Dolby Atmos is an immersive, object-based sound format that allows you to place sonic elements of your podcast or audiobook mix in three-dimensional space. With a much wider palette than stereo, you can now place and move sounds in three dimensions to create more engaging and immersive podcasts. Dolby Atmos can be reproduced over speakers but also “rendered” to headphones to provide an immersive mix to listeners on the go.

While some of the concepts may be new, it is not difficult to adapt your existing workflow to Dolby Atmos.   Learning to mix in Dolby Atmos can be an incremental process and over time you will no doubt find the best creative uses for Dolby Atmos in mixing your podcast or audiobook.   For some, mixing in Dolby Atmos will spur elaborate and dynamic sound design.  For others a more subtle and select implementation may be more suitable.   

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.    Dolby Atmos for Podcasting straddles both worlds.  While you may not find specific references to Dolby Atmos in Podcasting in our knowledge base, online curriculum, and user forums, rest assured the principles are certainly applicable to Podcasting.

This article is intended to familiarize you with Atmos concepts and explain what is needed.  Links to Quick Start videos for specific DAWs are also included.   For more in-depth training visit our Dolby Atmos Essentials curriculum.
 

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  (as a separate application, integrated into your DAW or using a Renderer plug-in)
  
• A compatible monitoring system

 

Compatible Digital Audio Workstations

For a DAW to be suitable for mixing Dolby Atmos for Podcasts, it needs to either natively integrate, or be able to connect to a Dolby Atmos Renderer as wellsupport 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)	Integrated Renderer
Ableton Live	No	Yes	No
Apple Logic Pro	Yes	Yes	Yes
Avid Pro Tools Ultimate	Yes	Yes	Yes
Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve Studio	Yes	Yes	Yes
Fiedler Audio Dolby Atmos Composer*	Yes	No	Yes
Merging Technologies Pyramix Premium	Yes	No	No
PreSonus Studio	Yes	No	Yes
Steinberg Nuendo	Yes	Yes	Yes
Steinberg Cubase	Yes	No	Yes

 

*Fiedler Audio Dolby Atmos Composer is a plug-in based Panner and Renderer with Mac/PC support and compatibility with a number of DAWs not listed above.  

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 Atmos Music but are equally applicable to Podcasting in Dolby Atmos.  To view this video series, select your DAW below:
 

• Avid Pro Tools Ultimate
• Apple Logic Pro
• Ableton Live
• Fiedler Audio Dolby Atmos Composer

Dolby Atmos Renderer

The Dolby Atmos Renderer is software that allows you to monitor your Dolby Atmos mix and create the Dolby Atmos Master Files 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 Dolby Professional Store for $299 (local pricing my vary).  A 90-day free trial is available from the Dolby Customer site.

• Integrated rendering built-in to DAWs: Some DAWs including the latest versions of Apple Logic Pro, Avid Pro Tools, Blackmagic Resolve, PreSonus Studio One and Steinberg Nuendo/Cubase have the Dolby Atmos Renderer built-in and require no additional software to create Dolby Atmos content. As noted above the Fiedler Atmos Composer plug-ins can add this funcationality to additional DAWs such as Ableton, FL Studio, and Reaper. 
  

 

Monitoring systems and speakers

Dolby Atmos Podcasts can be played back on both speakers and via a binaural renderer to headphones.   While the vast majority of consumers listen to podcasts with earbuds or headphones,  you may want to also monitor on speakers to ensure compatibility with a variety of speaker layouts.   Monitoring on speakers also facilitates working with a producer in the room
 
There are a range of speaker configurations that can be used for mixing Dolby Atmos Podcasts.  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 is usually defined by the room size and available budget.

To get started writing and producing podcasts in Dolby Atmos we recommend using a 7.1.4 speaker layout – where 7.1.4 refers to

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

For smaller rooms you can use a 5.1.4 layout, where just a single pair of surround speakers is used.  However having the additional surround speakers will provide 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 Podcast:

Mixing for Dolby Atmos Podcasts straddles the realm of audio post and music.  In many ways podcasts provide more freedom and flexibility than either medium and will be content dependent.
 

Delivering your Dolby Atmos Podcast:

Delivery of your podcast to a pod aggregator or service that supports Dolby Atmos will require delivery of a Dolby Atmos ADM Master file which is a type of .wav file (sometimes called the ADM broadcast wav format, or ADM BWF).

These ADM BWF files can be created with the Dolby Atmos Renderer or may be exported directly out of your DAW.  This file is then encoded as part of the distribution chain into formats compatible with playback on soundbars, home theater systems, and of course headphones.

In some cases an alternate Dolby Atmos Master file format called IAB.mxf may be the required deliverable instead of ADM BWF.   IAB.mxf files are smaller than ADM BWF files.   IAB.mxf files are generated by exporting from the Dolby Atmos Renderer or via conversion from ADM BWF using the free utility Dolby Atmos Conversion Tool.

In addition to the ADM BWF file, you will also deliver the regular stereo mix of your podcast.  This stereo mix should be your regular stereo mix and not a binaural render.  Whenever consumers listen to your podcast on a non-Dolby Atmos device the streaming service will automatically deliver your regular stereo mix.  

For more information on delivering a Dolby Atmos podcast please refer to the example delivery specification article. 

Further Information and Training 

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 visit our Dolby Atmos Essentials curriculum

Note: If you are not already logged onto professionalsupport.dolby.com or customer.dolby.com you will be presented with a sign-on or sign-up screen.   This is not a paywall.   Read access to professional.dolby.com does not require you to be signed in.   Signing provides access to online training courses on learning.dolby.com ,  the ability to post to the Dolby Atmos user forum, and software downloads and trial authorizations on customer.dolby.com .    Your user credentials are shared between the three platforms.