From Billboard: Studios Are Rushing to Record Music in Hi-Def Surround Sound

[alansanchez86]

Chris Lord-Alge

 

[nikomen]

Very cool studio and setup! Thanks!! Just hope that Atmos recordings will be more plentiful and easier to purchase to keep as your own. I would love Bohemian Rhapsody in Atmos if I can buy it to keep on my server!!

I find one thing he says to be very true. Even with 2 tower stereo and a sub (2.1) going up to 5.1, is a significant loss of the discrete sub channel thunder when you spread it across 5,7 or 9 other channels. The total output of the sub “volume” when divided amongst other channels tend to steal the stereo’s sub channels “thunder”. I understand his disappointment in even having 9 subs and not getting the base response he has from his original stereo mix.

Unfortunately for consumer audio, even audiophiles equipment, we may never get to hear it the way that they hear it

 

[key_wiz]

I can offer a little insight that might be helpful in this discussion. I just created close to 600 upmixes with SpecWeb and SpecScript to 5.1 from stereo source material, very very popular classic rock from 69’s-70’s.

Even though this is music that still sells all the time for its popularity, some of these songs were on mono. Then when they became popular a 2nd or 3rd time, someone remixed it in stereo. Although these remixes occurred, the record company stopped making them, and now the only available versions of these songs were the original mono mixes. The record companies in history has chosen to delete some newer mixes, in this case stereo mixes, one has to assume these were deleted due to lack of profitability of that “version”. It certainly cost them money to recreate in stereo, yet over time it didn’t make them money, so bu-bye! The only way you can find some of these versions now is on YouTube and even then some have been deleted.

Those that think that Atmos streaming is the “end”, now and forever available, I’ll refer you back to quad, VCR, Betamax, these stereo mixes of classics for the next 50 yrs or more, minidisc, DAT, and on and on. I prefer music I can buy and keep for posterity and not under control of others. Just my 2 cents!

I think most of us would “prefer” to buy and own it if available.

but am going to purposely refuse to ever listen to what might be a great surround mix simply because I can’t own it and therefore “might” not be able to hear it again years from now?

That’d be cutting off my nose to spite my face.

I’m 60 years old. Sure. That new Atmos mix I just listened to might not be available in a year. Then again, it might be around for a long time and I might be dead or deaf before it’s gone and in the meantime I could have played it to my hearts content.

Life’s too short to hold out for perfection when what is easily at hand offers great enjoyment.

My two cents.

 

[Cheezmo]

I think most of us would “prefer” to buy and own it if available.

but am going to purposely refuse to ever listen to what might be a great surround mix simply because I can’t own it and therefore “might” not be able to hear it again years from now?

That’d be cutting off my nose to spite my face.

I’m 60 years old. Sure. That new Atmos mix I just listened to might not be available in a year. Then again, I might be dead or deaf before it’s gone and in the meantime I could have played it to my hearts content.

Life’s too short to hold out for perfection when what is easily at hand offers great enjoyment.

My two cents.

Well said. The whole "I'm not going to enjoy anything that I might not be able to enjoy at some unspecified future date" coupled with "my stand on this will change the industry and they will start releasing things in the format I want" is just incomprehensible to me.

 

[Marplot]

Isn't it as simple as "it is my money and I will spend it how I like?"

 

[kfbkfb]

Is there an official statement from Apple as to why their streamed music is not to be stored (maybe they could offer a higher priced streaming option that does allow content to be [legally] saved on local user storage)?


Kirk Bayne

 

[AYanguas]

"We" (I) don't care about any of that. Sound quality needs to be good enough that I don't hear lossy artifacts when I'm listening normally. Dolby and DTS codecs already achieve that.

"We" want the downmix to 5.1 to sound great. "We" would like an option to actually buy the mixes as files we can download and play, as well as stream.

That's it.

OK, I agree.

My post that you replied had the intention of a joke, exaggeration, and the reference to Queen.

As I said before "carpe diem". We are beginning to have much more content than we had expected just two or three years ago.

 

[Cheezmo]

Is there an official statement from Apple as to why their streamed music is not to be stored (maybe they could offer a higher priced streaming option that does allow content to be [legally] saved on local user storage)?


Kirk Bayne

You can download and store Apple Music tracks locally (needed for travel, etc.). But they are copy protected and tied to your active Apple Music subscription. If your subscription lapses, they won't play any more.

 

[Genious]

"We" (I) don't care about any of that. Sound quality needs to be good enough that I don't hear lossy artifacts when I'm listening normally. Dolby and DTS codecs already achieve that.

"We" want the downmix to 5.1 to sound great. "We" would like an option to actually buy the mixes as files we can download and play, as well as stream.

That's it.

I want to be able buy (download) albums like Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger in surround and many other releases that are out there, but seemingly can only be bought for an exorbitant amount on ebay/Amazon. I want to be able to buy DVD-A, DTS-Cds, Bluray audio without having to buy an entire box set that contains stereo mixes on CD and/or the album on vinyl, as well as a bunch of posters and other things. I get that a lot of people like collecting that stuff, but personally, if I buy the surround mix, I don't need a CD of the same thing. I had the same complaint about a lot of BluRay movies I bought. I'd open it up and there'd also be the regular DVD inside which, to me, is just creating landfill. If you're going to do that, then why not also include the 70mm film for me to run on my film projector*

*=I don't actually have a film projector. Just as I don't have a DVD or CD player anymore.

 

[Bill B]

"And I want a toilet made out of solid gold, but it's just not in the cards now, is it?!
Austin Powers

 

[Tribby2001]

I know next to nothing about Atmos and don't care to learn. I won't be going there in my lifetime. But an acquaintance (friend?) of mine was excited about how he bought an Atmos sound bar for his TV and plays his Apple "stuff" in his car "stereo" in which he just upgraded with two stand alone subwoofers. That, he thinks, is the shiznit for sound. His car! He drives around town just to listen to it. He'll have a nice surprise if or when we become friends and I invite him over to hear my surround SACDs in my mancave's 5 factory matched full range Vandersteens and subwoofers in an acoustically "designed" space.

Atmos? What's that?

 

[fredblue]

what's Atmos?

like it or not, its the direction this Surround Music game is very much headed in now

 

[Tribby2001]

what's Atmos?

like it or not, its the direction this Surround Music game is very much headed in now

I'm a proud luddite now!

 

[nikomen]

what's Atmos?

like it or not, its the direction this Surround Music game is very much headed in now

For now

 

[Sal1950]

I know next to nothing about Atmos and don't care to learn. I won't be going there in my lifetime.

That sounds just like a "stereo forever" guy talking about your 5 channel rig.
Their loss, and yours.

 

[fredblue]

For now

Steven Wilson says he's inundated with Atmos mixing requests and "nobody is asking for 5.1" anymore. i'll start sweating when his phone stops ringing!

 

[fredblue]

That sounds just like a "stereo forever" guy talking about your 5 channel rig.
Their loss, and yours.

i've reconciled to where Surround's heading by still loving the likes of Scheiner's best 5.1's, Greg Penny's EJ 5.1's and the super discrete old Quads from the likes of CBS, Warners etc., yet embracing the "new stuff".

the treasures of the past are still my all-time Surround Music favourites but there's been shedloads of new Atmos releases and among them are a selection that have quickly become supplementary good company to my old faithfuls

 

[Sal1950]

i've reconciled to where Surround's heading by still loving the likes of Scheiner's best 5.1's, Greg Penny's EJ 5.1's and the super discrete old Quads from the likes of CBS, Warners etc., yet embracing the "new stuff".

the treasures of the past are still my all-time Surround Music favourites but there's been shedloads of new Atmos releases and among them are a selection that have quickly become supplementary good company to my old faithfuls

Same here.
Being a rock, country, blues fan, I just love all the work that's been done to bring all the classic albums from the 50s through today remasters, etc to give us great surround mixes.
OTOH, I'm finding the type of mastering being done on albums such as Yello - Point, Booka Shade, Some Steven Wilson mixes, a whole new mastering art. Many will simply refer to it as gimmickry and never come around to it, but I find it an exciting new path for recorded music. Yes, we need to put the old paradigm of music presentation being simply an attempt to reproduce a soundstage in the front of the room aside, and learn to appreciate the art of painting a musical 3D canvas. When done right/well I find it makes all else gaslight.
YMMV

 

[fredblue]

I'm a proud luddite now!

oh i'm far from tech-savvy and its Atmos a-go-go chez moi!

if anything, the Apple Music Spatial Audio way is easier than ever; one horrible little black plastic Apple TV box and one HDMI cable into a Receiver is all you need and you're ready to go-go gadget Atmos!

it seems the major labels took the WEF at their word when Schwab & co said "you will own nothing and you will be happy". they've adopted it as their business model for Surround going forward!

more seriously, the labels in cahoots with Tidal, Apple, Amazon, etc., seemingly used the last couple of years to all but kill off physical Surround and take it streaming. the pace has been startling, for better or worse and the process now feels irreversible.

i've never bought so few
new Surround discs as this year and yet there's more new Surround music to play than ever!

is all the new streaming Surround music worthwhile? no way!
was all the new Surround released worthwhile back when discs ruled? absolutely not.

all this streaming Atmos will never grace our shelves along with the SACD/DVD-A/DTS gems from the likes of Dutton Vocalion, Audio Fidelity, AP, Sony, Universal, WEA, Rhino, Panegyric, etc, etc.. but for as long as all that streaming Surround stuff's accessible in my Library i guess i'm gonna be happy owning nothing!

(i still hope Vocalion get some new Rock/Pop SACDs out soon, my ol' universal disc player needs to do some spinning before it seizes up! )

 

[Sal1950]

all this streaming Atmos will never grace our shelves along with the SACD/DVD-A/DTS gems from the likes of Dutton Vocalion, Audio Fidelity, AP, Sony, Universal, WEA, Rhino, Panegyric, etc, etc.. but for as long as all that streaming Surround stuff's accessible in my Library i guess i'm gonna be happy owning nothing!

Things really haven't changed for me that much. Before this multich streaming boom, I used the streamers to preview new releases , etc; to decide if I wanted to purchase a new album or not. Mostly the same deal now for me. What bothers me most today is the rampant "bait and switch" scheme in play. They put the Atmos tag on albums, only to find out there's only a couple songs mixed that way, the rest are common stereo.