All current Apple computers running macOS 12 or higher allow monitoring of Dolby Atmos Content in 7.1.4 via Core Audio from the Apple Music App and the Apple TV App.

This enables playback of the entire Atmos catalog on Apple Music, as well as hundreds of TV Series in Dolby Atmos through the 7.1.4 loudspeaker setup of an Atmos Studio without any additional hardware.

 

Prerequisites:

• A Dolby Atmos studio equipped with a 7.1.4. (or larger) loudspeaker setup.
• A Core Audio interface with at least 12 outputs connected to the Dolby Atmos speaker setup.
• An Apple computer (i.e. MacBook Pro, Mac Studio, Mac Mini, Mac Pro) running macOS 12 or higher.
• An active Apple Music and/or Apple TV+ subscription to access the content.

 

1. Open the Audio MIDI setup. On the left sidebar, select the Core Audio driver that is used to monitor Dolby Atmos in the studio. Click “Configure Speakers” in the bottom right corner.

2. In the Configuration drop down Menu Select 7.1.4. Adjust output routing as needed. Click Apply to confirm the setup.

3. Set this Core Audio Driver as the output in macOS. Note: All System sounds will now be played though this driver.

4. Launch Apple Music or the Apple TV app, and ensure Dolby Atmos is set to Automatic in the settings (do not set it to Always on, as it doesn’t support 7.1.4).

5. We recommend using this track on Apple Music to verify proper 7.1.4 routing.

 

Possible issue and workaround:

If a Core Audio driver has more than 16 channels, there is a known issue that reverts the playback to 5.1 – If you only hear content out of the first 6 channels of your audio device the following workaround needs to be applied:

Use Rogue Amoeba Loopback to create a virtual 12-channel core audio device and route this device to your actual audio device. Select this virtual audio device as the output device in macOS (as in Step 3 above).

The screenshot below shows the setup within Loopback: