Benjamin Levicek It was only a few days ago that the Californian giant implemented news in its Apple Music streaming service in the form of HiFi quality listening tracks and Dolby Atmos surround sound. According to Apple, when you activate this function, you should feel like you are sitting inside a concert hall with supported headphones. At the same time, you should have the feeling that you are surrounded by musicians. Personally, I had a rather negative view of surround sound in music, and after listening to many different songs that support this feature, I have confirmed my opinion. Why don't I really like the novelty, for what reason do I not see much potential in it and at the same time I'm a little afraid of it?
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Adam Kos Recorded tracks should sound as the artists interpret them
Since I've recently been quite interested in composing and recording songs, I can say from my own experience that even in professional studios surround microphones are usually not used. In other words, it is quite common for certain songs to be recorded in stereo mode, but the evocation of a larger space belongs more to certain genres in which listeners count on it. What I mean by this is that artists try to deliver their work to listeners the way they recorded it, not the way the software will edit it. However, if you now play a song in Apple Music that offers Dolby Atmos support, it sounds really anything but what you would hear it when you turned off the mode. The bass components often fall apart, although the vocals can be heard the most, but they are emphasized in an unnatural way and separated from the other instruments. Sure, it will introduce you to a certain mode of spatiality, but that's not the way many artists want to present the composition to their audience.
Surround sound in Apple Music:
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A different situation prevails in the film industry, where the viewer focuses mainly on being drawn into the story, where the characters often talk to each other from different sides. In such a case, it is not so much about the sound as the actual experience of the event, therefore the implementation of Dolby Atmos is more than desirable. But we listen to music, among other things, because of the feelings that the song evokes in us and that the performer wants to convey to us. Software modifications in the form in which we see them now do not allow us to do that. Yes, if the artist in question feels that more spaciousness is suitable for the composition, the correct solution is to let it show in the resulting recording. But do we want Apple forcing it on us?
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Fortunately, Dolby Atmos can be disabled, but what can we expect in the future?
If you are currently with a competing streaming service such as Spotify, Tidal or Deezer and are afraid to switch to the platform of the Californian giant, the positive fact is that you can deactivate the surround sound in Apple Music without any problem. Another thing that will be especially appreciated by "HiFisti" is the possibility to listen to lossless tracks directly in the basic tariff, without having to pay extra for the function. But what direction will Apple take in the music industry? Do they plan to lure customers with marketing words and try to push surround sound more and more?
Now don't get me wrong. I am a supporter of progress, modern technologies, and it is clear that even in the quality of music files, some progress is needed. But I'm not entirely sure if software audio editing is the way to go. It's possible that in a few years I'll be pleasantly surprised, but right now I can't really imagine how.
Ježkov's attitude, that's nonsense again. Recordings that support Dolby Atmos in Apple Music are thus recorded directly in the studio. Whether from surround microphones or a mixer, Which corresponds to the intentions of the performer. Apple doesn't edit anything in software, it just plays this multi-channel surround format correctly.
Hello,
were you in those studios in person? And did you read the article properly? Sure, some tracks are recorded this way, but you don't need software editing for that. Try playing music with your headphones in surround sound, then immediately turn them off. Almost everyone can hear the difference in the breakdown of music.
you can use the true potential of Dolby Atmos with the appropriate equipment. Apple TV amplifier with decoders and speaker min. 5.2.1 then it makes sense and the experience is great.
The article is complete nonsense. I have a 5.1.2 home theater with native Dolby Atmos support at home, and music tracks in this format play amazingly on it. The situation is a little different in headphones, where you only have two speakers and therefore two channels, and the surround sound has been virtualized. But the music available in Dolby Atmos is a big step forward, and Apple definitely gets a thumbs up for this.
Good evening, first of all, I apologize for my bad Czech, I have an Apple TV 4K and who needs an amplifier from Denin that can do 7.1, then it consists of 7.1 repeoductors from the Canton brand, I can assure you that Dolby Atmos plays perfectly well on me, in my opinion, I am not an audiophile 😂 but I would never I didn't expect that some maids would be able to produce surround sound and at the same time I don't hate demented people who have nothing but stupid maids and expect some listening quality