Dolby Atmos Composer

Name: Dolby Atmos Composer
Price: 234.25 USD
Author: Fiedler Audio

by Fiedler Audio · Imaging · Dolby Atmos mixing toolset

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Dolby Atmos Composer is a Dolby-approved toolset from Fiedler Audio for mixing Dolby Atmos inside any DAW, even one limited to stereo tracks.

It includes the Beam panner, multichannel monitoring up to 9.1.6, a Master Channel for OBAM plugins and ADM/BWF import and export, for $249.

Best for: Mix Bus, Mastering, Sound Design. Genres: all genres.

Keywords: mixing, mix bus, bus processing, full mix, spacious, auto-pan, mastering, perpetual licence, rent-to-own, sound design.

What it does

Dolby Atmos Composer is a plugin toolset for making Dolby Atmos mixes in any DAW, including DAWs that only offer stereo outputs. A Beam plugin on each track sends audio straight to one Composer instance on the main output bus, which handles the Atmos mix, monitoring and export without manual routing or an external app.

Dolby Atmos Beam: the panning plugin. It positions sources around the listener, can run automated movement patterns, pans to the composite or to dynamic objects, and has shortcuts for preset speaker positions.
Monitoring: speaker setups from stereo and binaural through 5.1, 5.1.2, 5.1.4, 7.1, 7.1.2, 7.1.4, 9.1.4 and 9.1.6, monitored from the plugin.
Master Channel: processes the whole Atmos mix, up to 128 channels, with OBAM plugins, working like a mix bus processor.
Spacelab integration: connects directly to Fiedler's Spacelab 3D reverb, with sources set up as dynamic objects on any speaker layout.
Delivery: ADM/BWF import and export, simultaneous speaker and headphone export, and integrated loudness measurement.
Mix organisation: channel descriptions and groups, downmix and trim settings, frame rate and timecode, and an individual composite per connection.
Approval: the developer states it is approved by Dolby Labs.

A trial can be downloaded. It is sold perpetual, or rent-to-own over 3, 6 or 12 months. The free Essential edition runs at 48 kHz only and drops the Master Channel, loudness measurement, timecode, downmix/trim settings, channel groups and simultaneous speaker/headphone export.

Source: Fiedler Audio product page

When to use it

Dolby Atmos Composer is the pick when you want to mix in Atmos inside the DAW you already use, even if it has no multichannel support. Sound On Sound found its routing simpler and more music-friendly than Dolby's own Atmos Renderer, though it lacks the monitor EQ and delay a certified room setup needs. Unlike stereo imaging tools such as Ozone Imager or StageOne 2, it places sounds in a full 3D speaker layout rather than widening a stereo image. It also does not upmix finished stereo stems the way Halo Upmix does, so the two work well together.

Best for: Dolby Atmos music mixes in DAWs without native Atmos support, and headphone-based binaural Atmos mixing without a speaker room.
Genres: any style; music mixing is the main focus.
Look elsewhere if: your DAW already has a full Atmos workflow you are happy with, or you need monitor EQ and delay for a calibrated room (the Dolby Atmos Renderer covers that).

What producers say

Reviewers see it as a real step forward for Atmos music mixing in ordinary DAWs.

Sound On Sound (Phil Ward, 2023) praised that it brings Atmos mixing to all DAWs, its simplified routing, binaural headphone mixing and the Spacelab link, calling it "significantly more friendly to work with in a music mix context".
Criticisms: no tempo-synced panning, no monitor EQ or delay, and stereo sources used as objects can behave unpredictably when folded to mono.

Sound On Sound review

Where to buy

Tutorials and reviews

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