstalled audio drivers with no luck.
I believe the app is the problem. A pretty big feature that's baked into the creators update is broken.
I spoke with support and all I was offered was a refund for the purchase. I thought we were done with beta testing for the creators update. Dolby Atmos has always had upmixing built in. It takes 5.1 or 7.1 and creates signals to 'light up' all those expensive Atmos speakers you paid for so they're not just sitting there doing nothing. That's because there is so little real Atmos content as compared to 5.1, that without up-mix, mostly those speakers would remain dead silent, and that's no way to make the consumer feel good about investing in them.
Some find the up-mix function pleasing, others find it annoying. And some no doubt never notice it at all.It looks like the Windows app does three things, it takes actual Atmos content and creates HRTF based localizations for those signals when listening on headphones, and it up-mixes non-Atmos content to create Atmos-ish content, and passes Atmos audio over HDMI to another Atmos capable device. So, very similar to what goes on with Atmos in home theater systems.Listening in headphones, unless you are giving the app actual Atmos content to chew on it couldn't be expected to do much more than Dolby Headphone. Remember, the Atmos upmix is just a set of algorithms designed to create Atmos-ish content from non-Atmos material.
It's not extracting actual positional information (there isn't any), it's creating those signals, hopefully at least somewhat intelligently. But, at the end of the day, those signals are fakes. When that track was mixed the creators never placed anything intentionally in the location of Atmos speakers, virtual or real.Real Atmos soundtracks can place an 'object' in a location with specificity limited by the number of Atmos speakers available. Very different from up-mixing. I was a little disappointed to find out the headphone feature was $15 after Dolby Atmos support was presented as being included for free in the update. I realize that the HDMI output is free, but the headphone feature was called out in all the preview material.I was also a bit underwhelmed with the demonstration videos.
I prefer the samples I've heard of Creative SBX or Dolby Headphone for movies/games. The overall effect was more subtle with Atmos and I had trouble locating sound sources in comparison. For music, Dolby Atmos was better for me. Upmixing and virtual surround on headphones has always sounded strange to me and usually sounds like it's just adding a lot of reverb and muddying up the sound. Atmos pretty much eliminated the reverb effect and did increase the sound-field width such that I didn't find it distracting. That being said, I think well recorded music is going to sound better without any effect.For games/movies I'd personally look at Creative's software solution (or Dolby Headphone if your soundcard/motherboard supports it), or a dedicated sound card with virtual surround capabilities. For music, Atmos might be a better bet if you like virtual surround upmixing on stereo music.One advantage with Dolby Atmos via Windows might be that if it's tied to your user account you can use it with any system attached to your Microsoft account.
Most other software solutions are per computer licensed. I'm not sure if this is the case or not.
I haven't tried out the Windows Creator update yet, but if the integrated Atmos is the same as the Dolby Atmos that comes with Overwatch on PC, I'll definitely spend $15 for it. I use an Asus card that outputs Dolby Headphone over optical to my Mojo for gaming, and I really enjoy DH for most games. That said, I cannot use anything but the included Atmos for Overwatch anymore because the height cues are a must with that game. There are several character that have vertical movement and elevation is a key aspect for positional accuracy. If I can bring the same elevation cues that I get in Overwatch to other games, then $15 is cheap investment.I may install this update on my home machine later and play around with the Atmos option.
If I can get it processing through my Mojo via USB then I'll be ecstatic. I haven't tried out the Windows Creator update yet, but if the integrated Atmos is the same as the Dolby Atmos that comes with Overwatch on PC, I'll definitely spend $15 for it.
I use an Asus card that outputs Dolby Headphone over optical to my Mojo for gaming, and I really enjoy DH for most games. That said, I cannot use anything but the included Atmos for Overwatch anymore because the height cues are a must with that game. There are several character that have vertical movement and elevation is a key aspect for positional accuracy. If I can bring the same elevation cues that I get in Overwatch to other games, then $15 is cheap investment.I may install this update on my home machine later and play around with the Atmos option. If I can get it processing through my Mojo via USB then I'll be ecstatic. That picture linked above by Seeteeyou is mine, cool mini yayAtmos isn't always upmixed. There is content out there, just not a lot of it:Battlefield 1BattlefrontMovies - Select few, and even fewer that you might want to actually watch.Dolby Access App DemosDolby Atmos Test Tones.(Actually, I haven't come acrossed content that is upmixed.
When I listen to non Atmos content, nothing comes out of my height speakers. I'm not saying it doesn't exist, I just haven't come acrossed it.)If you watch Ninja Turtles through the built in 'Movies and Tv' in windows, you can actually select the Atmos audio track. That's the only Atmos movie I have so far, I'm hoping to get Hancock.As far as Overwatch goes, it's only through the built in setting. Those with receivers are out of luck.
Zero Height sound. Dolby Atmos for Headphones = same boat.
It's only by the built in setting.Dolby Access App has a ton of issues for everyone. It always seems to be temporarily remedied for some random amount of time by: Uninstall, restart, reinstall. For all the content I've found, the Dolby Atmos for headphones (Windows setting) doesn't work in any Atmos content I have found. You cannot enable it in Battlefield 1/Battlefront and you cannot watch movies with it. I did read somewhere that using an old game like Diablo3 (Where you can select 5.1/7.1 through the audio setup) created quite a noticeable difference, but that same user also stated he noticed no difference in newer titles.Since the Dolby Access App came out to the public on April 5/6 (Whichever). It's been updated many times for better or worse.
Let's hope that they keep working on it. As far as my receiver, goes, I can fidget to get the spatial sound setting to work, but I'm not sure what I'm actually getting.
I can still play games and watch movies in Atmos with it off. So for now I leave it off. (Well it turns itself off, I just gave up turning it back on).Don't bang your head too hard trying to get this thing to work. I tried Dolby Atmos for Headphones tonight using my Shure SE846 listening to an HRTF recording I made using Sonic Studios' microphones of the fireworks at Tweetsie Railroad in NC a few years ago. This recording has both a segment with the 'legal' fireworks being set off by families in the vicinity before the 'big' fireworks started, and the entire 'big' fireworks show with its thundering echos off the Blue Ridge Mountains surrounding us. There is no doubt in my mind that it improved the positional accuracy over hearing it without the Dolby Atmos turned on, and was superior in that regard to the Windows Sonic for Headphones option as well, though that also did improve positional resolution.
Which was a pleasure to hear, since I have many field recordings made with those microphones that will be enhanced by this effect. The fireworks seem to have a beefier presence and individual fireworks quite definitely can be 'pointed at' location-wise - and height information seems to be conveying as well, especially with the whistling rockets and their retorts. This is the best playback experience I have had coming from that field recording setup. (Sonic Studio mics into a Sony PCM-1 portable DAT recorder)So, one happy customer at the moment, at least for field recordings!I am listening now to Ligeti's 'Apparitions' by Berliner Philharmoniker and it also seems to be benefiting from the positional cues nicely, but for that the Windows Sonic for Headphones works well also. But I'll have to give it more listening time to decide whether I like it with musical performances.
The Dolby Atmos seems to be glitching every so often with a drop-out, while Windows Sonic for Headphones never did that. We'll see how it goes!Terry. HRTF CUES and Binaural Playback - Having read that both Windows Sonic for Headphones and Dolby Atmos for Headphones rely upon HRTF cues, I've just posted at my Binaural thread about these, wondering how people are experiencing Binaural and HRTF recordings using these tools. To me, field recordings played back via Dolby Atmos for Headphones are very noticeably better, with smoother transitions between locations and a 'rounder' sound to the details than Windows Sonic for Headphones, but the latter sounds better for music as the bass is a bit overblown in Dolby Atmos for my tastes for musical playback.You will find links to many examples to listen to at my ' ' thread in the Music section here.Very interested to hear people's experiences and opinions over there on the Binaural materials!Terry. HRTF CUES and Binaural Playback - Having read that both Windows Sonic for Headphones and Dolby Atmos for Headphones rely upon HRTF cues, I've just posted at my Binaural thread about these, wondering how people are experiencing Binaural and HRTF recordings using these tools. To me, field recordings played back via Dolby Atmos for Headphones are very noticeably better, with smoother transitions between locations and a 'rounder' sound to the details than Windows Sonic for Headphones, but the latter sounds better for music as the bass is a bit overblown in Dolby Atmos for my tastes for musical playback.You will find links to many examples to listen to at my ' ' thread in the Music section here.Very interested to hear people's experiences and opinions over there on the Binaural materials!Terry.
That isn't how this works however. Dolby Atmos uses location information in the audio stream to place audio in a dome of sound and then processes that at playback time to come out of the right speakers or with the right HRTF for headphones. If you give it a binaural recording that is 2.0 with none of that information. So if you then play that back via Dolby atmos it is either going to do nothing with it or do something we don't full understand. The most obvious thing it can do is assume you had a 7.1.4 surround system around you and play the two channels of sound from the front left and right speakers as if they were 1m away.
But its binaural recording, that will cause a lot of crosstalk and other things that ought to ruin the effect.So I don't understand the feedback you are giving, it doesn't match with how the techology works. That isn't how this works however. Dolby Atmos uses location information in the audio stream to place audio in a dome of sound and then processes that at playback time to come out of the right speakers or with the right HRTF for headphones. If you give it a binaural recording that is 2.0 with none of that information.
So if you then play that back via Dolby atmos it is either going to do nothing with it or do something we don't full understand. The most obvious thing it can do is assume you had a 7.1.4 surround system around you and play the two channels of sound from the front left and right speakers as if they were 1m away. But its binaural recording, that will cause a lot of crosstalk and other things that ought to ruin the effect.So I don't understand the feedback you are giving, it doesn't match with how the techology works.
As I said in reply to immersifi at the thread, it seems to me that for Dolby Atmos, HRTF is the playing field and enhanced reproduction of HRTF is the Dolby Atmos for Headphones game. It seems to enhance the reproduction of the phase and absorption cues. Now, this is not necessarily all there is to its multi-speaker array reproduction (I'm certain not).
The API info I glanced at seems to describe how to synthesize HRTF positioning info in a panner, to add it where it did not exist before.I'm watching both of these threads, so please do continue the conversation in either one.I am entirely open to being proven that what I'm hearing are 'unintended effects' of the tool (though wonderful, to me!), but what I've found so far (in this rarefied atmosphere of info on this) is that Dolby Atmos for Headphones is enhancing HRTF repro.Terry.
![]()
Dolby Atmos for HeadphonesDolby Atmos has been the latest introduction in the audio world sometime back. However, Dolby Atmos for headphones has been recently introduced and marketed for the audio enthusiasts. Dolby Atmos is an audio format that is meant to take the surround sound to the next level.
It does that by giving you a 3D sound experience. It works to bring about a 360-degree sound similar to the one you get in a theatre to your mobile phone or living room.It is available in small devices like headphones, phones, and laptops. It is also available in soundbars, TVs, and game consoles. Dolby Atmos is a must-have feature in all audiophiles nowadays.With the help of atmos, content creators like broadcasters, cinematographers, and sound mixers are able to put some sounds accurately in a soundscape.
This way, you can be able to hear the sound of the action as it is. This means, with Atmos technology one can be able to reproduce the sound of something easily.For instance, you can realistically reproduce the sound of a flying bee accurately. Most interesting, you can be able to hear a sound that is produced overhead. Dolby Atmos works on the principle of deceiving the brain to feel like the scene is happening as you are listening.Dolby Atmos was founded in 2012 as an expansion of the prior 5.1 and 7.1 versions. It works under the principle that many speakers are put in a room such that they develop an all-around sound system. This technology was first tried in a theatre where 64 speakers were used.
The speakers are located all around you and above. The positioning of the speakers increases the dimension of the sound by creating a network of speakers. When the speakers are correctly positioned, the sound can be directed to a particular section of the room accurately.Before the discovery of Dolby Atmos, the sound was only constrained to a few channels. But with Dolby Atmos, sound can longer be limited to a specific channel only. In fact, it is now possible to know the origin of a specific sound and where it is moving to. The Atmos has the ability to interpret that sound and then replay it within 3D space.When Atmos interprets the sound and replay it, it makes it feel it starts right where you are sitting. For instance, it is possible to hear individual raindrops as they fall.
An individual sound that is not limited to one speaker is known as the audio object.Under Atmos, the sound is mixed with the old channel-based principle. This is the stationary sound which does not require to be placed in a specific location. The audio object is put at the top of the layer so as to produce a dynamic sound. This also allows the sound to scale across a number of formats. The best way to create a good sound is to use 64 speakers. However, even a setup with fewer speakers can equally produce a good sound experience using Dolby Atmos. In a nutshell, the sound system is not determined by the number of speakers but by the principle of an audio object.
Also, the sound produced is determined by its reproduction across different systems. Also read.How it worksAtmos technology uses a 9.1-bed channel (made up of stationary sounds e.g.
Background music), 128 tracks and 118 different sound of objects playing simultaneously. When all these are combined, they create a soundstage.The sound object used here can be any sound such as a moving car or a bouncing basketball. The sound should have a specific stationary position. Atmos allows the content creator to position these sounds in a specific position while at the same time creating other moving sounds. All these sounds are put in a 3D1 space.When the content creator has finished mixing the sounds, atmos has the ability to give theatre quality sound into your headphone.
However, you must have a Dolby Atmos compatible device like headphones or soundbars. The device you are using will bring the sound to the video or audio receiver.The atmos optimized technology has the ability to analyze the audio data. Depending on the position and numbers of speakers, atmos will determine the optimal playback in real time.
In other words, if an airplane flies over your house while watching a movie, you will hear an actual plane flying over your head. The higher the number of speakers you have and proper location, the better the sound quality and depth you will get. Where Dolby Atmos is UsedDolby Atmos is used in different setups.
The major areas where atmos technology is used include the following:. CinemaThe best place to experience the Dolby Atmos sound is in a cinema. An update cinema that uses atmos technology will give you an experience of a lifetime. There are not many cinemas that are using this technology so you can check the Dolby Atmos web for cinemas in your city that uses Atmos technology. In a theatre that uses the Atmos technology, it uses the recommended 64 speakers which make the sound effect superb. HomeAnother place where the Atmos technology can be used is at home. However, in a home setup, it is not possible to use the 64 speakers.
Therefore, there are other techniques that have been added to make the Atmos sound experience to homes.You can get a Dolby sound experience in your home without the 64 speakers. It is possible to produce the 128 audio-objects with lesser speakers. 7 speakers can be used in a home setup to produce the sound. But in some incidents, 34 speakers are used in home setups to produce the Atmos sound.To produce the Atmos sound in your living room, you will need a standard player. The recommended player that supports Atmos data is the Blu-ray player.
There are also other movie broadcasts that support the atmos data as well. You also need to have an AV receiver which will decode the Atmos sound. You will also need speakers. The normal home cinema speakers will do just well. Most of the home cinema speakers have the atmos receiver. However, other speakers can be used as well.In the Dolby Atmos setup, overhead speakers are required.
But you don’t have to put speakers on your ceiling in order to be able to get the sound. There are 2 options for this problem:One, there are Dolby atmos special speakers.
These speakers are designed in such a way as to integrate upward firing speakers with forward facing speakers. The upward-firing speakers re-bounce the sound from the ceiling. Thus they mimic overhead speakers. Also, you do not wish to buy new speakers, you can use your home cinema speakers. There is a module which can transform a normal speaker into an Atmos-enabled version. The transformed speaker will have the ability to throw the sound up. When you use the module, you place it on top of the old cinema speaker and it will work just like an upward facing speaker.The second way of creating an Atmos sound at home is by installing overhead speakers.
You can opt for this option when you want to use many speakers. In a home setup, you will need between 2 and 4 overhead speakers. 2 overhead speakers will produce a powerful sound experience while 4 speakers overhead will produce a maximum sense of precision and sound movement.However, if you want a less complicated atmos sound experience at home, there is another option. You can use atmos enabled soundbars. The soundbars have an integration of upward-facing speakers and traditional sound technology to give you an Atmos sound experience. There are several soundbar speakers that are atmos enabled.
The most common ones are and prototype. HeadphoneIt is possible to listen to atmos sound on a mobile. This is made possible by its adaptability. Therefore, atmos sound can be heard on the headphone, tablet or smartphone.On the mobile phone, atmos technology is made possible through a combination of surround sound technology and Dolby’s object-based audio technology. The combination of the two technologies has allowed headphones to produce atmos 3D sound.However, since this is a relatively new technology, not all phones have this sound effect. There are a few devices on the market today that are using the Atmos sound technology. The most common smartphones that support atmos sound are, (via Dolby:X), Lenovo A7000.
Most of the headphones nowadays are atmos sound enabled so you can enjoy the sound experience. According to Dolby, the headphone manufacturers have embedded atmos technology both to the hardware and software there the headphone do not need any hardware to produce the sound. Also read.Similar ProductsDolby is not the only company that is using atmos technology to produce the Atmos sound. There are other companies as well that are using the technology on the audio object action. Some of these companies include: (a) DTSThe DTS produced their first atmos sound in 2015.
DTS’s product was the DTS: X. However, this product was only at the beginning meant for home use only.
But it has ever since upgraded to the cinema type.DTS: X – works under the same principle as Dolby Atmos but differs in the setup of the speakers. Unlike the Dolby Atmos which uses 64 speakers for theatre Atmos sound and 34 for home use, the DTS: X uses 32 speakers for the home sound.
In addition to that, the 32 speaker setup works well with the home cinema speakers.This means that under the DTS: X setup, there will be more overhead speakers as compared to the Dolby setup. Therefore, the later will give a better atmos sound experience.
Besides that, many manufacturers prefer the DTS: X sound system and they are compatible with most AV receivers. (b) Auro 3DAnother company competing with Dolby is. It was first produced in 2006 and its sound produced is object based. They use a 3 layer format in sound production i.e.
Height, overhead and surround.The major difference between Dolby and Aurio 3D is its speaker layout. They add an extra layer of speakers hence increasing the height. Besides that, they also use only one speaker as the overhead speaker. Under, therefore, they create spatial sound.In addition to that, Auro’s speaker arrangement allows the designer to determine from which angle the sound will start and move to which direction. Their sound system can be used for home, headphones, and cinema. Pros. Dolby Atmos has been used in numerous movies to create atmos sound.
Some of the movies that have used it include, among others. Atmos has been used in virtual reality. This has helped recreate daily sounds to make the sounds we hear immersive. The atmos technology is compatible with most devices such as Samsung which turns a smartphone into a virtual reality viewer. It is supported by many manufacturers hence making the sound experience more exciting. It gives a realistic sound experience.
When you are watching a movie either at the theatre or at home with Atmos technology it makes the sounds you are hearing believable. It is simple to install. It does not require a lot of speakers to install a Dolby Atmos at home.Cons. It has optimal ceiling height requirement. In order to enjoy the Atmos sound effect fully at home, it requires high ceiling. Mostly it requires a ceiling height of 10 feet to install the overhead speakers.
Most homes do not have such heights. The Dolby Atmos headphones only support a limited number of Netflix. It does not support the ultra HD streaming subscription tier.
It needs to be upgraded. If you are using the normal home theatre speakers, you must upgrade to a. Not all speakers are atmos receivers hence you will need to buy new.
It is addictive. If you are using the Blu-ray with atmos now, better versions are yet to be produced. If you are currently using the Atmos sound system, you will want more of it. Once you get the sound experience, you will definitely want more of it.ConclusionDolby Atmos’ sound technology is awesome. In place of using the channel speakers, it instead directs the sound to one spot, 8-10 feet high.
This way, it adds height to the surround sound hence making it more realistic and smoother as the sound is passed from one end to another all around you.It gives you a fantastic 3D sound on an object-based audio. Moreover, the sound is hard panned to a specific channel. You can be able to transition the sound from one speaker to another hence creating a smooth sound experience. If you move the sound in slow motion between different speakers, it drops as it moves from one speaker to the next. For you to have a better transient sound response, you can increase the number of speakers and position them properly. In fact, if you place the speakers together in order to form an array of speakers, the sound will travel better and you will have better sound effects.The sound in the Dolby Atmos is produced when voices in the movie are mixed in a common channel. This means that what you hear is an object-based sound.
This places the object in a specific location depending on the number of speakers you are using.When you are using the headphones with Atmos technology, it takes the atmos content and creates a localized base. It works under the same principle as the atmos in the cinema or home sound system. Therefore, it allows the sound to be projected into 3D space hence giving you a better sound experience. This is what makes the headphones experience to real. For instance, you are playing a shooter game, you will know where the sound of the gunshot is coming from. This will enable you to estimate accurately the position of your enemy based not only on the gunshot but also on the footsteps.
If you can be able to predict your enemy’s position, you stand high chances of winning the game. Further, for other game types, it gives the gamers an immersive experience.
The experience of being surrounded by the sound and you are sure where every sound in the game is coming from.Dolby Atmos is compatible with most of the video games. Some of the video games that are supported by the Atmos technology include the following:.Overwatch was among the first games to support Dolby Atmos headphone use. Since then many other games have supported the idea.The latest Windows 10 allows the user to access Dolby access app where you can open your laptop’s sound settings and format the sound for your headphone audio.
This way you can set spatial sound effects and surround sound to give you a better sound experience. Dolby Atmos is a must have.The experience is worth it. It is a no-brainer, you need the Atmos technology. So ahead and immerse yourself in the indulging sound of the Atmos!Do your experiences with the Dolby Atmos and the related equipment that you have used, in the comment section belowAs always – Happy Listening!, Post navigation.
![]() Comments are closed.
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
March 2023
Categories |