Dolby Atmos is an immersive, object-based sound format that allows you to place sonic elements of your linear game content in three-dimensional space.   With Dolby Atmos in games the player can be engaged as never before.

Dolby Atmos for games can be created in two different ways, and each approach uses substantially different tools.  In-game Dolby Atmos is driven by the game engine and/or middleware utilized and encoded in realtime for players listening on headphones or speakers depending on the platform. However, Dolby Atmos can also be used for linear content within games.   For linear Dolby Atmos content in games the immersive content creation uses the same tools used for Dolby Atmos for post and music.  The difference is that the deliverable for the game engine or audio middleware is pre-rendered to 7.1.4 and delivered as individual .wav files.  These tools are covered in detail on this site. For more information about developing in-game Dolby Atmos go to games.dolby.com


For those creating linear content for Dolby Atmos games some of the concepts may be new.  But it is not difficult to adapt your existing workflow to Dolby Atmos.  

The information on Dolby Atmos on professionalsupport.dolby.com was initially written for those creating Dolby Atmos content in post for picture and Dolby Atmos music.    Linear content for Dolby Atmos Games straddles both worlds.  While you may not find specific references to Dolby Atmos Games in our knowledge base, online curriculum, and user forums, rest assured the principles are certainly applicable linear content creation for Dolby Atmos games.
 

What’s needed to get started with Dolby Atmos mixing?

 
There are three key parts to a Dolby Atmos mixing system

• A compatible Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). You may be able to use your existing DAW but additional components may be needed.

• The Dolby Atmos Renderer
• A compatible monitoring system

 

 

Compatible Digital Audio Workstations

For a DAW to be suitable for mixing linear Dolby Atmos for games, it needs to either natively integrate, or be able to connect to a Dolby Atmos Renderer as well as support 3D object panning.  Some DAWs include native immersive panners.  For DAWS that do neither, the Dolby Atmos Music Panner provides a way to connect other Mac based DAWs to a the Dolby Atmos Renderer.   Despite the name, the Dolby Atmos Music Panner is suitable for non-Music applications.

This a list of compatible DAWs that have been tested by Dolby either due to their integration of native rendering or as part of our development of the Dolby Atmos Renderer and/or Dolby Atmos Music Panner.  Other Mac based DAWS not included on the following list can work but haven’t been fully tested.

 

	Integrated Panning	Dolby Atmos Music Panner (macOS only)	Native renderer
Ableton Live	No	Yes	No
Apple Logic Pro	Yes	Yes	Yes
Avid Pro Tools Ultimate***	Yes	Yes	No
Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve Studio*	Yes	Yes	Yes
Merging Technologies Pyramix Premium**	Yes	No	No
Steinberg Nuendo*	Yes	Yes	Yes
Steinberg Cubase****	Yes	No	Yes

*Mac and PC support with native rendering as well as the option to connect to the Dolby Atmos Renderer (PC support for connecting to the Dolby Atmos Renderer running on an external workstation)
**PC support only
*** Mac and PC support for ADM BWF import/export
**** Mac and PC support for native Rendering and ADM BWF export

For more information on mixing Dolby Atmos with specific DAWs see Working with DAWs
 

Dolby Atmos Quick Start Video Series

We’ve put together a short series of videos featuring a few of the compatible DAWs to help you get up and running using your DAW with the Dolby Atmos Renderer.  Again the title for these videos refer to Dolby Atmos music but are equally applicable to creating linear Dolby Atmos content in games[VA1] .  To view this video series, select your DAW below:
 

• Avid Pro Tools Ultimate
• Apple Logic Pro
• Ableton Live

Dolby Atmos Renderer

The Dolby Atmos Renderer is software that allows you to monitor your Dolby Atmos mix and create the 7.1.4 re-render which you need for delivery.

There are several Dolby Atmos Renderer solutions to choose from.
 

• Dolby Atmos Renderer: macOS and PC software available from the Avid Marketplace for $299 (local pricing may vary).   A 90-day free trial is avaiable from the Dolby Customer site.  

• Native rendering built-in to DAWs: Some DAWs including the latest versions of Apple Logic Pro, Steinberg Nuendo and Blackmagic Resolve have the Dolby Atmos Renderer built-in and require no additional software to create Dolby Atmos content.

Monitoring systems and speakers

Linear Dolby Atmos content for can be played back on both speakers and via a binaural renderer to headphones so it is a good idea to mix on both.   We recommend that at some point during your mixing process you monitor on a speaker system as it has been demonstrated that certain critical mix decisions are best made on speakers.
 
There are a range of speaker configurations that can be used for mixing linear Dolby Atmos Content for games. While generally the more speakers you have the better, even the minimum speaker configuration will be able to accurately represent your Dolby Atmos Mix.  Factors determining the appropriate setup are usually defined by the room size and available budget.

For smaller rooms you can get started producing linear Dolby Atmos content for games with a 5.1.4 speaker layout – where 5.1.4 refers to

• 5 speakers around you (Left, Center, Right, Left Surround and Right Surround).
• 1 Subwoofer
• 4 overhead speakers mounted on the ceiling of your studio.

Where possible we recommend starting with a reference 7.1.4 speaker layout, which adds a pair of rear surround speakers to the 5.1.4 setup and matches the channel configuration you’ll be outputting as your final re-render.  Having these additional surround speakers provides greater accuracy in monitoring bed and object audio as it is panned through the soundfield. 

For more information on speaker systems, room setup and configurations see How many speakers do I need to mix Dolby Atmos?
 

What else do you need?

Depending on your existing setup, a new audio interface that supports at least 10 or more physical outputs might be necessary – the number of outputs required being defined by your chosen speaker configuration.  Similarly, you may require a monitor controller or room-eq solution that supports 10 or more speakers.  There are several solutions available from many different manufacturers at various price-points.
 
You may also want to review your plugins to see if there are updated versions or alternatives that have additional features that will assist with your Dolby Atmos mixes.  While plugins designed for Dolby Atmos are quite new there are any increasing number, such as reverbs, compressors, and delays that have been redesigned to add 3D support.

Mixing and delivering Dolby Atmos:

Once your loudspeakers are in place and the Dolby Atmos Renderer is installed you´re all good to go.
 

Mixing techniques for Dolby Atmos Games:

Mixing for Dolby Atmos games straddles the realm of audio post and music.  In many ways games provide more freedom and flexibility than either medium.   You can find more about the creative use of Dolby Atmos in Games here:
https://games.dolby.com/atmos/artistic-considerations/dolby-atmos/

 

Delivering your Dolby Atmos Linear content for Games:

Linear immersive content for Dolby Atmos games is ingested into a game engine or audio middleware such as AudioKinetic’s WWISE or FMOD.    7.1.4 can be pre-rendered from a Dolby Atmos Master file using the Dolby Atmos Renderer (Production Suite or Mastering Suite) or a DAW that have a native/integrated Atmos Renderer such as Apple Logic Pro, Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve or Steinburg Nuendo.
 

Further Information

 

• There’s lots more information on this site in the Dolby Atmos Music & Post section or you can visit the Forums to ask a question.  For more in-depth training options see the Learning section

 

• Information about setting up audio middleware for linear Dolby Atmos content for games is available here:  https://games.dolby.com/atmos/wwise/ & https://games.dolby.com/atmos/fmod/