I finished a Dolby Atmos course last week. I got much more excited about spatial audio after the course than before. It sounds so much better than what I heard earlier on streaming platforms. My ears got so spoiled, that I don't want to go back to stereo now haha
The real mind blower is how our ear /brain combo manages to process sound all around us in the first place 🤔 the difference between the two mixes is amazing
@@ianwalker2258 what you can do in that case is look at our Dolby Atmos mastering service. Only costs £50 and turns your mixed stems into Dolby Atmos. This way you will received your mix in Dolby Atmos just like what you are hearing in this audio demo. Your mix balance doesn't change.
@@AudioAnimalsStudio That sounds good. I am taking a ridiculous amount of time fiddling with my current composition but will definitely take you up on that (hopefully soon!)
The difference I can hear is that synth lead has height and is sharper and delays come all around me in binaural mix. There is nothing wrong with regular stereo mix, but it sounds like it lacks a little high end, and reverb feels flat.
Love the binaural stereo mix! I have a question: can you make a binaural stereo master with only grouped stems (just as you do stem-mastering) or do you always require all the individual tracks? I already mixed my song by myself and now I want it to be a binaural master by you - how should I export files for you?
Yes but the more stems the more immersive and 3D we can make it. For instance a drum group can only go stereo on the front wall. But if we had each individual stem we can put kick centre, snare left right of the kick, hats wider, cymbals lifted off the ground and percussion pulled off the front wall more hard left and right. This results in a far wider stereo image with more depth and sense of space.
Question: Is it possible to reamp in a recording space using binaural microphones and a surround monitoring system for playback?? (Seems like a nice experimental sound project)
What you recommend monitoring with when making a binaural stereo mix? If you don't have an atmos setup, would you monitor on a pair of speakers or headphones?
They say monitor on headphones but you can use speakers. Binaural audio using the Dolby renderer sounds brilliant through speakers. Perfect translation from atmos to stereo.
What I found interesting was even through speakers, a good binaural mix sounds good. Yes its intended for headphones due to the addition phase influence speakers will have but they sound good still.
So, you still need all the atmos set up (software + speakers + renderer) but the only thing that changes is the final bounce, right? Is there a way to do this without the atmos set up? Could one use the integrated atmos that some DAWs have to achieve this without the need of a renderer and the speaker set up?
Yes you could use logic for instance to create a binaural mix. You will need to use headphones though and that will ultimately never be as good as a full speaker array in a perfect room calibrated using a trinnov. But it is possible all be it a lot of guesswork.
The overall musical sound of the 200hz up I like more, but the bass doesn't have the same feeling, maybe its possible to combine Atmos and regular stereo/mono
@@AudioAnimalsStudio Now just to figure out how to access Atmos mixing on windows. Edit: Seems like DaVinci Resolve is the solution, so to achieve a spatial mix, I am going to attempt to mix the song in my DAW (FL Studio 21) then export the stems. Import them into DaVinci Resolve mix the stems further with spatial audio then export that session out into the final mix which will then be brought back into my DAW for the master.
hi thanks for this good video , I love binaural but for a fair comparison the stereo mix should be equal in the frequencies to the binaural one. I guess the binaural renderer adds highs and mids in addition to the space/ early reflections because it treats the instruments like "coming from the front"...
When i saw this at first place i tried to do the mix in using "headphones only" mode in Dolby Atmos Renderer with protools, When i re-print the binaural monitored atmos mix to renderer an export it as a MP4 and ADM BWF the objectives are not sound immersively as on the mix and sometimes its only have the bed sounds not immersively placed/panned objectives. I'd love to know how do you bounce it as this, as we can all here the immersiveness.
Setup a Binaural Stereo re-render from the renderer back into your DAW to record in real-time. Or record a Dolby Atmos master in the renderer and export a Binaural Stereo mix from the ADM.
Hi Great videos, thanks. You mention mastering the binaural. When I try to do this my levels are low and the file size decreases. I am using Izotope Ozone 11 in Windows/Ableton 11. Am I expecting too much?
begs the questions whether both mixing and mastering in dolby atmos then converting to binaural stereo will produce a better result than just mixing in dolby atmos only, to mastering in stereo as normal to then convert it to a binural stereo file
Have you ever done an AD converter shoot out? There’s a lack of them on YT imo. I’d love to hear some A/B comparisons between the leading high end converters. What converters do you guys use?
We use MTRX for monitoring and Burl converters for mastering chain. I haven't done any loop back tests on converters but I know SX Pro are comparing loads very soon.
All we would need is the stereo mixed stems. So that playback of your mixed stems plays back exactly as the stereo mix does. We can then take these stems and position and mix them in a 3D space.
Is this a service you offer? I'm not great with mastering hardly understand the science but ideally would like my music to be mastered with that polish and would love to hear my music in atmos.
nice video! Thanks for doing it! A couple of questions... the stereo mix - was that rendered as a 2.0 from an ADM in the Dolby Atmos Renderer, or was mixed first in the traditional manner? I think that I understand your workflow as: 1. mix ian Atmos project, and generate an ADM. Then, render a 2.0 stereo file, and render a binaural file...but not sure. Also , are you actually mastering the binaural files post-render from the DAB? That's interesting - I've not heard of anyone doing that before!
The stereo mix doesn't leave the DAW and go into the renderer. The binaural mix is re-render from the renderer that includes all binaural information. The binaural re-render is then mastered through a stereo analogue mastering chain. Don't listen to anyone saying you have to use headphones. The key is to set the binaural settings up correctly for speaker playback in stereo. This will take some learning. A lot of engineers have tried and failed this method and will then say it doesn't work, but once you understand how to correctly set the binaural settings, you'll achieve something unachievable in the stereo domain.
@AustinSignal stereo mix doesn't sum into the renderer through the outputs to the renderer from the DAW. Instead sums to the DAWs master bus inside the DAW.
I'm truly sorry - not trying to be difficult. Truly trying understand your service! Trying to understand the process. The client sends you a stereo mix, or stems? Where does the ADM come from that generates the binaural file? Also - are you generating an ADM that is delivered to the streaming services?@@AudioAnimalsStudio
@@AustinSignal the client sends stems. The ADM is printed for playback on streaming services. The binaural re-render from the renderer is mastered in stereo for stereo playback.
The binaural render is created by mixing in protools and sending each individual output to the Dolby renderer. The audio is then rendered and returned back to protools as a binaural stereo render.
The average listener would hear the music the same way they hear every other song in that room but with a superior sound to if it was in stereo. The key to creating a binaural stereo mix is ensuring the translation is correct for all devices, much like you would a stereo mix.
My question is, I have problem with the mixes i got from the studio (however it is a pro studio), and I do not feel that kind of space that kind of life in the notes that I can hear in musics like Roger Waters's new albums, or an Alan Parsons one. Even if the engineers say the mixes are ok. Maybe it is because my mixes are in a standard stereo space? Can it be? Does the binaural "space" make the sounds more "individual" melting into the abstarc place? (sorry, i cannot describe it only by feelings)
The best way to perceive it, is think of what you are hearing with your music now being mono and then switching to stereo. You get a feeling of space and depth you otherwise couldn't hear in mono. This is a similar effect when comparing stereo to binural stereo. You get a sense that you are listening in stereo but the as soon as you switch to binaural stereo you can feel that sound is separated and has it's own space. You can pick each sound out and feel that it further away from you.
@@AudioAnimalsStudio Just one more question let me please. If you listen to for exemple Alan Parsons - Obstacles, or Roger Waters - to kill the child, they aren't simple stereos, right?
I'm going to be creating a lot more. It's good for people to understand the difference it can make and show people you don't need a huge Dolby atmos studio to benefit. You are listening now in stereo.
@@riktascale4 we hear the mix in a fully immersive 3d space. Which ultimately gives us the ability to create these fold downs correctly and accurately.
@@AudioAnimalsStudio yes l am aware of your studio. I was asking ftom the point of view of someone setting up his studio for atmos mixing. Very expensive additions.
@@riktascale4 yes it is very expensive to make the jump to building a Dolby atmos studio. That's why so many people are currently working with headphones as a budget workaround.
I have a plugin that does binaural panning but it turns every sound unto mono. If i have a stereo sample it turns it into a mono sound which i can then pan where ever i want. But i would like to keep stereo sample in stereo... i wish that didn't happen..
Don't ever use the Apple renderer it is shocking how inaccurate it is. Always use DAMS or the Dolby renderer. When you mix in Atmos you will mix into the Dolby Render. From there a binaural fold down can be printed as a re-render. This is then recorded as a stereo mix. Which can then be mastered in stereo.
@@AudioAnimalsStudio Hey man, what are you hearing with the differences between the Logic built in Atmos renderer and DAMS? Do you have an A/B? We just finished our build w/ Trinnov and Focusrite. I compose/produce/mix in Logic, been a ball, life changing really to create in Atmos. Haven't got to a point where I start my mixdown process from Atmos to binaural yet, that will be very soon. Looking forward to your thoughts on the matter!
@@ArchipelagoEnt seriously don't ever use Apple renderer to monitor playback for the purpose of creating a binaural stereo mix. It's so inaccurate and far from the truth of how the mix actually sounds. You'll notice that once you finish your mix in Dolby Atmos the fold down using DAMS is natural and sounds just like atmos but playing out of stereo. The fold down is perfect. Apple renderer though sounds different. You gain a low end bump and brighter highs. Parts phase and generally just sounds terrible. You'll come to this conclusion too. Good to quickly reference with but that's it.
This was really a massive difference in immersiveness! Thanks for the side by side comparison! In a similar vein, what about using Nuendo for for this binaural dolby process? Would that have similar effect as using Dolby … it seems to be touted as such. Thanks for your time!
I wish you played something with a heavy beat, heavy guitars, and vocals. In headphones, I've only been noticing an improvement in reverbs, delays, and synths in Atmos. The drums, wide guitars, and vocals always get smaller in Atmos. Not worth it. We have two ears. If you wan't that kind of binural spread, there are reverb, delay, and other effects that can sound surround-like for decades now.
If you are experiencing sound getting smaller in atmos, I'd question the mixing engineers ability. Could be that you are listening to mixes where these elements binaural metadata is set to off. The format is new to a lot of mix engineers. Some don't fully understand how to get the best benefits from binaural stereo and atmos.
Hi, as far as I know binaural only works on headphones. But I know that it’s possible to print a dolby atmos mix into a “normal”stereo file with all the dolby magic. Is it that you are showing? If so it’s really impressive, it even worked on my iPhone speakers.
No this isn't true. Binaural works with speakers as well. Which is why using any device to listen back to this audio you will hear the difference. Printing a Dolby atmos mix as normal stereo has zero Dolby atmos magic. It's normal stereo. What you are hearing in binaural stereo mixed in Dolby atmos vs normal stereo.
@@AudioAnimalsStudio thank you! I guess I really need to try it by myself. As mixing music in atmos is really new maybe you want to make a video to show us your approach as the “rules” of a classic stereo mix don’t really apply to a atmos mix. Have a nice day and thank you for your time!
@@jorginhojoao9808 Of course they do, mixing in Dolby Atmos and mixing in stereo are 95% the same. Which is why you can take stereo mixed stems and turn that mix into Atmos. The only major difference is panning instead of panning left and right you pan left right up down forward backward in out.
Could you elaborate more on the playback of a binaural mix on speakers. I’m also of the impression that a binaural mix must only be listened on headphones. I’m just getting into spatial audio and I’m trying to go the same direction as you guys to get my mixes more immersive. One of the main reason I’m going this route is to get that clarity from the mixing environment being able to place instruments in their own space, as opposed to mixing in stereo and coming up uniques ways to create space for all the instruments to be heard. I’ve been watching Michael G Wagner’s videos on mixing in Dolby Atmos and according to him, the binaural mix has embedded in the audio the way the mix should sound if we were listening on speakers. To me that means it has crosstalk from left and right speakers embedded in the file. So, if you listen to the binaural mix on speakers it will be doubling that crosstalk effect. This is where I need clarity before I dive too deep into spatial audio mixing. I really do like the advantages of mixing with Dolby Atmos though.
Actually one question I have to still find a answer to... mastering a binaural stereo mixdown... ??? is that a thing?... as a way of offering a stereo mix?
This is quite simple, when you mix audio in stereo mode, both left and right channels are in sync allowing you to represent only two sources of sound (one at left side other at right), when you do binaural mix, the mixing process will add slight delays between left and right channel according to the time it takes the sound to travel giving your brain real information about the position of the sound source in space, the downside is that this effect will work only with headphones as you need to isolate the mix for each ear to get realistic reconstruction of the original sound field
@@AudioAnimalsStudio what technology exists that ignores the laws of physics? You cannot place a binaural mix into stereo speakers without it phasing and be binaural. Give it a go and find out.
@jordanlmcgrath8815 what you are forgetting is when working in Dolby Atmos you have the ability to turn the binaural settings to off, near, mid or far. When you start working in the format you'll learn a lot more about understanding how to mix in binaural for stereo playback.
Not only delays but EQ adjustments and reflections. Spatial audio simulates the head transfer function. Sound coming from right side will be quieter, later and darker to the left ear than the right and vice versa. It’s all about how the head shape and sound direction affect what signal comes to each ear.
@@loki1895 unless its fake virtualisation no. There are consumer products that do these and thats where a lot of gimmick comes from. A normal 2.0 channel mix through atmos or headphones will just be stereo. An atmos mix through a binaural renderer (like in the video) sounds like surround by using complex algorithms that mimic phase and tone differences your ears hear in a real 3d space. Any games that have HRFT usually do this. Valorant is a good example the binaural rendering allows you to hear if footsteps are infront or behind you. There is also a mod for skyrim that does this that has decent results and then a bunch of games have atmos which when used with dolby access (or if you have headphones that have atmos decoding in them) gives you binaural sound based on that mix.
@@JimijaymesProductions Thanks for that long explanation. Normaly i just plug my Beyerdynamics into my TV Headphone in. On top of that i can use the Dolby Access App on Xbox Series X, but i need to use the Astros Mix Amp to make it work. And for me there's no way to tell if a game is already mixed in Dolby Atmos (it's rare i see a sound option for this) or if the Mix Amp + App already does the job, for any game.
Late to the party, but awesome video Paul. Kinda funny but also strange - you have clearly presented the evidence and yet some are in disbelief. I am excited to give this a go. Thanks for the advice.
What always makes me laugh is the engineers in disbeif saying it can't be done, I talk to a year later and they swear by it after learning how to do it correctly. There's a lot to learn and get wrong. Good to experiment find out what works and what doesn't
Good points…except binaural is simpler and more general head geometry time and frequency based mixing. You can do it as a special case in ATMOS, but that’s not what ATMOS ‘is’….(it’s an object based system that can render to headphones on up to huge speaker arrays. I know you know that…I’m just nitpicking your statement at the start about what binaural is.
A bit confusing with the terminology .. binaural should just be called binaural rather than binaural stereo. Then sometimes you say it's Atmos rendered to stereo (which would be to a 2.0 system rather than binaural). Not that it matters.. but I come across some confusion elsewhere too .
True binaural audio is simply experienced outside the head, like in real life, whereas stereo is perceived inside the head, while wearing headphones. Atmos I don't think is true binaural and uses algorithms that simulate the pinna with the sound arriving from different angles, from my understanding of binaural audio that I have been studying since 2013, I've yet to delve with Atmos, but prefer the analogue version myself.
and you listen to both options in stereo at the same volume and understand that this is prophonation / it would be better if they worked on analog consoles and delivered music at 96/192 Hz
As someone that swapped my SSL console for an Avid S4 I can tell you factually I can achieve a a far superior sound working with binaural stereo compared to my analogue summing console. Analogue console sounded flat and lifeless in comparison. Which is why I sold it.
@@AudioAnimalsStudio I think the whole problem = in the psyche and faith in the very head of a person / everyone who switched to digital from the console / hardware = it is their belief that it is no worse than the real analogue /// but my truth = DAW=96/192khz + SSLDuality console + print on Studer A810 + iron mastering (everything without plugins at all) // but this is my truth / and there is no need to argue here! / let everyone do as he wants according to his faith as he thinks better !!! all happiness in their world!!!
@Алексей Вискалов everyone said the same thing when switching from mono to stereo. Then from horse and cart to a car. Times change and so does the industry. It's time to embrace the benefits of Dolby Atmos. It's all about delivering our clients the best possible sound.
Good video…. BUT please stop calling it a Stereo Binaural mix! It is a Binaural mix. It is true that Binaural is a 2 channel format BUT it is not stereo. Try listening to your binaural mix on speakers! It sounds CRAP! Binaural mixes are designed to be listened to ONLY on headphones!
This is where so many engineers get it wrong. I won't tell you how to do it but believe me, you can print a stereo binaural mix that plays back on speakers correctly. There are quite a few engineers that have worked this out. It's an easy process once you get your head around it. I'd advise experimenting and looking into this. I hear these comments all the time and all it tells me is they haven't worked it out yet. Someone will do a tutorial on it one day. Till that time, engineers in the know and quite a few steps ahead.
It *is* stereo, because it has two audio signals only coming out of your computer. It's also *binaural* because those two signals were created by using digital binaural HRTF processing. A binaural signal is inherently stereo - it's emulating a 3D soundfield and encoding it into a Left and Right signal. Since this is using the processing specific to Atmos, I would call this a Binaural Atmos mix.
It sounds like your reverb and EQ are just not right in the stereo mix. Spatial audio does a lot of that fairly naturally using subtle EQ, delay, reverb etc to simulate the head transfer function. But its not to say the stereo mix can’t sound that natural. Just needs to be mixed differently. If it’s easier in spatial audio then I guess spatial audio wins because it’s easier not because it sounds better.
Difference is marginal for me - don‘t call this immersive as it does not justify this term. Nothing compares to a decent speaker setup. Nothing of this binaural stuff ever convinced me.
I finished a Dolby Atmos course last week. I got much more excited about spatial audio after the course than before. It sounds so much better than what I heard earlier on streaming platforms. My ears got so spoiled, that I don't want to go back to stereo now haha
If only everyone could do a Dolby Atmos course and understand how superior it is to stereo. Audio quality would increase overnight.
Is a course that can be found online?
@@pablitocarrion yes. I heard that EnginEars also have a certification program
where did u take your course?
The real mind blower is how our ear /brain combo manages to process sound all around us in the first place 🤔 the difference between the two mixes is amazing
What surprises me is since working in atmos every day, I've become more aware of the direction of sound in real life.
@@AudioAnimalsStudio I am starting to think about ATMOS when I am putting my song(s) together but my DAW (which I love) doesn't support it yet :-(
@@ianwalker2258 what you can do in that case is look at our Dolby Atmos mastering service. Only costs £50 and turns your mixed stems into Dolby Atmos. This way you will received your mix in Dolby Atmos just like what you are hearing in this audio demo. Your mix balance doesn't change.
@@AudioAnimalsStudio That sounds good. I am taking a ridiculous amount of time fiddling with my current composition but will definitely take you up on that (hopefully soon!)
Agreed this blew my mind!
This might be one of the most useful comparison videos I’ve ever come across 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
thats facts
The difference I can hear is that synth lead has height and is sharper and delays come all around me in binaural mix. There is nothing wrong with regular stereo mix, but it sounds like it lacks a little high end, and reverb feels flat.
Love the binaural stereo mix! I have a question: can you make a binaural stereo master with only grouped stems (just as you do stem-mastering) or do you always require all the individual tracks?
I already mixed my song by myself and now I want it to be a binaural master by you - how should I export files for you?
Yes but the more stems the more immersive and 3D we can make it. For instance a drum group can only go stereo on the front wall. But if we had each individual stem we can put kick centre, snare left right of the kick, hats wider, cymbals lifted off the ground and percussion pulled off the front wall more hard left and right. This results in a far wider stereo image with more depth and sense of space.
Do you bounce it with the binaural setting in the renderer, or just in 2.0?
Question: Is it possible to reamp in a recording space using binaural microphones and a surround monitoring system for playback?? (Seems like a nice experimental sound project)
What you recommend monitoring with when making a binaural stereo mix? If you don't have an atmos setup, would you monitor on a pair of speakers or headphones?
They say monitor on headphones but you can use speakers. Binaural audio using the Dolby renderer sounds brilliant through speakers. Perfect translation from atmos to stereo.
@@AudioAnimalsStudio Thank you!!
What I found interesting was even through speakers, a good binaural mix sounds good. Yes its intended for headphones due to the addition phase influence speakers will have but they sound good still.
So just for clarification, is this a byproduct just because of panning decisions that were made while monitoring in atmos/binaural ?
This is why Serban Ghenea’s mixes sound so wide and lush and spacious. Thanks for the great comparison
So, you still need all the atmos set up (software + speakers + renderer) but the only thing that changes is the final bounce, right? Is there a way to do this without the atmos set up? Could one use the integrated atmos that some DAWs have to achieve this without the need of a renderer and the speaker set up?
Yes you could use logic for instance to create a binaural mix. You will need to use headphones though and that will ultimately never be as good as a full speaker array in a perfect room calibrated using a trinnov. But it is possible all be it a lot of guesswork.
hi, can we playback Binaural Stereo Mix file outside DAW? Thanks
@@mhstoregameon yes you play binaural audio on any stereo device
@@AudioAnimalsStudio but we have to use headphones so we can hear the full effect of binaural audio?
@mhstoregameon you can use headphones to gain full perspective of it. But in the way I work it can be heard over stereo speakers also.
@@AudioAnimalsStudio many thanks
WOW!! What a difference and thanks for this super great explanation of this difference.
The overall musical sound of the 200hz up I like more, but the bass doesn't have the same feeling, maybe its possible to combine Atmos and regular stereo/mono
Yes, any sound in the centre or positioned on the front wall will have the binaural metadata off. This combines both binaural and stereo.
@@AudioAnimalsStudio Now just to figure out how to access Atmos mixing on windows.
Edit: Seems like DaVinci Resolve is the solution, so to achieve a spatial mix, I am going to attempt to mix the song in my DAW (FL Studio 21) then export the stems. Import them into DaVinci Resolve mix the stems further with spatial audio then export that session out into the final mix which will then be brought back into my DAW for the master.
hi thanks for this good video , I love binaural but for a fair comparison the stereo mix should be equal in the frequencies to the binaural one. I guess the binaural renderer adds highs and mids in addition to the space/ early reflections because it treats the instruments like "coming from the front"...
Can the binaural stereo mix be exported as a standard WAV and MP3 file like the stereo mix can?
Yes. It is a stereo mix exactly the same as a stereo any other stereo mix. Just has a lot more detail and separation.
When i saw this at first place i tried to do the mix in using "headphones only" mode in Dolby Atmos Renderer with protools, When i re-print the binaural monitored atmos mix to renderer an export it as a MP4 and ADM BWF the objectives are not sound immersively as on the mix and sometimes its only have the bed sounds not immersively placed/panned objectives. I'd love to know how do you bounce it as this, as we can all here the immersiveness.
Setup a Binaural Stereo re-render from the renderer back into your DAW to record in real-time. Or record a Dolby Atmos master in the renderer and export a Binaural Stereo mix from the ADM.
@@AudioAnimalsStudio thank you so much i will try
hello, what render do you use when exporting into stereo? Please make a tutorial :/
Dolby Atmos renderer version 5 currently
Hi
Great videos, thanks.
You mention mastering the binaural. When I try to do this my levels are low and the file size decreases.
I am using Izotope Ozone 11 in Windows/Ableton 11.
Am I expecting too much?
You can master the binaural mix in exactly the same way you a standard stereo mix
begs the questions whether both mixing and mastering in dolby atmos then converting to binaural stereo will produce a better result than just mixing in dolby atmos only, to mastering in stereo as normal to then convert it to a binural stereo file
Both are technically exactly the same thing. The master bus in Dolby Atmos is very different to the master bus in stereo.
Missed this video.. needed to hear this... it answered my biggest question with Atmos mixing
Have you ever done an AD converter shoot out? There’s a lack of them on YT imo.
I’d love to hear some A/B comparisons between the leading high end converters.
What converters do you guys use?
We use MTRX for monitoring and Burl converters for mastering chain.
I haven't done any loop back tests on converters but I know SX Pro are comparing loads very soon.
@@AudioAnimalsStudio Good to know, thank you!
Work mixing in binaural put ib a record zoom ? Wav 24/96ghz conserve the binaural feel?
Work mixing in logic binaural and send de L & R stereo in to a zoom recorder
Thanks so much for this demonstration!
Have you messed with THX Spatial Audio? It's a bit more approachable as far as cost is concerned (my DAW is on PC). Any thoughts on how they compare?
So what’s the optimal inout (format, structure) that a client can provide to make this possible?
All we would need is the stereo mixed stems. So that playback of your mixed stems plays back exactly as the stereo mix does. We can then take these stems and position and mix them in a 3D space.
Is this a service you offer? I'm not great with mastering hardly understand the science but ideally would like my music to be mastered with that polish and would love to hear my music in atmos.
Yes. All mixing services we offer benefit
nice video! Thanks for doing it! A couple of questions... the stereo mix - was that rendered as a 2.0 from an ADM in the Dolby Atmos Renderer, or was mixed first in the traditional manner? I think that I understand your workflow as: 1. mix ian Atmos project, and generate an ADM. Then, render a 2.0 stereo file, and render a binaural file...but not sure. Also , are you actually mastering the binaural files post-render from the DAB? That's interesting - I've not heard of anyone doing that before!
The stereo mix doesn't leave the DAW and go into the renderer. The binaural mix is re-render from the renderer that includes all binaural information. The binaural re-render is then mastered through a stereo analogue mastering chain. Don't listen to anyone saying you have to use headphones. The key is to set the binaural settings up correctly for speaker playback in stereo. This will take some learning. A lot of engineers have tried and failed this method and will then say it doesn't work, but once you understand how to correctly set the binaural settings, you'll achieve something unachievable in the stereo domain.
@@AudioAnimalsStudio ok I’m lost- not sure what you mean when you say the stereo mix doesn’t leave the daw and go into the renderer…?
@AustinSignal stereo mix doesn't sum into the renderer through the outputs to the renderer from the DAW. Instead sums to the DAWs master bus inside the DAW.
I'm truly sorry - not trying to be difficult. Truly trying understand your service! Trying to understand the process. The client sends you a stereo mix, or stems? Where does the ADM come from that generates the binaural file? Also - are you generating an ADM that is delivered to the streaming services?@@AudioAnimalsStudio
@@AustinSignal the client sends stems. The ADM is printed for playback on streaming services. The binaural re-render from the renderer is mastered in stereo for stereo playback.
Hey there, how did you mixdown that Binaural render? Did you use the renderer for that or ProTools? Thanks in advance!
The binaural render is created by mixing in protools and sending each individual output to the Dolby renderer. The audio is then rendered and returned back to protools as a binaural stereo render.
@@AudioAnimalsStudio thanks!
How do you bounce binaural stereo in logic?
Listening on headphones the Binural one is definitely a winner but what about for the average listener in an untreated room?
The average listener would hear the music the same way they hear every other song in that room but with a superior sound to if it was in stereo. The key to creating a binaural stereo mix is ensuring the translation is correct for all devices, much like you would a stereo mix.
My question is, I have problem with the mixes i got from the studio (however it is a pro studio), and I do not feel that kind of space that kind of life in the notes that I can hear in musics like Roger Waters's new albums, or an Alan Parsons one. Even if the engineers say the mixes are ok.
Maybe it is because my mixes are in a standard stereo space? Can it be? Does the binaural "space" make the sounds more "individual" melting into the abstarc place? (sorry, i cannot describe it only by feelings)
The best way to perceive it, is think of what you are hearing with your music now being mono and then switching to stereo. You get a feeling of space and depth you otherwise couldn't hear in mono. This is a similar effect when comparing stereo to binural stereo. You get a sense that you are listening in stereo but the as soon as you switch to binaural stereo you can feel that sound is separated and has it's own space. You can pick each sound out and feel that it further away from you.
@@AudioAnimalsStudio Thank you for your answer. I will try it.
@@AudioAnimalsStudio Just one more question let me please.
If you listen to for exemple Alan Parsons - Obstacles, or Roger Waters - to kill the child, they aren't simple stereos, right?
Finally a good audio example showing the difference between a stereo and dolby atmos mix.
I'm going to be creating a lot more. It's good for people to understand the difference it can make and show people you don't need a huge Dolby atmos studio to benefit. You are listening now in stereo.
@@AudioAnimalsStudio that is for listening but what about for mixing ....you do, don't you???
@@riktascale4 we hear the mix in a fully immersive 3d space. Which ultimately gives us the ability to create these fold downs correctly and accurately.
@@AudioAnimalsStudio yes l am aware of your studio. I was asking ftom the point of view of someone setting up his studio for atmos mixing. Very expensive additions.
@@riktascale4 yes it is very expensive to make the jump to building a Dolby atmos studio. That's why so many people are currently working with headphones as a budget workaround.
do you use the steve genewick atmos mixing method
No. Every mixing method we use was developed by us
I have a plugin that does binaural panning but it turns every sound unto mono. If i have a stereo sample it turns it into a mono sound which i can then pan where ever i want.
But i would like to keep stereo sample in stereo... i wish that didn't happen..
Hey! How are you? Can you do a video that you show how do you turn these stereo into binaural stereo music?
Yes on my list of videos to do
I did not quite get it: Do you bounce the atmos mix thru the monitoring format "apple renderer" or "2.0" (in Logic)?
Don't ever use the Apple renderer it is shocking how inaccurate it is. Always use DAMS or the Dolby renderer. When you mix in Atmos you will mix into the Dolby Render. From there a binaural fold down can be printed as a re-render. This is then recorded as a stereo mix. Which can then be mastered in stereo.
@@AudioAnimalsStudio Hey man, what are you hearing with the differences between the Logic built in Atmos renderer and DAMS? Do you have an A/B? We just finished our build w/ Trinnov and Focusrite. I compose/produce/mix in Logic, been a ball, life changing really to create in Atmos. Haven't got to a point where I start my mixdown process from Atmos to binaural yet, that will be very soon. Looking forward to your thoughts on the matter!
@@ArchipelagoEnt seriously don't ever use Apple renderer to monitor playback for the purpose of creating a binaural stereo mix. It's so inaccurate and far from the truth of how the mix actually sounds. You'll notice that once you finish your mix in Dolby Atmos the fold down using DAMS is natural and sounds just like atmos but playing out of stereo. The fold down is perfect. Apple renderer though sounds different. You gain a low end bump and brighter highs. Parts phase and generally just sounds terrible. You'll come to this conclusion too. Good to quickly reference with but that's it.
This was really a massive difference in immersiveness! Thanks for the side by side comparison!
In a similar vein, what about using Nuendo for for this binaural dolby process? Would that have similar effect as using Dolby … it seems to be touted as such. Thanks for your time!
What do you think of the distressor and fatso to buy as hardware units? Worth the money?
Distressors are good, I'm not too keen myself on the fatso though.
I wish you played something with a heavy beat, heavy guitars, and vocals. In headphones, I've only been noticing an improvement in reverbs, delays, and synths in Atmos. The drums, wide guitars, and vocals always get smaller in Atmos. Not worth it. We have two ears. If you wan't that kind of binural spread, there are reverb, delay, and other effects that can sound surround-like for decades now.
If you are experiencing sound getting smaller in atmos, I'd question the mixing engineers ability. Could be that you are listening to mixes where these elements binaural metadata is set to off. The format is new to a lot of mix engineers. Some don't fully understand how to get the best benefits from binaural stereo and atmos.
Hi, as far as I know binaural only works on headphones. But I know that it’s possible to print a dolby atmos mix into a “normal”stereo file with all the dolby magic. Is it that you are showing? If so it’s really impressive, it even worked on my iPhone speakers.
No this isn't true. Binaural works with speakers as well. Which is why using any device to listen back to this audio you will hear the difference. Printing a Dolby atmos mix as normal stereo has zero Dolby atmos magic. It's normal stereo. What you are hearing in binaural stereo mixed in Dolby atmos vs normal stereo.
@@AudioAnimalsStudio thank you! I guess I really need to try it by myself. As mixing music in atmos is really new maybe you want to make a video to show us your approach as the “rules” of a classic stereo mix don’t really apply to a atmos mix.
Have a nice day and thank you for your time!
@@jorginhojoao9808 Of course they do, mixing in Dolby Atmos and mixing in stereo are 95% the same. Which is why you can take stereo mixed stems and turn that mix into Atmos. The only major difference is panning instead of panning left and right you pan left right up down forward backward in out.
The difference was night and day on just iPhone speakers!
Could you elaborate more on the playback of a binaural mix on speakers. I’m also of the impression that a binaural mix must only be listened on headphones. I’m just getting into spatial audio and I’m trying to go the same direction as you guys to get my mixes more immersive. One of the main reason I’m going this route is to get that clarity from the mixing environment being able to place instruments in their own space, as opposed to mixing in stereo and coming up uniques ways to create space for all the instruments to be heard. I’ve been watching Michael G Wagner’s videos on mixing in Dolby Atmos and according to him, the binaural mix has embedded in the audio the way the mix should sound if we were listening on speakers. To me that means it has crosstalk from left and right speakers embedded in the file. So, if you listen to the binaural mix on speakers it will be doubling that crosstalk effect. This is where I need clarity before I dive too deep into spatial audio mixing. I really do like the advantages of mixing with Dolby Atmos though.
Actually one question I have to still find a answer to... mastering a binaural stereo mixdown... ??? is that a thing?... as a way of offering a stereo mix?
Yes, we offer binaural stereo mastering for our clients. The end result is far superior to standard stereo mastering. I'll do a video on this soon.
Eye opening
This is quite simple, when you mix audio in stereo mode, both left and right channels are in sync allowing you to represent only two sources of sound (one at left side other at right), when you do binaural mix, the mixing process will add slight delays between left and right channel according to the time it takes the sound to travel giving your brain real information about the position of the sound source in space, the downside is that this effect will work only with headphones as you need to isolate the mix for each ear to get realistic reconstruction of the original sound field
10 years ago yes, but we have advanced in the past 10 years
Someone earned their degree very well put.
@@AudioAnimalsStudio what technology exists that ignores the laws of physics? You cannot place a binaural mix into stereo speakers without it phasing and be binaural. Give it a go and find out.
@jordanlmcgrath8815 what you are forgetting is when working in Dolby Atmos you have the ability to turn the binaural settings to off, near, mid or far. When you start working in the format you'll learn a lot more about understanding how to mix in binaural for stereo playback.
Not only delays but EQ adjustments and reflections. Spatial audio simulates the head transfer function. Sound coming from right side will be quieter, later and darker to the left ear than the right and vice versa. It’s all about how the head shape and sound direction affect what signal comes to each ear.
So if i use Dolby Atmos with stereo headphones, this would be binaural stereo?
@@Djdj-zb3cv Even if the source isn't mixed in Dolby Atmos?
@@Djdj-zb3cv My question was more like: If i put a device in Dolby Atmos mode, but the source is in stereo...
@@Djdj-zb3cv Well, for me it sounds like Dolby Digital somehow. Still need to play a game which truely offers Dolby Atmos.
@@loki1895 unless its fake virtualisation no. There are consumer products that do these and thats where a lot of gimmick comes from. A normal 2.0 channel mix through atmos or headphones will just be stereo. An atmos mix through a binaural renderer (like in the video) sounds like surround by using complex algorithms that mimic phase and tone differences your ears hear in a real 3d space. Any games that have HRFT usually do this. Valorant is a good example the binaural rendering allows you to hear if footsteps are infront or behind you. There is also a mod for skyrim that does this that has decent results and then a bunch of games have atmos which when used with dolby access (or if you have headphones that have atmos decoding in them) gives you binaural sound based on that mix.
@@JimijaymesProductions Thanks for that long explanation.
Normaly i just plug my Beyerdynamics into my TV Headphone in. On top of that i can use the Dolby Access App on Xbox Series X, but i need to use the Astros Mix Amp to make it work. And for me there's no way to tell if a game is already mixed in Dolby Atmos (it's rare i see a sound option for this) or if the Mix Amp + App already does the job, for any game.
Late to the party, but awesome video Paul.
Kinda funny but also strange - you have clearly presented the evidence and yet some are in disbelief.
I am excited to give this a go. Thanks for the advice.
What always makes me laugh is the engineers in disbeif saying it can't be done, I talk to a year later and they swear by it after learning how to do it correctly. There's a lot to learn and get wrong. Good to experiment find out what works and what doesn't
Good points…except binaural is simpler and more general head geometry time and frequency based mixing. You can do it as a special case in ATMOS, but that’s not what ATMOS ‘is’….(it’s an object based system that can render to headphones on up to huge speaker arrays.
I know you know that…I’m just nitpicking your statement at the start about what binaural is.
But ac4 ims it does, right?
Binaural is almost "stereo widening". I use audirvana with shaperbox widening effect on headphones 👍
A bit confusing with the terminology .. binaural should just be called binaural rather than binaural stereo. Then sometimes you say it's Atmos rendered to stereo (which would be to a 2.0 system rather than binaural). Not that it matters.. but I come across some confusion elsewhere too .
1:17 hahaha, I love.. Yeah! Too many thing or concept we use, where we don't know how it work...
True binaural audio is simply experienced outside the head, like in real life, whereas stereo is perceived inside the head, while wearing headphones.
Atmos I don't think is true binaural and uses algorithms that simulate the pinna with the sound arriving from different angles, from my understanding of binaural audio that I have been studying since 2013, I've yet to delve with Atmos, but prefer the analogue version myself.
Serious laddering vs just clean and defined stereo.
and you listen to both options in stereo at the same volume and understand that this is prophonation / it would be better if they worked on analog consoles and delivered music at 96/192 Hz
As someone that swapped my SSL console for an Avid S4 I can tell you factually I can achieve a a far superior sound working with binaural stereo compared to my analogue summing console. Analogue console sounded flat and lifeless in comparison. Which is why I sold it.
@@AudioAnimalsStudio To each = his own happiness !!! The main thing is the music!!!
@@АлексейВискалов-и6х first hand user experience and testing is key in these conversations.
@@AudioAnimalsStudio I think the whole problem = in the psyche and faith in the very head of a person / everyone who switched to digital from the console / hardware = it is their belief that it is no worse than the real analogue /// but my truth = DAW=96/192khz + SSLDuality console + print on Studer A810 + iron mastering (everything without plugins at all) // but this is my truth / and there is no need to argue here! / let everyone do as he wants according to his faith as he thinks better !!! all happiness in their world!!!
@Алексей Вискалов everyone said the same thing when switching from mono to stereo. Then from horse and cart to a car. Times change and so does the industry. It's time to embrace the benefits of Dolby Atmos. It's all about delivering our clients the best possible sound.
Good video…. BUT please stop calling it a Stereo Binaural mix! It is a Binaural mix. It is true that Binaural is a 2 channel format BUT it is not stereo. Try listening to your binaural mix on speakers! It sounds CRAP! Binaural mixes are designed to be listened to ONLY on headphones!
This is where so many engineers get it wrong. I won't tell you how to do it but believe me, you can print a stereo binaural mix that plays back on speakers correctly. There are quite a few engineers that have worked this out. It's an easy process once you get your head around it. I'd advise experimenting and looking into this. I hear these comments all the time and all it tells me is they haven't worked it out yet. Someone will do a tutorial on it one day. Till that time, engineers in the know and quite a few steps ahead.
@@AudioAnimalsStudioYou can Do that with a Dolby Atmos Av Receiver
It *is* stereo, because it has two audio signals only coming out of your computer. It's also *binaural* because those two signals were created by using digital binaural HRTF processing. A binaural signal is inherently stereo - it's emulating a 3D soundfield and encoding it into a Left and Right signal. Since this is using the processing specific to Atmos, I would call this a Binaural Atmos mix.
There are things that I prefer on stereo mix and things that I prefer on binaural.
Me too. Which is why it is great that you can choose in the binaural settings to turn certain sounds to binaural off.
I heard very little difference, I have to be told I'm supposed to hear something different.
Your phone might be outputting to your headphones in mono. Check that.
YOU SAVED THE WORLD IN 2022
It sounds like your reverb and EQ are just not right in the stereo mix. Spatial audio does a lot of that fairly naturally using subtle EQ, delay, reverb etc to simulate the head transfer function. But its not to say the stereo mix can’t sound that natural. Just needs to be mixed differently. If it’s easier in spatial audio then I guess spatial audio wins because it’s easier not because it sounds better.
You should use this as an advertisement, really
It is part of our advertising campaign on Facebook and Instagram. It really highlights the benefits of binaural stereo
Senua brought me here...
I shazammed this track 5 times and got 5 different results, all wrong...
Stereophonic and binaural are completely separate systems. Should not be confused with each other.
Throw in confusing both with Atmos
Difference is marginal for me - don‘t call this immersive as it does not justify this term. Nothing compares to a decent speaker setup. Nothing of this binaural stuff ever convinced me.