Dolby Atmos & Spatial Audio
Immersive audio for music, film and television. Mixed and delivered to the standard each format requires.
Dolby Atmos places sound in three-dimensional space. Rather than a flat stereo field or a fixed surround configuration, Atmos treats every sonic element as an object that can be positioned and moved anywhere around and above the listener. The result is an experience that stereo simply cannot replicate.
For music, it means a listener can be placed inside the recording rather than in front of it. For film, it means a cinematic sound environment that translates accurately from a theatrical screen to a home entertainment system. The technical requirements for achieving this correctly are specific and unforgiving. Getting them wrong can lead to the project being rejected by the distribution agents.
Where the work is done
Dolby Atmos mixing and mastering is finalised at TYX Studios, Tileyard London. TYX is a purpose-built Dolby Atmos suite with 7.2.4 Neumann monitoring and Audient ORIA immersive audio technology. Tileyard is Europe's largest creative community, and TYX is one of the UK's leading dedicated Atmos facilities.
The studio provides both the monitoring environment and the technical infrastructure required for compliant Atmos delivery across music, film, and broadcast formats.
Dolby Atmos for Music
Apple Music, Amazon Music and Tidal all support Dolby Atmos releases. For the right project, an Atmos mix does not just add a format. It changes the listening experience entirely. The question worth asking before any Atmos project begins is whether the music genuinely benefits from three-dimensional space, and if so, how to use that space to serve the music rather than simply to demonstrate the technology.
STEELPAN & IMMERSIVE AUDIO
Steelpan & Immersive Audio
The Steelpan is one of the few instruments that truly demands an immersive format. A Steelpan orchestra fills the space in every direction. The overtones of the instrument extend and decay in ways that a stereo mix, however well executed, cannot fully represent. Dolby Atmos gives Steelpan music the spatial environment it actually occupies when performed.
From solo Steelpan to full panorama orchestras, the immersive audio format reveals the full acoustic character of the instrument. The market for Steelpan releases in Dolby Atmos is wide open. We encourage artists, ensembles and orchestras to take full advantage of this opportunity.
We worked directly with engineers at Dolby Laboratories in London to develop the first Pro Tools template for Steelpan panorama in Dolby Atmos. This required mapping the spatial behaviour of the instrument across an immersive audio framework for the first time. We build on that technical foundation with every Steelpan Atmos project we take on.
We delivered the Dolby Atmos remaster of DHAT, The Morning Star of Lopinot by The Samaroo Jets, distributed by Sanch Electronix, one of Trinidad and Tobago's most respected Steelpan labels. The Samaroo Jets are among the most celebrated Steelpan ensembles in the world. Being trusted to deliver their music in immersive audio is not something we take lightly.
Dolby Atmos music masters are not limited to streaming platforms. The format can also be delivered for physical media. A Steelpan Atmos release can be packaged as a premium physical product on USB drive, bundling the stereo master, the immersive audio master, video content, artwork, and liner notes in a single release. K-Pop artists and other genres have established this model with their audiences. Steelpan artists and orchestras can do the same. Ask us about .mp4 delivery options when we speak.
ATMOS FOR INDEPENDENT ARTISTS
Atmos for Independent Artists
For independent artists in other genres, Dolby Atmos is a growing release format rather than a standard one. Whether an Atmos mix serves your music depends on the nature of the production, the creative intent, and how the release will be heard. These are conversations worth having before the mix begins, not after.
If you are considering an Atmos release, get in touch and we will talk through whether it is the right approach for your project and what it would involve.
Dolby Atmos for Film & Television
Netflix, Amazon, Disney+, Apple TV+ and other home entertainment streaming platforms all support or require Dolby Atmos deliverables for certain content. The technical specifications for each platform are not identical, and the requirements for theatrical release, broadcast transmission, and home entertainment distribution also differ.
We deliver Dolby Atmos mixes for independent film and documentaries to the specifications required by the intended distribution route. Whether that is theatrical screenings, broadcast transmission, or home entertainment. Each deliverable is built to the correct technical standard for its format.
Post-production supervision is available for projects that need guidance through the full audio post process, from production planning and stem preparation through to final delivery and quality control.
The Technical Foundation
Dolby Atmos is not simply a mixing format. It is a delivery ecosystem with specific requirements at every stage, from session setup and object routing through to metadata, loudness compliance, and final rendering. Getting the creative result right and the technical delivery right are equally demanding, and they require different kinds of knowledge. That is a reason to work with Zab.
We worked directly with engineers at Dolby Laboratories in London during the development of the first Pro Tools template for Steelpan panorama in Dolby Atmos. That collaboration gave us a detailed understanding of how Atmos works at the engineering level. Not just how to use the tools, but how the format processes and renders spatial information. We build on that technical foundation with every Atmos project we take on, regardless of genre or format.
Dolby no longer issues individual engineer certifications. What we have instead is direct technical experience, developed in collaboration with Dolby's own engineers, and a consistent track record of delivering compliant Atmos mixes across music and film.
Considering a Dolby Atmos project?
Whether you are a Steelpan artist exploring immersive audio for the first time, an independent musician considering an Atmos release, or a filmmaker delivering to platform specification. The starting point is a conversation about what your project needs and whether Atmos is the right approach for it.