A Listening Test Evaluation of Spatial Sound Technologies in Music Production: Dolby Atmos and Ambisonics

Malecki P, Stefanska J, Szyd?owska M, T?czy?ska K?ska M. A Listening Test Evaluation of Spatial Sound Technologies in Music Production: Dolby Atmos and Ambisonics. In: AES Conference: AES 2023 International Conference on Spatial and Immersive Audio. Audio Engineering Society; 2023. Paper 40. Available from: https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=22178

@inproceedings{Malecki2023_22178,
  author = {Malecki, Pawel and Stefanska, Joanna and Szyd?owska, Maja and T?czy?ska K?ska, Ma?gorzata},
  title = {{A Listening Test Evaluation of Spatial Sound Technologies in Music Production: Dolby Atmos and Ambisonics}},
  booktitle = {AES Conference: AES 2023 International Conference on Spatial and Immersive Audio},
  note = {Paper 40},
  year = {2023},
  month = aug,
  publisher = {Audio Engineering Society},
  url = {https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=22178}
}

TY  - CPAPER
TI  - A Listening Test Evaluation of Spatial Sound Technologies in Music Production: Dolby Atmos and Ambisonics
AU  - Malecki, Pawel
AU  - Stefanska, Joanna
AU  - Szyd?owska, Maja
AU  - T?czy?ska K?ska, Ma?gorzata
T2  - AES Conference: AES 2023 International Conference on Spatial and Immersive Audio
M1  - Paper 40
PY  - 2023
DA  - 2023/08/06
UR  - https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=22178
PB  - Audio Engineering Society
LA  - en
AB  - The paper outlines a process for producing and evaluating two mixes of the same musical composition, "Dancing Ends" by ?ukasz Pieprzyk, using spatial sound technologies: Dolby Atmos and Ambisonics. The composition was recorded using overdub, multitrack techniques and the mixes were assessed through a direct evaluation method based on average ratings on a 1 to 5 scale, in accordance with the ITU-R BS.128 standard. The criteria for evaluation included selectivity, depth, width, and height of the sound stage, sound envelopment, brightness, and localization quality and other aspects specific for the composition. These criteria were assessed in three different listening systems and environments: 5.1, 7.1.4, and binaural. Listening tests revealed a preference for the Dolby Atmos mix across all listening systems, even though the Ambisonic mix received higher ratings in several areas. The test group comprised individuals with higher education in acoustics, basic sound production skills, and experience in listening tests. The results were analyzed using the non-parametric Shapiro-Wilk test and t-Student or Mann-Whitney test.
ER  -