Space Invaders
first impressions of Dolby Atmos on Apple Music
NOTE: Apple has released a support doc for Dolby Atmos in which it states the following: “When you download a Dolby Atmos version of a song, a stereo version of the song is downloaded too. To listen to the stereo version of a song, just turn off Dolby Atmos in Settings, then play the song.” Great to know. And glad the original files aren’t getting replaced.
This is a quick gut reaction post (1).
Apple Music is betting big on Spatial Audio (Dolby Atmos) and as of today, there are dedicated playlists for songs that have been remastered to the new standard; apparently this is only the beginning. Nice. I guess. As a musician I’d love to know how to get in on the action but currently, this appears reserved to a select few. Maybe they’ll release info on the subject now that it’s out in the wild.
Anyhoo...I have the requisite AirPods Pro so I gave it a whirl. The first thing I listened to was the official introduction, with Zane Lowe walking listeners through three versions of Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On: mono, stereo and Dolby Atmos. Mono obviously sounds centred—but surprisingly good; folks knew how to mix mono back then. Stereo is the version we all know. And then comes Spatial: I was expecting a huge sound field, something I’d never heard before but... meh? It’s a new mix. The EQ is different, the placement of instruments, the voice, it’s all different. But better? Wider? Not really. I actually preferred the stereo version, despite Lowe waxing poetic on how groundbreaking this new version was.
Then I tried the Stones’ Heatbreaker. Again, good but not earth shattering. Holt’s Planets, Lord Huron...all ok but also... a bit boomier? I wanted to listen to Iggy Pop’s original Passenger in stereo, to compare, but it’s gone: there’s only a Dolby Atmos version available in Apple Music now. My first impression was of a weaker and less detailed mix (which is why I was curious to hear the original). Maybe I’m wrong. Riders on the Storm, however, sounds amazing, and this one I was able to compare with the previous version: again, it’s a remaster. The panning is overall much less extreme, with none of the instruments placed full-left or full-right; the reverb on Morrison’s voice is different. It does sound richer overall, but spatiality? Any new mix can achieve an impression of added space. I’m not dismissing the possibilities—I’m simply not hearing anything particularly special, on anything.
So far, all the music I’ve listened to, from Vivaldi to Wayne Shorter to REM and Kraftwerk tends to sound...live. As if a room was added to the mix, low-mids were boosted and the stereo field was narrowed by about 20 degrees. It also all tends to sound vaguely similar, which is frightening as hell. This is preliminary but I worry that instead of gaining a new dimension we’re actually losing individuality and, more importantly, a certain sense of history if all the originals are replaced.
I’m hoping these are growing pains and that, once musicians get proper access to the tools and get to experiment (2), we’ll hear what the fuss is about. On paper, it should be interesting. Right now though, for what it’s worth, I’m left scratching my head.
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