After finishing a Dolby Atmos mix you should perform quality control (QC) on your final deliverables so that you can verify the content of the master file and hear what end listeners will hear. A thorough QC should include the following steps: 

• Technical verification of the master file using Dolby Atmos Renderer application
• Playback of the master file using Dolby Atmos Renderer application
• Encoding the master file to an MP4 using Dolby Atmos Renderer application and playback on consumer device(s)

Technical Verification of the Master File using Dolby Atmos Renderer Application:

Dolby Atmos Renderer application can be used to verify all technical parameters and metadata settings of your Dolby Atmos master file.

Ensure that you refer to the client delivery specifications, paying special attention to parameters such as target loudness, maximum true peak and Trim and Downmix settings. These specifications may differ depending on which music label, streaming service or broadcaster you are delivering to. 

Note that a master file can only be edited if it is in the DAMF (.atmos) format. ADM BWF files (which can be exported directly from a DAW) cannot be edited, and any changes must be made in the application used to export the master file. 

Once you have verified the delivery specifications, the following steps should be taken to ensure the technical details of the master file: 

Verify Frame Rate, Sample Rate, and total file length:

Verify Loudness Measurements:

• Open the Loudness Analysis window by navigating to Input and Master > Loudness Analysis or pressing CMD+L
• You can analyze the entire master file or a manual time range:

• Click Analyze Loudness to begin an offline analysis of the master file. Once complete the window will display the results: 

• Ensure that the measurements adhere to all values in the delivery specification, generally Integrated (level-gated) and True peak. 
• The measurement can also be exported as a file if requested by the label or service. 

Verify Trim and Downmix Metadata: 

• Open the Trim and downmix controls window by navigating to Input and Master > Trim and downmix controls or pressing CMD+T:

• The settings of the master file will be displayed in the Master tab. Ensure that the 5.1 and 5.1.x downmix and 5.1 to 2.0 downmix metadata (in red above) matches any requirements. 

Verify Binaural Render Mode Metadata: 

• Binaural Render mode metadata is vital to ensure proper translation of a Dolby Atmos mix on headphones. Binaural Render mode metadata is set individually for bed and object tracks, and proper use of this metadata is essential, as well as mandated by some streaming services. More detailed information is available in this article. 
• To view the Binaural Render mode metadata of a master file, open the Binaural Render mode window by navigating to Input and Master > Binaural Render mode or pressing CMD+B: 

• Verify that the Binaural Render mode setting is correctly assigned (Off/Near/Mid/Far) for each bed and object.

Playback of the Master File Using Dolby Atmos Renderer Application:

• With the master file open in the Renderer, ensure that the source is set to Master:

• Begin playback and QC the mix listening to your physical speaker layout and any alternative layouts needed (5.1, 2.0, etc):

• QC the mix on headphones using the Binaural Renderer. This can be done using the dedicated headphone output (configured in Room Setup) or by switching the Renderer to Headphone Only Mode in preferences. For both, ensure that the Headphone Render mode is set to Binaural in preferences:

Encoding the master file to an MP4 using Dolby Atmos Renderer application and playback on consumer device(s):

• Export your mix by going to File > Export Audio > MP4 or pressing CMD+Shift+M:

• For music content, choose the Music encoding mode, which sets the bitrate to 768kbps.
• For film or episodic content, choose the Film encoding mode and select a bitrate. The default bitrate of 768kbps reflects the bitrate used by the majority of streaming services
• Choose to export the Entire Master or set a range.
• Choose a video option:
  • Black Video - for audio-only playback on non-iOS consumer devices 
    
  • No video - for audio-only playback on Apple devices
  • Custom Video - to add a video file encoded as H264
• Choose where you want to save the exported MP4 file.
• Click Export.

For playback on consumer devices there are several options:

• Playback via a Blu-ray player.
  • Save the MP4 file to a USB drive
  • Connect the drive to a USB input port on Blu-Ray
  • Set the audio to bitstream out (or equivalent)
  • Play back the file from the Blu-Ray player connected to a Dolby Atmos-enabled AVR or soundbar via HDMI
• Playback on or via Apple Devices. Refer to this article for more information.

Note: It is not possible to directly connect the output of Dolby Atmos Renderer application to consumer playback devices via HDMI.

To monitor Dolby Atmos decoded on consumer devices using the same speakers as the Renderer, a monitor control system that supports input switching is needed. There are several different configuration that can work for this. If the monitor control system has an additional set of analog inputs, a Dolby Atmos AVR with line level pre-amp outputs can be used. There are also some decoders on the market with Dante outputs for connection to a monitor control system.