Mixing Immersive Audio: Which is the Best DAW for Dolby Atmos?
We examine how each of the major DAWs integrates with Dolby Atmos, and which DAW is most suitable for your needs
With immersive audio becoming more accessible and more prominent, having a Dolby Atmos-capable DAW is more relevant than ever. So which DAW is best for Dolby Atmos? In this article, we’ll take a look at the best DAWs for Dolby Atmos and how each of them handles Dolby Atmos integration. We’ll also consider alternative solutions including the External Dolby Atmos Renderer and Fiedler Audio Dolby Atmos Composer.
Why does Dolby Atmos matter?
Consumers can now use headphones to listen to music or watch their favorite TV show in spatial audio. Whether you’re a music producer, sound engineer or composer, the ability to mix in Dolby Atmos is vital if you want to keep up with the growing popularity of immersive audio.
Which DAWs are Dolby Atmos capable?
Each of the major DAWs handles Dolby Atmos integration slightly differently, and some are not natively compatible at all. To be considered natively Dolby Atmos-capable, DAWs should have surround support as well as Dolby Atmos rendering built-in.
Natively capable DAWs include Steinberg Cubase and Nuendo, Avid Pro Tools, Presonus Studio One and Apple Logic Pro. These are the programs we’ll consider today.
Which is the best DAW for Dolby Atmos?
Let’s examine how each DAW incorporates Dolby Atmos. Their feature set, workflow and how they integrate the renderer into their architecture will be discussed.
Steinberg Cubase/Nuendo [Version 13]
First up, we’re looking at Steinberg’s two audio production programs; their conventional DAW Cubase, and their post-production powerhouse Nuendo. Both programs support mixing in Dolby Atmos, but to different extents.
Both Cubase and Nuendo include the Dolby Atmos renderer and surround sound support, making both programs worth adding to your list of potential DAWs. Additionally, they can both create, edit, and export the object structure of your Dolby Atmos project with ADM authoring and exporting.
Given Nuendo is Steinberg’s advanced post-production program, it has some additional functionality that might make it the better choice if Dolby Atmos is fundamental in your practice. Additional functionality includes the ability to import ADM object structures, support for external Dolby Atmos renderers, and an increased limit of 64 beds instead of Cubase’s single-bed limit.
You can compare Cubase’s and Nuendo’s features in full on the Steinberg website.
Avid Pro Tools [Version 2024.3]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEAIU3jHG-E
The next program we’re looking at is widely considered to be the industry-standard DAW, so it’s important to understand its compatibility with Dolby Atmos. The Studio and Ultimate versions of Pro Tools include the Dolby Atmos renderer, surround support and ADM exporting. However, the Intro and Artist versions of Pro Tools do not.
Pro Tools’ included 3D panner plugin allows you to control the pan and position of your audio channels in great depth, and the handy 3D displays allow you to visualize the panning being applied. Additionally, the channel templates make it extremely easy to set up the appropriate channels in the correct configuration.
The implementation of surround sound mixing, integrated Dolby Atmos renderer and Atmos-ready project templates make Pro Tools an appropriate DAW for mixing immersive audio in many cases.
Apple Logic Pro X [Version 10.8]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6Wst_im_WQ&t=1265s
Through their Airpods range and the ability to listen to music in spatial audio, it’s fair to say that Apple has contributed to the recent increase in the consumption of spatial audio. But how does their DAW compare to other popular programs when it comes to Dolby Atmos integration?
Like Pro Tools, Logic Pro has an inbuilt Dolby Atmos renderer and surround sound support. There is an inbuilt surround panner, as well as a 3D object panner which allows you to adjust your audio’s elevation as well as front-to-back and left-to-right positioning. The surround and 3D panners included with Logic Pro lack many of the in-depth controls of some of its competitors’ equivalent devices.
Logic Pro boasts the Spatial Audio Monitoring plugin as standard, which allows you to monitor your surround mix in the Apple Spatial Audio format. This is possible using only headphones thanks to binaural rendering, and you can even monitor with head tracking if you wish.
Although Logic Pro’s most recent update allows you to import object and bed tracks from spatial audio projects, and displays multiple audio channels in the mixer view, it currently doesn’t display multiple channels within a single surround channel in the arrangement view.
Presonus Studio One [Version 6.6]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4MSmwqC5i4
Now on version 6.6, Studio One has had Dolby Atmos capabilities since version 6.5, which added the integrated Dolby Atmos renderer and surround sound support. Version 6.6 added support for Dolby Atmos composite beds, as well as Apple Spatial Audio binaural monitoring and head-tracking support on Apple devices. Overall, Studio One is an effective DAW if you’re mixing with Apple Spatial Audio and Airpods in mind.
In terms of Dolby Atmos mixing workflow, Studio One has surround panners and elevation controls within the mixer view, making it easy to tweak your channels’ 3D position. Double-clicking on the surround panner in the mixer view opens up the surround panner window, giving you further control of the position of your audio, plus balance control.
Switching from a channel to an object is quick and simple in Studio One, and even carries your surround panner’s configuration across into the 3D object panner. For users of Studio One Remote, whereby an iPad or tablet is used to control certain parameters within your DAW, there’s Dolby Atmos support there too. This means you can use an external device to view and control various settings within your project, while your main monitor shows your DAW interface.
Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve [Version 19]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ysx37Z0ti0&pp=ygULZG9sYnkgYXRtb3M%3D
As one of the leading video and audio post-production programs, it’s no surprise that DaVinci Resolve supports Dolby Atmos natively. Audio is handled by the Fairlight component of the program, which has native surround support and includes the Dolby Atmos renderer. It can also mix 3D objects. While Resolve’s Patch window makes it possible to apply the necessary routing to your Dolby Atmos and ambisonics files, it can be a time-consuming process.
From the Patch window to the native Panner device and even in the channel displays of the Mixer window, it’s easy to get an overview of the routing and panning being applied in Resolve. The program usually identifies Dolby Atmos and ambisonics files correctly and treats them accordingly, although it will occasionally misinterpret the file forcing you to manually adjust its attributes.
It’s worth noting that the free version of DaVinci Resolve is not Dolby Atmos-capable. This means you’ll need to opt for the paid version of DaVinci Resolve Studio if you wish to mix immersive audio.
The verdict
Now that we’ve discussed how the major DAWs integrate Dolby Atmos and handle immersive audio in general, you’ll hopefully have a better idea of each DAW’s strengths and weaknesses when it comes to mixing in Dolby Atmos.
So which is the best DAW for mixing Dolby Atmos? The answer is that it really depends on your situation and your preferences. Each DAW integrates Dolby Atmos support in its own way and comes with a slightly different feature set and workflow.
If you are mixing for film and TV, then DaVinci Resolve’s comprehensive creative suite is likely to be the most suitable for your needs. If you’re mixing exclusively for Apple Audio Spatial Audio and Airpods, then a DAW like Logic Pro or Studio One might be most appropriate for you, thanks to inbuilt Airpods Renderer support.
Suppose the ability to monitor your Dolby Atmos mix in Apple Spatial Audio is crucial, and your preferred DAW doesn’t support it natively. In that case, you can use a third-party tool such as Ginger Audio iRender to apply binaural rendering and hear how the spatialized audio will sound. This might be relevant to you if Pro Tools, Cubase or Nuendo are the industry standard in your field or if you’re highly experienced with one of these programs.
Another key consideration is cost. If you are already experienced in one DAW, you may not want to invest in a second DAW just because of the way it handles Dolby Atmos. There is a significant price gap between some of the DAWs discussed in this article, so it’s important to consider the overall cost when deciding the best DAW for you.
Alternative solutions
If your usual DAW doesn’t feature on this list or the DAWs discussed in this article don’t meet your requirements, there are some other ways to create a Dolby Atmos mix.
External Dolby Atmos Renderer
If your DAW doesn’t have the integrated Dolby Atmos Renderer, you can purchase it as an external piece of software. It works in the same way as in its integrated format, but allows you to add Dolby Atmos support to any external renderer-compatible DAW.
It’s worth considering that this adds further costs to your existing DAW, and your DAW may not even support external renderers. You should also consider that even if your DAW is compatible, it may be lacking in some of the useful workflow optimisations that are present in Dolby Atmos-ready DAWs such as those discussed in this article.
Fiedler Audio Dolby Atmos Composer
The next alternative is a useful tool if your DAW doesn’t have an integrated Dolby Atmos Renderer. Fiedler Audio Dolby Atmos Composer is a Dolby-approved piece of software that contains the Dolby Atmos Renderer. It also contains the Beam plugin, which acts as an advanced panning plugin and routing device.
Ginger Audio GroundControl Sphere
The additional routing that is required to route your DAW out of your audio interface and to your speakers can be quite overwhelming, but a software-based monitor controller such as GroundControl Sphere can help streamline that process. With up to eight virtual soundcards, you can configure up to eight inputs as stereo, or all the way up to 9.1.6 surround.
You can also configure up to four outputs, allowing you to swiftly swap between your full surround monitoring system and your folded-down mix on a pair of stereo monitors or headphones. With your routing configured, GroundControl Sphere gives you immediate access to crucial immersive audio monitoring controls such as soloing individual speakers or particular components of your surround image.
iRender for Apple Spatial Audio rendering is included, along with SPHERE Connect for remote control of the GroundCountrol Sphere virtual studio. You also get advanced metering functionality which gives you valuable insights into your project’s loudness.
While GroundControl Sphere doesn’t replace the need for some form of Dolby Atmos renderer, it can make the overall configuration, routing and workflow of immersive audio mixing significantly more efficient and effective.
For more in-depth information on using GroundControl Sphere and mixing with Dolby Atmos, you can subscribe to the Ginger Audio Youtube channel now.
FAQs
Which DAWs support Dolby Atmos?
Some DAWs such as Logic Pro, Pro Tools, Cubase, Nuendo, DaVinci Resolve and Studio One support Dolby Atmos natively, thanks to inbuilt surround support and integrated Dolby Atmos Renderer. External-renderer-compatible DAWs can work with Dolby Atmos using software such as the Dolby Atmos Renderer or Fiedler Audio Dolby Atmos Composer.
Which audio format is best for Dolby Atmos?
When mixing for any format or scenario, it’s best to use lossless audio formats such as WAV or AIFF. Dolby Atmos projects support native sample rates of 48kHz and 96kHz, so it’s best to work with these sample rates. This prevents the need for real-time sample rate conversions.
What software is used to mix Dolby Atmos?
To mix Dolby Atmos, you’ll need to use a DAW with surround support and an integrated Dolby Atmos renderer. Alternatively, you can use any DAW alongside an external renderer like Dolby Atmos Renderer or Fiedler Audio Dolby Atmos Composer.
