Pro Tools provides a Fold Down function that creates a downmix for monitoring Bed and Object audio outside of the Dolby Atmos Renderer. It is important to note that this is a downmix and does not employ the rendering engine of the Dolby Atmos Renderer. The Bed/Object Fold Down function is primarily used to monitor Atmos sessions when connection to a Dolby Atmos Renderer is not available, and mixes created using the Fold Down should not be considered reference mixes. Dedicating outputs for the Bed/Object Fold Down Path also means that those outputs are not available for use as Bed or Object audio.

With the release of Pro Tools 2021.3 users have more control over the Bed/Object Fold Down Settings. In the Atmos Tab of Peripherals>Setup users now have 2 choices for the Bed/Object Fold Down Path:



Outside of specific setups involving multiple Pro Tools systems requiring independent Fold Downs, it is best practice to the the default setting: 'Active When Renderer is Disconnected'.

The Bed/Object Fold Down Path is assigned in the I/O Setup>Output tab:



Outputs that are mapped to the Renderer in the 'Mapping to Renderer' column of the Bus tab are not selectable.

Note that mapping the Bed outputs to the Renderer is required for Bounce to ADM in Pro Tools, but is not required for using the Dolby Atmos Renderer. If working with the Dolby Atmos Renderer, ensure that the Bed outputs are not used for the Bed/Object Fold Down Path to avoid unintentional double bussing. Similarly, ensure that the unmapped outputs used for LTC are not assigned as the Bed/Object Fold Down Path.