Inside the Studio - A Crash Course in Atmos

Dolby Atmos…are people really doing this? Yes, a lot of people are, so let’s take a look…

What’s the difference between 5.1 / 7.1 and Atmos?

5.1 and 7.1 are discrete systems. In 5.1 for example, you are surrounded by a Left, Center, Right, Left Surround and Right Surround. The .1 is the LFE (the sub). Every mix balance move you make takes a sound source from one speaker(s) to another. Translation has always been an issue due to the lack of consumer information. Twenty years ago, people would buy all-in-one 5.1 systems in a box. Some would take them home and actually put one speaker in each room of their house (yes, I actually saw this; no, it wasn’t me). To make matters worse, the education level of the people working the sales floor at the local big box store was non-existent. To them, it was simply surround sound. Most had no idea that SACD and DVD Audio were different formats. All of the above and more kept these formats from flourishing.