Giles Martin, son of Beatles producer Sir George Martin, sat down for an interview with Rolling Stone and talked about Apple Music’s Spatial Audio feature. Martin, responsible for the Dolby Atmos mixes for the two albums, explains why Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band doesn’t “sound all right” on Dolby Atmos, while Abbey Road does.
It’s been a couple of months since Apple introduced Lossless quality and Spatial Audio technology to Apple Music. At the time of the announcement, Giles Martin spoke about this feature and compared it to a “quantum leap in technology.”
“From the sensation of listening to your favorite artist in the same room as you, to the experience of sitting directly in the middle of a symphony orchestra, the listening experience is transformative and the possibilities for the creator are endless. This is a quantum leap in technology – so far I have had the pleasure of mixing some of the best artists ever on Dolby Atmos. With this work I have found myself falling into albums that I love. There is a unique experience of being able to fully immerse myself in music that, while familiar, suddenly sounds new, fresh and immediate. As a creator, it is beyond exciting that we can now share this incredible experience through Apple Music.
Now, to Rolling Stone, Giles Martins explains why Abbey Road sounds so good with Spatial Audio while the same does not happen with Sgt. Pimientos.
“Sergeant. Pepper’s, how it presents itself now, I’m actually going to change it. It doesn’t sound quite right to me. It’s available on Apple Music right now. But I will replace it. It’s good. But it is not correct. Sergeant. Pepper’s was, I think, the first album to be mixed on Dolby Atmos.
In the interview, Giles Martin says that the album lacks “a little bit of bass and a little bit of weight behind it,” which is also true of some Dolby Atmos-tagged albums on Apple Music, including those by Ariana Grande.
Then the producer explains what the process of mixing songs in Dolby Atmos is like:
“We started with the stereo. I feel like immersive audio should be an expansion of the stereo field, in a way. I like the idea of a vinyl record melting and you’re falling into it. That is the analogy that I like to use. And if you have a lot of things around you all the time, it can be a bit irritating and confusing, depending on the music (…) But the interesting thing about immersive audio is that it has a central point. It’s almost cute, but expanded. It’s like taking some candy and breaking the candy with a hammer and all the broken pieces around you. And if you don’t have a focal point, if you don’t put your drums in the center or your vocals in the center, you don’t really have a sense of immersion. It’s a bit like a James Turrell room, where you are in this colorless room.
He also gives a little tip as to why Beatles songs sound so good on Dolby Atmos, according to Martin:
“With the Beatles mixes, because we have, I guess, the money to do it, and the luxury of time, what me and [engineer] Sam Okell tends to do, unlike using digital effects, we’ll put the speakers back in Studio Two [the Abbey Road space where the Beatles originally recorded]. And we’re going to re-record John’s voice in Studio Two, so what you’re hearing is reflections from the room he’s singing in. Your voice brings you closer.
And why we should wait a little longer to see other Beatles records on this technology:
“With source separation software, I need to be absolutely sure that it doesn’t damage the audio at all (…) The software is getting a lot better. I am constantly looking at how we would approach it if I ever got to [remix] Revolver or Rubber Soul, first albums, that a lot of people want me to make. That’s a good example of, “How do we do it?” How do I make sure that John or Paul’s voice is not just on the right speaker, but also that their guitar doesn’t follow it if I put it in the center? On “Taxman,” the guitar, bass, and drums are all on one track! That’s why the disc is basically on the left side, and then there is a vibrator on the right side of the center.
Giles Martin also praises the headphones, although he specifically mentions Sonos, and says they now provide a good experience:
“There has been an exponential growth in spatial audio technology for headphones, which has happened in an incredibly short space of time. I’d say two years ago, you couldn’t hear it. And now it is a good experience. The exciting thing is that it will only get better.
What do you think of the Dolby Atmos technology in Apple Music? What is your favorite track? Let us know in the comment section below.
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