The €200 Atmos system - Headphone with head tracker

[DigiPete]

Click-bait? - No, not really. #
Is it a little hacky - sure.
Is it SOTA - No, that would use the A16 Smyth Realiser @ € / $ 5-6k

All you need is:
 

• A Mac
• Discrete Atmos source
• Virtual audio driver
• Head tracker
• Renderer software
• A pair of headphones

And you are off to the races.

# The € / $ 200 assumes that you have Mac and headphones and ignores the Atmos source, but many of us have that already.
This Hack is aimed at a headphone 

 

System example & options

Apple Music = Discrete Atmos source
Apple music will supply the discrete channels, but only if it can supply the channels to somewhere.
An outboard audio interface with enough channels will do the trick, but so will a virtual audio driver.

Black Hole = virtual audio driver
BlackHole is a virtual audio loopback driver that allows applications to pass audio to other applications with very low latency.
It's donation ware, and suggested donation is $10.

Loopback is another option by Rogue Amoeba. It's way more versatile but also way more expensive.
Rogue Amoeba makes an entire suite of audio tool for Mac, so check them out if you have those interests.

Supperware = Head tracker
The Supperware headtracker is a simple wired headtracker that works well will most if not all DAWs and renderes.
It's £69 from a very capable ´one man band´company, owner Ben Supper has made a stellar product.

The Nx Head Tracker from Waves is another option @ $99. It has Bluetooth, so wireless but probably a little more lag and drift.

APL Virtuoso = Renderer software
APL Virtuoso is a standalone multi-channel renderer for headphones. It's cheap, versatile, and allows both head tracking and upload of your personal HRTF as a SOFA file.
It's in "pre-release" @ $99 + VAT, but stable and supports many channel layouts and simulated room sizes. Ie. it's a professional tool.

Supperware actually provides a free renderer as VST3 and AU plug-ins.
I haven't tried this, but clearly an option if you are just starting out.

DAW's (Digital Audio Workstations) are another way to either get or facilitate rendering.
Apples Logic Pro springs to mind @ $200, as it has both a build in rederer as well as all DAW functionality. 
Dolby's renderer can also be combined with most DAW's, but it's all both very fiddley and also expensive.


How to . . . 

I'll assume you have a Mac, Apple music, any pair of headphone and go with my choices.
The softwares can run as trials, but you'll have to het the headtracker.

Preparation

• Buy the Supperware headtracker and download the free Bridgehead SW for configuration, calibration and OSC bridge.
• Mount the tracker on your chosen headphone
• Download Black Hole and APL Virtuoso.

Switch to Atmos

• Use "Audio MIDI Setup" to specify Black Hole as the sound output device and channel layout, say 7.1.4
• Start Bridgehead. (Profile should be set to Virtuoso)
• Start Virtuoso. (Input config: set at Atmos 7.1.4, Settings: Headtraching OSC 8000, Options -> audio settings - Input Balck hole, output Headphones, activate 16 channels, samplerate 48kHz)
• Start Apple music and play something Atmos/spatial, and chech that you get inputs levels in Virtuoso.
• Virtuoso has a bypass button to check the difference with and without rendering.
• Done

You'll have to use "Audio MIDI Setup" again to reverse sound output from BlackHole to say build in speakers.


NB

This works with any headphone, but Virtuoso has EQ profiles for a large range of headphones like my Hifiman Sundara.

The Vituoso rendere runs on a standard HRTF, so the virtualisation may not be perfect for your particular head. Choose between 4 standard HRTF's or upload your own as a SOFA file if you have one.

Max volume may be lower than you expect if you are not using an external DAC / amp. The it's a result of  acombination of Dolby Atmos and processing headroom.

Headtrackers can drift, but the Supperware has an instant calibration if you double click "the head" and it set up in Head Tracker Settings.

While this setup isn't the SOTA or the end all - be all, it still provides a great proof of concept, cheap entry, a great late night listening and over all insane value for the money.



 

[The Computer Audiophile]

So cool! Thanks @DigiPete!!

[DigiPete]

48 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

So cool! Thanks @DigiPete!!

Thanks Chris.
It took time, but this is finally a stable & affordable entry into surround / Atmos / immersive.
I'm sure it'll soon be surpassed by even better SW based solutions.
Next: a practical way of making a personal HRTF for any renderer 🫣