Don't have 12 speakers? No worries - easy Atmos mastering (ft. KamranV)
Hi,
I'm sneaking this one in just before the NAMM rush...
Before I published this video, I checked, and 19 (!!) of the top 20 Billboard songs have an Atmos/Spatial mix/master. If you want to get in on the game, this video is for you :)
I already made a video about how the top billboard producers are creating their Atmos mixes (https://youtu.be/s_bOGd5W7QA), the thing is, managing objects flying around can be a bit tedious, and after having visited many certified studios/listening environments in the past few years, I'm not sure all those flying objects add much value musically over a regular quad mix. Also, it's much easier and more intuitive to mix in quad, because we're already used to panning when mixing, as opposed to setting the XYZ location of a drum kit in space. I made a video about that too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVl6pEaKmfM
This video is about the last step - mastering and sharing a quad mix both in Atmos and in 2-channel surround, hosted by KamranV, who worked on immersive releases by Nine Inch Nails, Sting, Beck, and Suzanne Ciani.
Kamran also kindly agreed to master my live quadraphonic set from early last year - here's a link to listen to it if you like:
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/loopop/quadraphonic-set-2
The beauty of how Kamran's workflow is that he not only creates an Atmos render, he also creates a 2-channel master with surround information baked in, so you can use regular stereo streaming services to hear the spatial mix, not just Apple Music, Tidal or Amazon.
All you need to do is feed that audio through a receiver with Dolby Pro Logic II, these have been around for over 20 years, or use a free plugin called Quark, which, in a total coincidence, was created by Kamran.
To decode a 2-channel spatial stream you'll need to route the 2-channel audio through Quark in a DAW. Quark will unpack the 2-channel stream into 4 channels.
Here's the workflow:
1. Download the free loopback audio device called BlackHole - if you’re inclined, please donate - they deserve it (https://www.blackhole.audio/)
2. Download the free Quark plugin - and feel free to donate there too if you enjoy this! https://quark.cykik.com/
3. Point your computer’s audio output to the Black Hole device - for now, you won’t be able to hear any audio coming out of your computer.
4. The last step is to set up a DAW project so that it picks up the two-channel feed from Black Hole and decodes it to four quad channels - sending one to each speaker. If you use Ableton Live, you’re in luck; I've attached a Live project that has everything set up properly. You'll need to set the audio input to BlackHole and the output to your audio interface. I think you can only do this on Mac, so on Windows, you might have to get some form of routing software :/
That's it for now, but more is coming soon!
Ziv (I'm not sure making a spatial album will get you on the Billboard top 20, but now you've got a video to show you how, on a youtube channel called "Loopop"...)