Breakthroughs of the Dolby Atmos Music audio format

Online music streaming services are growing strong day by day with increasing users, beating other cumbersome forms of physical storage. However, whether the music format you listen to is lossy MP3 compression, CD, DVD-audio, or even lossless Hi-Res formats like FLAC and DSD, they are all mastered from the original stereo recording. That is why Dolby Atmos Music was developed and aimed to set a new standard for the future music industry.

Dolby Atmos Music is a music format recorded and produced with Dolby Atmos 3D technology. Dolby Atmos Music possesses many advantages over conventional stereo standards, providing listeners with a more “real” sound experience. The biggest difference of Dolby Atmos Music, compared to stereo, is that surround sound technology is available without any other add-on from the software. Dolby Atmos Music supports up to 128 channels with a 34-speaker setup for home theater systems, including those aimed at the ceiling.

When a recording is recorded in the Dolby Atmos Music format and played on a system that supports Atmos technology, listeners can perceive the tiniest details in the recording that are barely audible in the format of conventional stereo. The sounds of the instruments are also more clearly positioned and separated, creating a negative space that envelops the listener and gives the impression that an orchestra is playing in front of them.

As of December 2019, many songs and albums recorded with Dolby Atmos Music technology have been distributed by Amazon Music HD and Tidal HiFi. You will still need a device that supports Dolby Atmos technology, such as an Echo Studio speaker or Dolby Atmos-certified Android smartphones. Some of the music content being offered on Netflix is ​​also recorded using Dolby Atmos technology. Blu-Ray players and Blu-Ray discs are also capable of playing content recorded in the Dolby Atmos Music format.

Dolby Atmos Music format will have the best compatibility with headset models that support Binaural Audio technology that allows simulating a 360-degree soundstage around the listener’s head. The headphone-specific Dolby Atmos feature has also been included in Windows 10 and Xbox One to give gamers the best entertainment while playing action games. However, it should be noted that users will still need a device that supports Dolby Atmos technology.

Dolby is currently working with two major music companies, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group, to quickly expand the list of works supported with Dolby Atmos Music technology, promising to bring music lovers about 10,000 works products in 2020. The recorded works also come from famous names such as Bastille, The Beatles, Billie Eilish, Elton John, Lady Gaga, Luciano Pavarotti, Marvin Gaye or The Weeknd, and many more.

The first is competition from competitors, both large and small. The most typical is Sony’s 360 Reality Audio technology, which is now available on Deezer and Tidal streaming services, and will soon support Amazon Music HD and Nugs.net. Dolby Atmos will need to try harder to catch up with its established competitors, but we are very confident about this.

In movies and home entertainment, the biggest rival of Dolby Atmos is DTS with DTS:X technology. Users, however, will still need devices that support DTS:X technology to use it, similar to the current Dolby Atmos.