Exporting a Dolby Atmos Master File (ADM)

In addition to your stereo mix, some distribution services will accept an immersive mix. Streaming services expect your immersive mix to be delivered in the Dolby Atmos (ADM.wav) file format.

Some things to consider when publishing your immersive mix:

• Currently, all services require a stereo mix in addition to the immersive mix. You can upload a stereo mix without immersive, but not the opposite.
• In some cases there is an extra charge to upload immersive content
• In some cases, the listener may be required to purchase a higher tier on their streaming service to hear immersive content
• In other cases, a listener might be presented the immersive mix by default rather than your stereo mix
• Make sure to export a matching stereo mix with the same Start and End times from your session. Music distributors require a stereo mix of the exact same length as the immersive .adm mix
• Although it is possible to create a 96k immersive mix, all services are currently limited to 48kHz sample rate. If you want to make an immersive mix from files of a different sample rate, you should re-import those tracks to a 48k session. Mixbus uses a very high-quality, non-realtime, sample-rate conversion when importing tracks of a different sample rate.

The upload process is similar to loading a .wav file. If your service allows you to select an ADM (Dolby Atmos Master file), then you can usually just drag&drop the ADM file from your file manager into the service’s website.

What is the ADM file format?

The ADM file is a multichannel .wav file (or more specifically, a broadcast wave or .bwf), with additional metadata for each channel which specifies the position of each file in 3d space. Additionally, this data can be automated with timecode so any given track/channel can be placed in a new location for each scene, or even move smoothly from one position to another.

Because an ADM file isn’t a stereo or surround mixdown, but rather encodes “many” individual tracks for later mixdown, ADM files can be quite large.

Exporting your immersive mix

To export an immersive (ADM) file, click Session->Export->Export Surround Master in the main menu. This will launch the “Surround Master Export” dialog:

In the “Surround Master Export” dialog, the ADM/BWF format is the only provided option. Choose a range (either the session Start/End, the currently selected Range, or any named range that you’ve defined). If no option appears here then you need to visit the Editor and create an exportable range.

Once you’ve made your selections, click Export. By default, your file browser will open to show the resulting .adm file.

After the export, the final loudness (LUFS and dBTP) will be displayed in the Immersive Master Bus. Use the ‘trim’ knob to increase or decrease the level to meet your delivery target, and then re-export.

That’s it! You can now upload the ADM.BWF file to your preferred distribution service.

!Streaming services require that your stereo mix and your ADM immersive file are exactly the same length. This allows users to switch between the immersive and the stereo mix, without interrupting the sound (much). For this reason, you must use the same Start and End times for your immersive mix that you used for your associated stereo mix.

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