Compromising in a Dolby Atmos Studio Setup

Dolby Atmos Mixer Dave Stagl talk about where you can compromise in setting up your studio for mixing Dolby Atmos music.
◎ MIXING & MASTERING in Dolby Atmos & Stereo: www.staglsound.com
◎ Training & Consulting: www.goingto11.com
◎ 5 Tips for a Great Dolby Atmos Release: tinyurl.com/y76pdt2u
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00:00 - Start
00:49 - Disclaimer
01:18 - Speaker Quantity
02:20 - What Speakers Should You Use?
03:17 - Speaker Calibration
04:03 - Time Alignment is Imperative
04:16 - Speaker Layout Size
05:15 - Speaker Angle is Very Important
05:33 - Why Layout Size Doesn't Matter
06:13 - Why Dolby has a Layout Size Recommendation
08:03 - My Concern with Larger Mixing Spaces
09:18 - Where Larger Layouts Have an Advantage
11:33 - Why a Smaller Layout is a Win
12:46 - Wrap-Up

[@inforobob]

Good commentary from someone who practices what he preaches.

[@nemerid]

I've got a 7.1.4 atmos mixing room in a quite small setup. I'm not in the dolby recommendations and I've never listened to another atmos room, so I can"t compare. However, I feel it is working. Maybe I can feel a little lack of height, but I clearly hear when the sound is above, so for me it is working. I do time alignement, I have a Trinnov that help me a lot. At the beginning, I was desperate by dolby's recommendations and I believed I need to be in to have an agreement. Finally, I say it is working and I can listen to atmos mixes and also mixing in atmos...

[@massimilianonevi4070]

Hi, I also have a configuration outside the Dolby recommendations in a room of about 18 m2 very well treated acoustically, 7.1.4 system all pressonus. I use soundid to correct equalization and tempo and the result is amazing, I have listened to many of my mixes both in Dolby certified mix rooms and in cinemas and everything comes back... in fact, it sounds better. Thanks for your videos Dave, always interesting and inspiring.🙂

[@alex_ayers]

This is the best video for anyone getting started with Dolby Atmos Home Studio. One thing I would add that is harder than anything with a small studio is getting the best low end. I wish I would have went with smaller subs with my Kali setup due to my room size, but wanting to future proof my studio was the primary goal at the time.
Great video Dave.

[@goingto11]

Thanks, Alex! I agree, low end is really hard in a smaller room. But that's also why I did two subs which seems counterintuitive.

[@noelcrowder3708]

The first several months after I set up my 7.1.4 speakers I tweaked the time alignment and now after about 8 months I feel I’m satisfied with it . I believe the speakers should be the same , and if not , the tweeters must be the same . I bought all of my Sterling Audio ( 11 of them ) new on clearance for $800 .

[@noelcrowder3708]

AND deadening the walls makes a BIG difference. You don’t want to have reflections with all those speakers firing in different directions and muddying up the sound field. I agree with you regarding big rooms but when you get someone in the sweet spot it is a better experience

[@inforobob]

I understand, but the consumer will probably not have a treated room. So we should test the mix in a consumer enviromet?

[@paulovmendes]

I don´t have room for a 7.1.4, so I´ll be upgrading my room from 5.1 to 5.1.4 only. I think it can be done, even if out of the spec. I see a lot of people working with 9.1.6 or 9.1.4 object beds inside the DAW and having it live re-rendered to 7.1.4 because they lack the physical extra speakers, so...
I also think that the whole Dolby Atmos for cars at the moment is just hype and business. If we think about it, is pure speaker dispersion, nobody is at the sweet spot anyway. Same goes with people´s homes, 99.9 percent of listeners do not have a 7.1.4, let alone a 9.1.4. At studio level is good to have as much resolution as one can, but you can do good mixes in smaller setups too, IMHO. For me, what´s important to listen on speakers is tone and mix balance, the panning is important, but at that level, I pay more attention to the binaural mix because that´s how the mix is going to be heard and this is the hard reality. There are studios checking mixes also on soundbars and stereo smart speakers, because they know that on par with headphones, that´s the real listening environment of the intended listeners. So, I think it´s possible to work and reference mixes on a 5.1.4 re-rendered monitor mix out of a typical 7.1.4 object bed or bed/object combo. Is just that I won´t be listening to the back surrounds as they will be played by the sides, which by the way are at a recommended ITU 5.1 layout. If it sounds good there and good on the binaural I guess it will be OK. Is it ideal? No, but I guess is workable.
Any one with a smaller setup like this?
PS-Dave, is your Focal setup bass managed or is your sub only doing LFe? My room is 3.5 by 3.0 meters and although I have bass management on my setup (because the speakers are smaller size), I can´t have too much of bass level, as the room dimension can´t cope. But it´s well balanced. I´m thinking that if I upgrade my room horizontal plane speakers to larger cabinets that can go around 37-40 hertz, I will ditch bass management.

[@noelcrowder3708]

A smaller room sounds closer to the binaural mix

[@noelcrowder3708]

The VAST majority of people will only hear Atmos mixes in earbuds

[@roberteismann1929]

Most people listen to music on their phone speakers. I know atmos is fun and essential for movies but completely pointless for most music, unless it's for your own entertainment. That may all change when everyone uses a atmos helmet to listen to music but until then?