Dolby Atmos setup for sfx editing

[D'Animation]

Hi,

I'm seeing a fair few posts relating to using the Dolby Atmos Production suite in premix rooms etc. I'm thinking about getting it to have a play and get my head around the workflow (as reading tends to only get me so far before I need to start doing...). Its mainly from a sfx editing pov as anything I mix is still 5.1 but atmos seems to be on the up

I'm currently running Protools HD Ultimate in a 5.1 room with an Avid Omni and Genelec 8330/8320/7360 speakers on an i7 mac mini 2018. What hardware would I need to get my room up to speed for this? Obviously, I need more i/o like an 8x8, a few more speakers and possibly a different monitor controller? And I need Dolby to support Mojave but anyway....

Just wondering what anyone else is using in this kind of setup or are they purely using the software but still monitoring in 5.1?
Thanks

[JR Fountain]

I'd be curious about this too. Not an inexpensive upgrade from what I was finding.

Looked at the Focusrite 16LINE ($4k CAN) and the MTRX (close to $10k CAN once you get the right cards in it). Then there's a monitor controller and the extra couple speakers.

JR

[D'Animation]

Originally Posted by JR Fountain

I'd be curious about this too. Not an inexpensive upgrade from what I was finding.

Looked at the Focusrite 16LINE ($4k CAN) and the MTRX (close to $10k CAN once you get the right cards in it). Then there's a monitor controller and the extra couple speakers.

JR

Yeah, think the monitor controller is the really hard one as 2nd hand i/o is easy enough to add on. Only advantage of the MTRX is I believe it can be your monitor controller + i/o in one with the speaker card. I originally looked at the Focusrite stuff but beware that they don't accurately imitate the HD i/o so there's a longer roundtrip latency

I'm guessing it will get more affordable/attainable for smaller setups but maybe its a bit too early to filter down to that level

[BScout]

You don’t need the “speaker card” (I’m assuming that refers to the SPQ card) for the MTRX to be a monitor controller. Out of the box, the stock MTRX can already operate as a controller and includes the DADman/ProMon license.

The SPQ adds per channel eq and delay ability. If you don’t need that, then you don’t need that card.

[D'Animation]

Originally Posted by BScout

You don’t need the “speaker card” (I’m assuming that refers to the SPQ card) for the MTRX to be a monitor controller. Out of the box, the stock MTRX can already operate as a controller and includes the DADman/ProMon license.

The SPQ adds per channel eq and delay ability. If you don’t need that, then you don’t need that card.

Yeah, most of the capable monitor controllers I'd looked at (eg. Intonato or m908 etc) all do the eq and delay calibration inside so I was calling it like for like when saying the MTRX could be monitor controller + I/o. To be honest though it hadn't occurred to me to go without some form of room calibration with that many speakers firing

[BScout]

The m908 is the first Grace to incorporate eq calibration.

And if you are using Genelecs, I would think you would /should use the GLM calibration. The SPQ card is quite a pricey add on and isn't really necessary depending on what your monitoring B chain is. After all, the SPQ card only came out about a year ago and the AX32/MTRX has been a great monitor controller for the years they have existed prior to that for ATMOS. The big thing is, with the base MTRX, you can do per channel level trim on inputs and outputs and also variable (user customizable) fold downs. And that's outside of the routing features. It's a pretty big step up from the Intonato and even the m908 is that regard.

And a basic MTRX with the SPQ card will run you near the price of an m908 (and if your speakers are AES or MADI, you don't need additional cards for conversion)

[mmillten]

Hi,

did you look at the Xilica Neutrino A1616 N (search for Frank Kruse here in the DUC. He uses it at his studio and wrote about it).
In conjunction with its Neutrino app it seems to be a powerful device at around 4-5k Euro.
The Dolby Atmos Production Suite can get processing power demanding (at least here in my room).

There was also a post at ProTools Expert about Surround Monitor Controller some time ago.

Cheers
Marc