Module 2.2 – The Dolby Atmos Renderer Running on Rendering and Mastering Workstations – Dolby Professional Support Learning

Topics covered in this article:

Components and required interconnections using a Windows Rendering and Mastering Workstation (RMW) with MADI I/O using RME HDSPe cards or a RME MADI FX card
Components and required interconnections of a Windows or Mac RMW with MADI I/O using a RME MADIFaceXT Interface
Components and required interconnections of a Windows or Mac RMW with Dante I/O

Introduction

The Dolby Atmos Renderer running on an external workstation licensed as the Dolby Atmos Mastering Suite is the flagship configuration of the Dolby Atmos Renderer. It is recommended for complex Dolby Atmos content creation, as it separates the CPU usage of the Dolby Atmos Renderer from that of the digital audio workstation (DAW). It also enables the use of multiple playback workstations as simultaneous sources for the Dolby Atmos Renderer, split for premix or editorial reasons.

RMWs are purchased from authorized Dolby resellers and come preconfigured / tested with all necessary hardware and software. A list of authorized Dolby Atmos Suite resellers can be found here.

RMWs with MADI I/O

Three configurations are available for RMWs that use MADI for sending digital audio to and from the DAW: two system configurations with Windows-based RMWs and one system with a Mac-based RMW.

Primary Components of a Windows-Based MADI System using RME MADI Cards

A Dolby Atmos RMW using MADI I/O and a qualified DAW consists of these primary components:

Dolby Atmos RMW, a dedicated Windows custom Dell 7920 or approved macOS configuration. The workstation includes the following components:

Dolby Atmos RMW, a custom Dell 7920 workstation with the following components:
- - RME HDSPe configuration
    - - Two RME HDSPe MADI cards preinstalled for 128 channels of I/O
      - One RME TCO card preinstalled for LTC and clock input
      - Dolby Atmos Renderer software installed and authorized with a supplied Dolby Atmos Mastering Suite license
  - RME MADI FX configuration
DAW running supported software. This system includes the following components:
- - Supported DAW software with native Atmos panning and direct connection to the Renderer or DAW software using the Dolby Atmos Music Panner Plug-in
  - Hardware to connect 128 channels of MADI I/O
  - Dolby Atmos Renderer Remote software (included with the Renderer installer)

(The Renderer Remote can optionally be installed on a separate Mac or Windows-based system to conserve screen real estate on the DAW system.)

A synchronization peripheral to generate LTC for the RMW and for clocking the DAW to the same Word Clock (WC) source as the RMW or the Dolby LTC Generator plug-in.

Please see Appendix A for information about the required configuration of additional RME software components used in a Windows-based MADI System.

Primary Components of a Windows-Based or Mac-Based MADI System using the RME MADIFaceXT Interface

A Dolby Atmos RMW using MADI I/O and a qualified DAW consists of these primary components:

Dolby Atmos RMW, a custom Dell 7920 workstation with the following components:
- - RME MADIface XT USB 3.0 Interface
  - Dolby Atmos Renderer software installed and authorized with a supplied Dolby Atmos Mastering Suite license
DAW running supported software. This system includes the following components:
- - Supported DAW software with native Atmos panning and direct connection to the Renderer or DAW software using the Dolby Atmos Music Panner Plug-in
  - Hardware to connect 128 channels of MADI I/O
  - Dolby Atmos Renderer Remote software (included with the Renderer installer)
A synchronization peripheral to generate LTC for the RMW and for clocking the DAW to the same house Word Clock (WC) source as the RMW. Alternatively, the Dolby LTC Generator plug-in running on the DAW.

Please see Appendix A for information on the required configuration of additional RME software components used in Windows-based or Mac-based MADI Systems using the MADIFaceXT Interface.

RMWs with Dante I/O

Dolby Atmos Mastering Suite v3.0 introduced support for both Windows and Mac-based RMWs that use the Dante audio-over-IP protocol for audio input and output. The Dante-based workstation configuration is quite similar between both platforms.

Dante-based RMWs require fewer connections to operate but are more complex to set up than MADI-based systems due to routing and configuration.

Before working with Dante for the first time, we recommend watching the “Getting Started with Dante” and “Dante Controller 101” videos available from Audinate:

https://www.audinate.com/learning/training-certification/video-tutorials

Primary Components of a Dante-Based System

A Dolby Atmos RMW using Dante I/O and a qualified DAW consists of these primary components:

Dolby Atmos RMW, a dedicated Windows custom Dell 7920 or approved macOS configuration. The workstation includes the following components:

(A Mac Mini or Mac Pro 6 will require the use of an approved PCIe Thunderbolt Expansion Chassis. This will be Thunderbolt 2 or 3, depending on the Mac model.)

- - Dolby Atmos Renderer software installed and authorized with a Dolby Atmos Mastering Suite license
  - Audinate analog-to-Dante converter for LTC
Mac-based digital audio workstation system running supported software. This system includes the following components:

(The Renderer Remote can optionally be installed on a separate Mac or Windows system to conserve screen real estate on the DAW system.)

A Dante-compatible network switch with all devices connected in a “star” topology (each device on the network must connect directly to the Dante-compatible Ethernet switch).
A synchronization peripheral to generate LTC for the RMW and for clocking the DAW to the same Word Clock (WC) source as the RMW. Alternatively, the the Dolby LTC Generator plug-in running on the DAW.

Please see Appendix B for information on the required configuration of additional Audinate and Focusrite software components used in Windows-based or Mac-based Dante Systems.

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