The result would be 2023′sAnd in service of Feist’s immersive vision, her manager, Robbie Lackritz, decided to offer more than just a simple stereo release. He made a mix of the album using Dolby Atmos – the latest offering from Dolby Laboratories, which has spent decades refining surround-sound technology.
The California audio-tech company has very specific requirements for recording engineers when mixing the format – including a minimum of seven surround-sound speakers, four above, and a subwoofer system. But its chief selling point is that you don’t need the same expensive, costly setup to enjoy it. More than 90 per cent of Billboard’s most-listened-to songs of 2023 were available in Atmos format, says John Couling, Dolby’s senior vice-president of entertainment. And he says more than 1,000 studios worldwide are now equipped to use it. “We’re starting to see records now where they imagined it from the beginning in Dolby Atmos,” Couling says.
Much like with any new technology – lest we forget the non-fungible token boom of 2021 – long-time fans worry that the system will be gamed by those placing commerce above art. Cheaply made, bad-sounding Atmos mixes are already the subject of dismayed RedditStill, the embrace of immersive audio has the potential to be as consequential as audio’s shift from mono to stereo midway through the 20th century.
The immersive market is still young. Dolby is widely understood as the leader, but competitors are emerging, including Sony’s 360 Reality Audio – as well as Google and Samsung’s fast-developing Immersive Audio Model and Formats. Things could change quickly if – likely when – the untapped giants of streaming embrace immersive audio. “Whoever gets to YouTube or Spotify has a great opportunity,” Gray says.