Spatial Audio with Apple Music

[dave420]

I have a question about whether Spatial Audio is active when listening to Apple Music. I am listening to songs from Apple’s Spatial Audio playlist, and they show Dolby Atmos when playing. I checked my streaming and download settings to make sure I am listening on the highest quality. But when listening if I check the icon on the control center (Apple description of Control Center Spatial Audio setting) shows “Spatial audio is enabled, but not active for the audio content that you're listening to.”

I am using the Airpods Pro. When I watch video the icon changes to show that Spatial Audio is active, but not when listening to music. Anybody have any insight onto why Spatial Audio is not showing as active for music? Thanks for any assistance.

 

[nicho]

not when listening to music. Anybody have any insight onto why Spatial Audio is not showing as active for music? Thanks for any assistance.

The spatial audio in the music isn't fixed to a specific point like video; in iOS 14 they have similar names but they are not the same thing. Notice that the linked help page from Apple only discusses sound that surrounds you from the movie or video you're watching.

 

[dave420]

The spatial audio in the music isn't fixed to a specific point like video; in iOS 14 they have similar names but they are not the same thing. Notice that the linked help page from Apple only discusses sound that surrounds you from the movie or video you're watching.

Interesting. So it sounds like that place in the control center only shows as active while watching videos. I do find it confusing as you say as it seems like the two different things have similar names.

 

[chabig]

They do have similar names. Right now, spatial audio means something different for music and video. There were reports that later this year we will have spatial music that works like spatial video.

 

[Julien]

Seems to be a lot of conflating of teams.

Dolby Atmos for Headphones=Spatial Audio (Apple's nomenclature)
Head Tracking is a separate feature (see below)

Dolby Atmos is a multi channel surround sound format that can be encoded for headphones. Dolby calls it Dolby Atmos for Headphones BUT Apple calls it Spatial Audio.


Head Tracking uses the accelerometer to position the audio related to your head position. This can be done with Dolby Atmos/Spatial Audio, Dolby 5.1 or standard Stereo. Apple says that are going to bring Head Tracking to Atmos/Spatial Audio Music but as of now there is no Head Tracking in Music. Hopefully Apple will add an off/on switch for Head Tracking since I want my Music anchored if listening to Atmos/Spatial Audio (or Stereo) and not rotating around as I move.

Music Like Never Before - Dolby Atmos Music

Dolby Atmos Music is reinventing how songs are made and experienced. Learn how Dolby Atmos elevates music, hear from artists, and feel music in a whole new way.

www.dolby.com

 

[Julien]

I have a question about whether Spatial Audio is active when listening to Apple Music. I am listening to songs from Apple’s Spatial Audio playlist, and they show Dolby Atmos when playing. I checked my streaming and download settings to make sure I am listening on the highest quality. But when listening if I check the icon on the control center (Apple description of Control Center Spatial Audio setting) shows “Spatial audio is enabled, but not active for the audio content that you're listening to.”

I am using the Airpods Pro. When I watch video the icon changes to show that Spatial Audio is active, but not when listening to music. Anybody have any insight onto why Spatial Audio is not showing as active for music? Thanks for any assistance.

After reading and looking at the link I believe Apple's info is NOT correct. Here is the way you can CLEARLY hear and tell.

In Settings>Music have Dolby Atmos set to Automatic. Don't use Always On (for some reason turning off in Control Panel doesn't work even though it LOOKS like it is working, another Apple anomaly)

Play a song that says Dolby Atmos

Now in Control Panel switch from On to Off you you will hear the difference.

 

[nicho]

After reading and looking at the link I believe Apple's info is NOT correct. Here is the way you can CLEARLY hear and tell.

In Settings>Music have Dolby Atmos set to Automatic. Don't use Always On (for some reason turning off in Control Panel doesn't work even though it LOOKS like it is working, another Apple anomaly)

Play a song that says Dolby Atmos

Now in Control Panel switch from On to Off you you will hear the difference.


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Presumably you didn't follow the directions to test the described feature in the article you say is NOT correct. If you did, you'd see that it is. What you've done is tested something else entirely.

 

[Julien]

Presumably you didn't follow the directions to test the described feature in the article you say is NOT correct. If you did, you'd see that it is. What you've done is tested something else entirely.

How is this different? I did wrongly say Control Panel and it should be Control Center but what are you seeing I'm not and what did I do wrong?

 

[chabig]

When I play the same John Mayer song that you posted, the icon in my Control Center is "Spatial Audio is enable, but not active for the audio content that you're listening to." This is because Apple Music doesn't support spatial audio in the same way video supports spatial audio. The Control Center icon simply turns Dolby Atmos on and off.

 

[Julien]

When I play the same John Mayer song that you posted, the icon in my Control Center is "Spatial Audio is enable, but not active for the audio content that you're listening to." This is because Apple Music doesn't support spatial audio in the same way video supports spatial audio. The Control Center icon simply turns Dolby Atmos on and off.

I only have seen Spatial Audio On or Spatial Audio Off in Control Center. Even when playing regular Stereo songs. Please post a screen shot. Don't even understand what "Spatial Audio is enable, but not active for the audio content that you're listening to." is supposed to mean.

Also is the song saying it is Dolby Atmos (Not Lossless or blank for AAC) like in my first pic?


EDIT: Also the only difference between Video and Audio is Head Tracking (an added feature independent of Dolby Atmos/Spatial Audio) is enabled in Video.

 

[chabig]

Don't even understand what "Spatial Audio is enable, but not active for the audio content that you're listening to." is supposed to mean.

For audio, I think it means you're listening to Dolby Atmos, and you'll see the icon for "spatial audio is enabled but not active for the content...". When you're watching supported video, the icon shows "spatial audio is active" and you get spatial audio that is localized in three dimensional space (with head tracking).

Here is the screenshot of me listening to John Mayer in Dolby Atmos:

 

[Julien]

That is playing in Dolby Atmos/Spatial Audio. If you switch it Off it changes to Stereo.

Just checked by watching my first iOS video (Don't watch on my iPhone and use my ATV) with Spatial Audio and I see the icon "dances". However the Music is playing in Spatial Audio without it "dancing". You can simply cut on and off and hear the difference.

Not sure why Apple has inconsistent icons from ATV+ and Music but they do.


EDIT: Are you on iOS15 Beta 2? I just tested on my iPad (iOS15 Beta 2) and not getting Spatial Audio. I did get it on Beta 1 so not sure what is up.

 

[nicho]

How is this different? I did wrongly say Control Panel and it should be Control Center but what are you seeing I'm not and what did I do wrong?

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You were reading an article about Spatial Audio for videos and testing it with Spatial Audio for music. It isn't wrong.

I did the test as suggested with my airpods pro... it is actually quite a subtle effect and I struggled to notice the changes as I moved my head at first but the shakers are fixed and once you place them, it's pretty mesmerising.

Music doesn't do that. You could say that as it isn't moving around it isn't really "active", just enabled - but that's probably a stretch... I think it's best just to accept the icons aren't consistent in iOS14 and move on as it'll be fixed in 15.

 

[bigshot]

I don't believe that the Spatial Audio music is playing the same file as the regular stereo or even the same mix or album release. They can be very similar mixes, or entirely different, but they still sound like stereo. For instance Art Blakey's Moanin' is clearly two entirely different mixes. One is an early stereo mix with intruments hard left and right, and the other is a true stereo mix. Listening to tracks where I have the multichannel blu-rays to compare to, like Beatles Abbey Road or Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, it isn't the same mix there either. It is a sweetened stereo mix.

 

[PhillyGuy72]

I'm a total noob when it comes to the Air Pods Pro's (Just bought them today)

Ok...at least I'm not the only one wondering why this spatial audio is not working on Apple Music, at least from what I can tell. I hear the difference when I DO hit spatial audio on-off also difference with Dolby Atmos tracks, albums.

As for testing these on Apple+ app..few shows, movies, well personally I found that pretty darn mind blowing! (Like I said, these Pods are totally new to me...so yeah it's mindblowing ?)

If Apple gets that same effect I expected to the music, whoa.

 

[bigshot]

Some of the music is better than others. The best ones are the ones that have been released on multichannel blu-ray.