There’s been a lot of talk recently about immersive audio formats and how they impact our media consumption. Dolby Atmos is the current king of the immersive audio hill. This object-based audio format expands typical 5.1 and 7.1 surround setups and enables them to reproduce a full three-dimensional sound field by including height information.
Apple Spatial Audio employs the company’s proprietary binaural renderer, which yields you an immersive surround effect that mimics the sound of a movie theater. Apple Spatial Audio creates a realistic 360-degree sound from stereo, multichannel surround or Dolby Atmos content, lending a sense of height to your video or music playback. While Spatial Audio can work without Dolby Atmos, it really shines when the two technologies are used in tandem. This combination provides you with an immersive audio experience when enjoying Dolby Atmos-mastered content — even on earbuds or through your supported Apple device’s built-in speakers.
How Does Spatial Audio Work?
Spatial Audio works by applying directional Head Related Transfer Function (HRTF) filters to stereo, multichannel surround, and — most effectively — Dolby Atmos audio, shaping frequencies for each individual ear so as to place audio objects throughout a three-dimensional space. This psychoacoustic magic delivers a cinema-like experience, creating a sonic illusion of sounds coming from in front of you, from the sides, the rear, even from above.
Besides offering true-to-life, theater-style surround, Spatial Audio works with the accelerometers and gyroscopes built into supported Apple earphones/headphones to track your head movements for accurate sound positioning. Spatial Audio also tracks the position of your iPhone or iPad to keep sound relative to your screen.
If you’re using compatible hardware, Apple Spatial Audio will anchor sounds to your playback device’s screen, even if your head or speakers are moving. Thus, if you’re watching a video where somebody is speaking, you can turn your head in any direction and the dialog will remain locked onto the actor on the screen. It’s a true movie theater experience — no multichannel playback system required.
Apple Earphones/headphones That Support Head Tracking:
Can You Use Spatial Audio with Music?
Spatial Audio injects an engaging, movie theater-like quality into Dolby Atmos video content — it’s easily the best way to enjoy movies on your Apple device. But the fun doesn’t stop there! Thanks to Apple Music’s extensive support for Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos, Apple Music subscribers can experience music mixed specifically for the format. As of this writing, there are thousands of Spatial Audio-ready, Dolby Atmos-powered tracks in Apple’s music catalog with more being released on a near-daily basis.
Not only were recent releases from Billie Eilish, The Weeknd, Justin Bieber, Olivia Rodrigo, Ariana Grande, and J Balvin mixed specifically for Dolby Atmos, you’ll find many of your favorite classics, including chart-busters from Marvin Gaye, Elton John, Aretha Franklin, and the Beatles, remixed in the format.
How Do I Get Apple Spatial Audio?
If you’re already part of the Apple ecosystem, Spatial Audio is easily within your reach. The format was included as part of iOS and iPadOS 14, with Dolby Atmos support added as part of iOS and iPadOS 14.6. That said, not all iOS/iPadOS 14-equipped devices support Spatial Audio.
Apple Devices That Support Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos:
- iPhone 7 or later
- iPad Pro 12.9‑inch (3rd generation and later)
- iPad Pro 11‑inch
- iPad Air (3rd generation and later)
- iPad (6th generation and later)
- iPad mini (5th generation)
- Apple TV (music only)
- Apple TV 4K (2021)
- MacBook Pro (2018 model and later)
- M1 MacBook Air (2020)
- M1 MacBook Pro (2020)
- M1 iMac (2021)
- M1 Mac mini (2020)
For Apple Spatial Audio video playback, you’ll need a set of supported Apple earphones/headphones, along with stereo, multichannel surround, or Dolby Atmos audio/visual content from a supported app. As of this writing, Apple TV+, Disney+, Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Peacock, Discovery+, and Paramount+ all support Spatial Audio via their Dolby Atmos-compatible content.
If you’re simply wanting to listen to Apple Music, you can access Spatial Audio-enabled tracks on any headphones since head tracking isn’t necessary for sound-only content. That said, head tracking is available on certain content, provided you’re using compatible hardware.
You can also play Spatial Audio-enabled tracks from Apple Music and other compatible apps via the integrated speakers on supported Apple devices with surprisingly immersive results.
Apple Devices That Support Spatial Audio via Integrated Speakers:
- iPhone XS or later (except iPhone SE)
- iPad Pro 12.9‑inch (3rd generation and later)
- iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation and later)
- iPad Air (4th generation)
- M1 MacBook Air (2020)
- M1 MacBook Pro (2020)
- M1 iMac (2021)
What’s more, whether it’s connected to AirPods or an external Dolby Atmos-supported surround sound system, the Apple TV 4K can output Spatial Audio tracks via its Apple Music app.
How Do I Create Apple Spatial Audio Content in My Studio?
If you want to remain competitive going forward, you’ll likely need to adapt your studio and workflow to accommodate Dolby Atmos production. After all, both Tidal and Amazon Music have supported the format since 2019, and with Apple prioritizing their Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos content, the format appears to be here to stay.
So, how do you create Apple Spatial Audio content? And how does it relate to Dolby Atmos production? For the most part, creating Spatial Audio content is the same as producing Dolby Atmos music content. You’ll want a properly sized room, roughly 18 feet x 10 feet x 21 feet, and — at minimum — a 7.1.4 speaker system.
You’ll need two computer workstations: one to run your source DAW and a dedicated second to run the Dolby Atmos Renderer software included with the Dolby Atmos Mastering Suite. Home and project studios may be able to run the Dolby Atmos Renderer on the same workstation as their DAW, but doing this will likely max out their computer. Lastly, you’ll need a suitable audio interface and monitor management.
Check out our article, “What is Dolby Atmos?” for more detailed information about the studio requirements for Dolby Atmos production.
How Do Dolby Atmos and Apple Spatial Audio Production Differ?
Dolby Atmos mixes are submitted to streaming services as ADM BWF files. Most streaming services use the AC4-IMS codec for headphone playback on mobile devices, which employs the Dolby Atmos Renderer — the same multi-mode binaural renderer you’d use in your studio. This yields you predictable results — what you hear in your studio is what streaming subscribers will hear on their playback devices.
This is, at least from a production standpoint, where Dolby Atmos and Apple Spatial Audio diverge. Rather than AC4-IMS, Apple uses the older DD+JOC codec, which ignores your rendering mode settings. Apple then deploys their own proprietary binaural renderer. This means that the mix you hear in your studio is not the same mix that will be offered on Apple Music.
As of this writing, there is no easy way to audition your mix using Apple’s renderer. A common workaround is to use the Dolby Atmos Renderer to export your mix as an MP4 file, load the MP4 file into your Spatial Audio-compatible iOS device, then listen to your mix on Spatial Audio-compatible earphones/headphones.
If you have any questions about Apple Spatial Audio or Dolby Atmos audio production, give your Sales Engineer a call at (800) 222-4700.