Dolby Atmos, Wildsound, and the Future of Sound in Cinema
Dolby Atmos was introduced by Dolby Laboratories back in April 2012 and was first used by Disney and Pixar for their animated film Brave. It is a step up from the previous 7.1, 5.1, stereo and mono technology used by sound engineers for feature films and advertisements alike.
But what is Dolby Atmos? Let's watch a quick clip from Dolby's YouTube channel below.
A SOUND FORMAT: Dolby Atmos allows sound to be moved around as if it's in three-dimensional space. It utilizes multiple numbers of speakers where a certain object, a dialog or a sound effect, can be placed precisely at, and can then be panned around during mixing. It allows for 128 tracks of audio, each can be assigned to an individual channel, and can be controlled by the Atmos panner, a plugin for Avid's audio workstation software ProTools.
AN EXPERIENCE: Watching a film in Atmos is an awesome experience. With this technological advancement in sound, you can be placed at the exact time and space as the characters in the film you're watching. Bullets will whizz past your ear and helicopters overhead can be heard as they reach the ground for landing.
DOLBY ATMOS & WILDSOUND STUDIOS
Wildsound Studios is no stranger to the Atmos technology. In fact, we have a studio capable of providing and mixing Atmos for feature films. Designed by Walters-Storyk Design Group, it is a testament to the dedication of giving only quality services for clients big or small.
THE FUTURE: Atmos clearly is the future of sound in cinema and in video streaming services. Hardware manufacturers have also taken advantage of this technology. Most blu-ray players nowadays, partnered with a capable sound-bar, are capable of decoding Atmos content for home theater applications.
Just this August, Amazon Prime Video, another streaming giant, already introduced Dolby Atmos to it's platform. Netflix, in fact already has a few titles in it's belt which sport the Atmos content logo.
Screenshot grabbed from Netflix Windows 10 Application
In preparation for all of these, Bhaskar Pal and Geoffrey Low, senior content service engineers from Dolby Singapore, flew to Manila to provide training for the team in Atmos for Home content.
From left to right: Bhaskar Pal, Geoffrey Low, Wildsound CEO Mike Idioma
In their two-day stay in the Philippines, Bhaskar and Geoffrey shared knowledge on how to setup a mixing session dedicated only to Atmos for home set-up, a huge step in the creation of deliverables for future feature films once the demand for blu-ray material with Atmos audio becomes an accepted standard. They've also provided insight to the sound engineers on how things are done on big foreign titles that can also be used on the way audio is mixed in Filipino cinema.
Representatives from Goldenduck were also present during the two-day visit, exchanging ideas with the Dolby people on how to improve upon the systems currently used in the Philippines when it comes to digital cinema.
All in all, the visit was fruitful for both parties. Bhaskar and Geoffrey got to experience Filipino food once more in this nth time they've visited the country, sharing stories and common foreign phrases from their native tongue over lunch and merienda.
We are grateful and looking forward to seeing this people again, until next time!