Module 11.5 – Dolby Atmos Using Apple Logic Pro - Integrated Workflow

Topics covered in this article: 

• Introduction 
• Creating a New Project 
• Logic Settings 
• Project Settings 
• The Surround Panner 
• The 3D Object Panner 
• The Dolby Atmos Plug-in 
• Master Channel Strip Plug-ins 
• Loudness Measurements 
• Exporting an ADM BWF 
• Creating a New Project from an ADM BWF 
• Converting an Existing Project to Dolby Atmos

Introduction 

With the release of Logic Pro v10.7, Logic now supports a fully-integrated Dolby Atmos workflow. This module will cover the basic Logic Pro setup and workflow using the integrated Dolby Atmos workflow.  

It is still possible to use Logic Pro v10.7 with the Dolby Atmos Music Panner, Dolby Audio Bridge, and Dolby Atmos Renderer, though the new integrated Dolby Atmos tools cannot be used in combination with the Music Panner Workflow. That workflow is covered in the previous module.  

Creating a New Project 

• Create a new project from the New Project dialog: File>New from Template or Command+N 
• In the New Project tab, select Empty Project and set the following in project details: 
  • Sample Rate – 48 kHz 
    • • If a sample rate other than 48 kHz is selected, the audio will be up-/down-sampled to 48 kHz on export 
    • Frame Rate – 24 fps 
    • Spatial Audio – Dolby Atmos 
    • Surround Format – 7.1.2 

• • Click Create 
• By default, a new Logic Project requires at least 1 track. When a project is first created it will open the New Track dialog: 
  • Create 1 new audio track with the Audio Output set to Surround 

Logic Preferences 

• Navigate to Preferences from the Menu bar: Logic Pro>Preferences> General: 
  • In the Advanced tab, select Enable Complete Features 
  • In the Audio>I/O Assignments>Output tab, set the Surround output to match the physical speaker setup (i.e. 7.1.4) and verify the correct routing

• Close the Logic Preferences window

 

Project Settings 

• Navigate to Project Settings from the Menu bar: File>Project Settings>Audio 
  • In the Audio>General tab, verify the settings that were set when the project was created 
    • Sample Rate – 48 kHz 
    • Spatial Audio – Dolby Atmos 
    • Surround Format – 7.1.2 

The Surround Panner 

In a Dolby Atmos project, any track routed to the Surround output will be sent to the 7.1.2 bed (or the Surround Format set in Project Settings). The output of a track is visible in the track’s channel strip: 

Tracks routed to the Surround output will use the Surround Panner.  

• Double click on the Surround Panner icon to open the Surround Panner 
  

The speaker icons in the Surround Panner represent the channels of the Bed, with the 7 floor speakers in the outer ring, the 2 overhead speakers in the inner ring, and the LFE level in the slider at the bottom of the window.  

The pan puck in the graphical surround field at the top of the Surround Panner controls the surround routing to bed channels. The level sliders below the surround field provide independent control of the Center and LFE channel levels. The Elevation field at the top of the Surround Panner controls the height.  

The Surround Panner also has a Spherical pan mode that automatically adjusts the elevation based on the surround pan position.  

If the track input is stereo, the Surround Panner will change to the Stereo Surround Panner: 

Stereo inputs are represented by three pan pucks: a puck for the L(eft) signal, a puck for the R(ight) signal, and a third puck that represents the middle of the stereo image and controls both the L and R pucks as a group. 

In addition to different panning controls, the Stereo Surround Panner also includes a field for adjusting the Spread of the signal at the top of the Panner.  

 

The 3D Object Panner 

In order to assign a track to an object, the output must be changed to the 3D Object Panner: 

• In the track channel strip, change the output assignment in the output slot from Surround to 3D Object Panner 

The output will still be Surround, while the Panner icon will change to indicate the track is now assigned to an Object and is using the 3D Object Panner: 

• Double click on the 3D Object Panner icon to open the 3D Object Panner

The 3D Object Panner can be used to control the position and size of an object. 

The 3D Object Panner window contains two grids. Change the position of the puck in the upper grid to move the object left, right, front, and back. Change the position of the puck in the lower grid to move the object up, down, left, and right. 

 

The 3D Object Panner also contains fields to indicate and control specific parameters: 

• Left/Right - Indicates the left or right position of the object 
• Back/Front - Indicates the front or back position of the object 
• Elevation - Indicates the up or down position of the object 
• Size - Changes the perceived size of the object 

If the track input is stereo, the 3D Object Panner will change to the Stereo 3D Object Panner:

Stereo objects are represented by three pan pucks: a puck for the L(eft) signal, a puck for the R(ight) signal, and a third puck that represents the middle of the stereo image and controls both the L and R pucks as a group. 

In addition to different panning controls, the Stereo 3D Object Panner also includes a field for adjusting the Spread of the signal at the top of the Panner.  

Panning automation can be recorded live using the panner puck as well as manually edited using automation curves and editing tools within logic.  

The Dolby Atmos Plug-in 

When Spatial Audio is set to Dolby Atmos in Project Settings, Logic automatically inserts the Dolby Atmos plug-in on the surround master channel strip: 

• Double-click the Dolby Atmos plug-in to open the plug-in window 

The Dolby Atmos plug-in allows for the visualization and control of various parameters of a Dolby Atmos mix: 

• 3D Room View: 
  • The Dolby Atmos plug-in shows a box representing the 3D space of the mix. Object position and size is represented by spheres 
    • The perspective of the box can be changed using any of the preset perspectives: 
      

• • • As well as by clicking and dragging within the virtual room 
  • Individual objects can be highlighted by clicking their names in the 3D Objects list 
• Monitoring Format: 
  • The Monitoring Format dropdown menu allows for the selection of different monitoring formats: 
    

• • The currently selected format affects: 
    • How the mix is monitored 
      • Note that Output assignments may need to be adjusted when switching between surround monitoring formats such as 5.1 and 7.1 
    • The channels monitored/metered in plug-ins placed after the Dolby Atmos plug-in on the Master channel strip 
    • The surround format used for bouncing to individual surround stems 
  • The Monitoring Format does not affect export to ADM BWF 
    
• Binaural Render Mode Settings:  
  • When the Monitoring Format is set to Binaural - Dolby Renderer, the Binaural Render mode of individual bed channels and objects can be adjusted. 
    

• • Refer to Module 7.5 for more information on Binaural Render Modes 
    

Master Channel Strip Plug-ins 

When using the integrated Dolby Atmos workflow in Logic Pro, it is possible to place certain surround plug-ins (such as Multichannel Gain, Limiting, EQ, Metering, and Loudness Measurement) on the Master channel strip both before and after the Dolby Atmos plug-in.  



Surround plug-ins inserted before the Dolby Atmos plug-in only affect the bed tracks and are audible only in the surround format of the project (i.e. 7.1.2).  

Signal processing plug-ins (such as dynamics and eq) should be placed before the Dolby Atmos plug-in (knowing that they will only affect the bed). Care should be taken when applying dynamics processing on the Master channel strip, as gain and dynamics applied only to the bed can produce unexpected results.  

Metering plug-ins can be placed before the Dolby Atmos plug-in, but they will show levels prior to the Dolby Atmos Renderer and should not be used for loudness measurements.  

Surround plug-ins inserted after the Dolby Atmos plug-in display channel meters for 7.1.4, but will only affect/meter audio levels for the current Monitoring Format selected in the Dolby Atmos Plug-in. 

Loudness Measurements 

To measure the loudness of a mix: 

• The Loudness plug-in must be inserted after the Dolby Atmos plug-in 
• The Monitoring Format in the Dolby Atmos plug-in must be set to 5.1 for the duration of the loudness pass 
• Set the playhead to the beginning of the mix  
• Reset the Loudness plug-in 

• Press start in the Loudness plug-in 
• Play the mix in its entirety  
• Use the Integrated Loudness measurement (in LUFS)

True Peaks can be metered by placing the metering plug-in after the Dolby Atmos plug-in. 5.1 should be used as the Monitoring Format for determining maximum True Peak levels as well.  

Exporting an ADM BWF Atmos Master 

To export a finished mix to ADM BWF: 

• Ensure that in/out points have been set for the mix 
• Navigate to File>Export> Project as ADM BWF… or Selection as ADM BWF… 

• Choose a destination and filename and click Save 
  

Creating a New Project from an ADM BWF Atmos Master 

An ADM BWF Dolby Atmos master can be imported into Logic as a New Project. This project will import the 7.1.2 bed to a single 7.1.2 track, as well as all objects to individual tracks with associated panning and size metadata. This is useful for transferring projects between DAWs, mastering, and other interoperability workflows.  

To Create a New Project from ADM BWF: 

• Navigate to File>Import>Create Project from ADM BWF… 
• Select the file to import 
• Click Open 

Converting an Existing Project to Dolby Atmos 

An existing Logic project not mixed in Dolby Atmos can be converted to a Dolby Atmos project.  

With the project open:  

• Navigate to Mix>Dolby Atmos or Project Settings>Audio>General 
• Set the Project Settings for Dolby Atmos: 
  • Sample Rate – 48 kHz 
  • Spatial Audio – Dolby Atmos 
  • Surround Format – 7.1.2 
    

All tracks will be converted to Surround tracks and set to use the Surround Panner.

Navigation

Next: Module 11.6 – Dolby Atmos Using Ableton Live 
Previous: Module 11.4 – Dolby Atmos Using Apple Logic Pro and the Dolby Atmos Music Panner