Is spatial sound the future of rap?
Over 1,000 recording studios are using Dolby Atmos' spatial sound tech to produce music, including Atlanta's Means Street Studios. Founded by Lil Wayne producer DJ Drama and Generation Now label co-founder Don Cannon, who's produced tracks for the likes of Jack Harlow and Lil Uzi Vert, Means Street hosts artists as well as mix engineers like Leslie Brathwaite, who's worked with stars like Pharrell Williams, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, and Eminem.
In an interview and studio tour, Cannon and Brathwaite tell PCMag how their approach to making music has evolved after picking up Atmos.
"It actually changed me as a producer," Cannon said, who played an Atmos version of Harlow's "First Class" in Means Street's studio.
Comparing the song with its regular version, the audio difference is apparent. To my ears, the Atmos version has harder-hitting bass notes, crisper mid-tones, and sounds higher-fidelity overall. The songs are intense in the fully loaded studio, but it's possible to tell the difference even at home on earbuds or on a home entertainment system. Just a single Sonos soundbar, for instance, can deliver Atmos audio with an elevated spatial feel.
Dolby's software for recording studios consists, in part, of a 3D tool alongside the ability to add an unlimited number of different track elements that appear on-screen as 3D circles, to put it simply. Those circles can be moved around inside a square 3D space with a head in the center, signifying the listener.
For example, if a bass circle is moved behind the 3D head, you'll hear that sound as though it's coming from behind you. While that might sound obvious enough, those circles can be moved at any point in the song to effectively change the "location" from which they're being heard.
It's easy to see how different song styles and moods will look different on Atmos' software. A song like "First Class," which has relaxed, warm energy, has its elements on either side of the listener like parentheses.
"It just hugs you," Cannon said, adding that he visualized Harlow's track as a bit like a wrestling ring with "the strings all around" the listener.
Other Atmos songs can be more dramatic and underscore sounds coming in abruptly from different directions. Cannon is working on a song that features the voice of the rapper's mother and a door slamming, so he's placing those sounds in spots separate from the main voice and other musical elements on the track to immerse the listener in the song's world.
"It still has to feel authentic to the story," Brathwaite said of his approach to the tech.
If you're looking to listen to some Atmos songs, they aren't yet ubiquitous even though the tech has been around for years. Atmos tracks are not on Spotify but can be heard on Amazon Music and Tidal, as well as Apple Music, where subscribers can enable Dolby Atmos on their iPhones.
Dolby has deals with a few car manufacturers, like Mercedes and Volvo, to power Atmos audio in their vehicles. There are also plenty of home speakers with Atmos hardware on the market.
In the future, Cannon says he plans to produce "everything" he's working on in Atmos—and Brathwaite shared a similar stance.
"We are used to hearing stereo," Brathwaite said, adding: "What Dolby Atmos represents is probably the biggest jump in the 'It got better' phase."