5.1, 7.1 headphones not needed anymore. Dolby Atmos -or similar- + Stereo headphones = Paradise.

[Cyan]

One of the best things that happened to videogames.

Yesterday while messing with the options, I realized that Resident Evil 2 Reamek has the option to use Dolby Atmos. Two or 3 years ago I purchased Dolby Atmos for Windows 10 which costs 17€ (Dolby Access app).

I had some regular headphones around and I had them abandoned. Then.... I noticed that Dolby Atmos was enabled in Windows 10 on my Roland SD-50 and connected the headphones to the PC.

Then I enabled Dolby Atmos in Resident Evil 2 Remake and it's one of the best video game experiences I've ever lived.

I knew when I had a zombie behind, left, front right, front-left, etc., by sound alone. I knew everything! That helps a lot because you turn around in situations that without that positional sound you wouldn't hear if something is behind, on one side, etc., but either you'd pass by or get a good bite on your neck.

Not to mention the sound quality, as Dolby Atmos emphasizes bass. You can also set different settings for games. (it has Detailed, Balanced, or Warm mode, and everything disabled for competitive gaming, which I don't care about).

Set it to Balanced but I will set it ti Detailed when I play again, because it is spectacular.

With improvements like this the 5.1 and 7.1 headphones seem a little old-fashioned..

Dolby Atmos is something akin to the so-called 8 D sound but even better.

Unlike 5.1 or 7.1 headphones where the sound comes from fixed positions with fixed speakers, with Dolby Atmos a licker sound for example, is moving with you.

That is, if there is a licker to the right in front and you move forward, their sound is approaching your right, and as you move away the sound sounds back to your right. It's amazing.

The sound also sounds up your head or down, as in reality.

In a media as interactive as video games this is the best there is.

Good stereo headphones -Sennheiser for instance - , Dolby Atmos and .... start championing.

 

[Rangers]

I got the Vizio Dolby Atmos soundbar for 299.

I cant stand headphones, except for occasional music listening...

 

[Nesh]

So what do you need to access this sound set up? Purchase the app and also an appropriate headset? Or would the app suffice with standard stereo headset?

I would also like to mention something about this game's sound since the opportunity has been brought.
I am using a standard 5.1 home theater but I get the impression that Capcom has done some wonders with how sound is produced.
No Atmos here yet sometimes I have the impression that if the Tyrant is walking one floor above me, the game produces convincing sound direction that makes the Tyrant's steps sound like they are actually above.

 

[Cyan]

I got the Vizio Dolby Atmos soundbar for 299.

I cant stand headphones, except for occasional music listening...

sound bars for Atmos are actually mentioned here and they are fine

So what do you need to access this sound set up? Purchase the app and also an appropriate headset? Or would the app suffice with standard stereo headset?

Dolby Atmos app for Windows 10 and stereo headphones, even cheap ones. Enable Spatial sound in Windows 10, Dolby Atmos for Headphones and that's it. It even works with external synths like my Roland SD-50.

I would also like to mention something about this game's sound since the opportunity has been brought.
I am using a standard 5.1 home theater but I get the impression that Capcom has done some wonders with how sound is produced.
No Atmos here yet sometimes I have the impression that if the Tyrant is walking one floor above me, the game produces convincing sound direction that makes the Tyrant's steps sound like they are actually above.

Wow..., I didnt know about that, and that's something that puzzles me not about 5.1 but Atmos with speakers. How they reproduce the sound below you?

Dolby Atmos for headphones does this convincingly enough, because the sounds come to you as if they were below you. It plays with our brain's algorithms.

 

[jlippo]

sound bars for Atmos are actually mentioned here and they are fine

Dolby Atmos app for Windows 10 and stereo headphones, even cheap ones. Enable Spatial sound in Windows 10, Dolby Atmos for Headphones and that's it. It even works with external synths like my Roland SD-50.


Wow..., I didnt know about that, and that's something that puzzles me not about 5.1 but Atmos with speakers. How they reproduce the sound below you?

Dolby Atmos for headphones does this convincingly enough, because the sounds come to you as if they were below you. It plays with our brain's algorithms.

I'm not sure if Atmos has ability to have sound source under you.
At least there is no home or theatre spec for full freedom with placement of speakers. (Really disappointing.)

If the format allows carrying sounds in full sphere around viewer, it should be trivial to play with headphones though. (And amazing with head tracked ones.)

Only proper information I have found is this.
Authoring for Dolby® Atmos™ Cinema Sound Manual

 

[orangpelupa]

The sound also sounds up your head or down, as in reality

How did they do that without head tracking or accelerometer in the headphones? That's really interesting

 

[Cyan]

I'm not sure if Atmos has ability to have sound source under you.
At least there is no home or theatre spec for full freedom with placement of speakers. (Really disappointing.)

If the format allows carrying sounds in full sphere around viewer, it should be trivial to play with headphones though. (And amazing with head tracked ones.)
I tested it on headphones and it works well, but on speakers dunno if they solved that.
Only proper information I have found is this.
Authoring for Dolby® Atmos™ Cinema Sound Manual

How did they do that without head tracking or accelerometer in the headphones? That's really interesting

it's akin to the so called and totally in fashion, 8D sound.

This super smart guy -a genius- explains it well -subtitles recommended, but his subtitles in english are basically perfect-:

 

[Rangers]

sound bars for Atmos are actually mentioned here and they are fine

I like mine, such that I can tell vs 5.1. Before I didn't even have surround speakers just a 2.1, so it was worth it for the jump to 5.1 alone never mind Atmos. Both seems to have a bit of diminishing returns though for anyone not an audiophile. I'd say the jump to a soundbar (or anything not coming out of the TV basically) and a dedicated subwoofer is the biggest, but each one after (5.1, then Atmos) is nice too.

Dolby has a nice free app with a few atmos demo on the Xbox store, a few short clips designed to show off the Atmos sound, one has a rainy jungle scene with rain feeling like it comes from all around and even above and rumbling bass. Feels like a mini movie theatre and for 299 (audiophiles dont read that).

One notable thing is you do not have to pay anything to enable Atmos for the soundbar with Xbox.

Ori Will O Wisps seems a tech showcase both in HDR and running Atmos.

 

[orangpelupa]

it's akin to the so called and totally in fashion, 8D sound.

This super smart guy -a genius- explains it well -subtitles recommended, but his subtitles in english are basically perfect-:

Now I'm even more confused.
How about with the usual binaural sound? Sound can be heard as if it come from any position around you.

Edit
Oh. Maybe it's like this? Binaural sound only can make sound comes from around you, but Dolby atmos allows sound to goes up and down following your head position.

Im still confused how the di that without any sensors. I'll head to their atmos headphones page and read some stuff

EDIT2
now im even more confused, nearing the end of that video, he does mention binaural recording. The way making this 8D audio in analogue.

EDIT3
i think i misunderstood this post!

"the sound also sounds goes up your head or down, as in reality"

I though that means the sound will go up or down, as you move your head, as in reality. But now i think that means the sound will be as if it comes from above or under, as in reality.

no head tacking without sensors for atmos.

 

[orangpelupa]

I like mine, such that I can tell vs 5.1. Before I didn't even have surround speakers just a 2.1, so it was worth it for the jump to 5.1 alone never mind Atmos. Both seems to have a bit of diminishing returns though for anyone not an audiophile. I'd say the jump to a soundbar (or anything not coming out of the TV basically) and a dedicated subwoofer is the biggest, but each one after (5.1, then Atmos) is nice too.

Dolby has a nice free app with a few atmos demo on the Xbox store, a few short clips designed to show off the Atmos sound, one has a rainy jungle scene with rain feeling like it comes from all around and even above and rumbling bass. Feels like a mini movie theatre and for 299 (audiophiles dont read that).

One notable thing is you do not have to pay anything to enable Atmos for the soundbar with Xbox.

Ori Will O Wisps seems a tech showcase both in HDR and running Atmos.

As a bonus, AFAIK all dolby apps also able to upmix stereo content to X (5.1ch, 7.1ch, atmos) with nice result. Currently i'm using dolby digital plus for 5.1ch and i quite like its upmixing feature. Not only just for your usual stereo songs, but also for binaural songs from Chesky Records.

 

[jlippo]

The video talks about binaural like tech recorded either by binaural microphones or in terms of games using proper filtering and such to record similar sound virtually. (object based 3D audio arriving the virtual head and filters will fit it to 2 channels.)
This should be quite 'easy' to fit on any software which has usual object based sound, without need for atmos etc.

 

[orangpelupa]

The video talks about binaural like tech recorded either by binaural microphones or in terms of games using proper filtering and such to record similar sound virtually. (object based 3D audio arriving the virtual head and filters will fit it to 2 channels.)
This should be quite 'easy' to fit on any software which has usual object based sound, without need for atmos etc.

AFAIK almost all VR games used object based sound. Although only very few of them properly implemented them with proper mixing and audio FX. Even AAA dev like Square Enix use incorrect implementation (it seems the audio comes from a room instead of outdoor, and the audio didnt have elevation) in FF Fishing VR (forgot the title)

btw microsoft have the free alternative to Atmos, it was dubbed as "Windows Sonic" or something. It doesnt have ability to upmix stereo content tho.

 

[jlippo]

AFAIK almost all VR games used object based sound. Although only very few of them properly implemented them with proper mixing and audio FX. Even AAA dev like Square Enix use incorrect implementation (it seems the audio comes from a room instead of outdoor, and the audio didnt have elevation) in FF Fishing VR (forgot the title)

btw microsoft have the free alternative to Atmos, it was dubbed as "Windows Sonic" or something. It doesnt have ability to upmix stereo content tho.

I would say that most games half recent 3D engines use object based sound, at least from Crysis onward.
How they mix for speakers and headphones.. well there is possibly the problem.

Would love to have a proper speaker setup system which would allow arbitrary locations size management.
Something like AR speaker mapping app for a phone. (Would be nice for monitor setup as well.)

Been using windows sonic for a while now, sounds quite nice.

 

[orangpelupa]

I would say that most games half recent 3D engines use object based sound, at least from Crysis onward.
How they mix for speakers and headphones.. well there is possibly the problem.

Would love to have a proper speaker setup system which would allow arbitrary locations size management.
Something like AR speaker mapping app for a phone. (Would be nice for monitor setup as well.)

Been using windows sonic for a while now, sounds quite nice.

consider a headphone + subwoofer. Instead of full surround speakers. As 5.1ch or even atmos are a pain to setup, depending on your room and furniture.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Now I'm even more confused.
How about with the usual binaural sound? Sound can be heard as if it come from any position around you.

Binaural is 8D. They are new terms people are making up. Binaural typically mean in relation to recording though, where you have head simulation microphones for recording what a head hears, although you create the same to a degree with a two-mic recording and processing the HRTF to a binaural sound. At the end of the day, 'binaural' audio is a name for two-speaker audio that sounds positional. The quality of the capture/generation and accuracy for your own HRTF parameters affects the quality of dimensionality.

 

[jlippo]

consider a headphone + subwoofer. Instead of full surround speakers. As 5.1ch or even atmos are a pain to setup, depending on your room and furniture.

Oh I know, did 5.1.2 to our living room.

Anyway, a way to have active speakers linked together and just point them to software would be amazing.

 

[orangpelupa]

Oh I know, did 5.1.2 to our living room.

Anyway, a way to have active speakers linked together and just point them to software would be amazing.

That would be neat for calibration purposes. Although high-end sound system usually dedicated mic for auto calibration AFAIK (dunno how good it is, I only have cheapo sony 5.1ch)