What is Apple Music 3D Audio?Explaining 7 questions such as how to do it and corresponding songs | GetNavi web GetNavi

Apple Music is Apple's flat-rate music distribution service that allows you to enjoy more than 75 million songs with "all-you-can-listen". In addition to watching music videos, there are plenty of programs on the Internet radio "Apple Music 1". This time, we will introduce how to enjoy "spatial audio" by Dolby Atmos, which was newly added to Apple Music from June.

Q1. What is 3D audio? A. A function that allows you to experience music as if you were jumping into the artist's performance space.

Apple Music is a subscription-style music distribution service that has been in operation for six years since it started in the summer of 2015. During that time, the scale has been gradually expanding, and as of June 2021, the number of music works distributed has exceeded 75 million songs. We have a well-balanced collection of domestic and foreign works across a wide range of genres, from rock and pop to jazz and classical music.

You can listen to Apple Music from the "Music" app that comes standard with Apple devices such as iPhones, iPads, and Macs. There is also an "Apple Music" app for Android devices. In addition, listening from a web browser is also supported so that you can easily enjoy it on a Windows PC.

Spatial audio by Dolby Atmos (hereinafter referred to as “spatial audio”), which is the theme of this time, is a new 3D music experience where you can feel the expansion of a rich sound field beyond normal stereo playback.

It is a function based on Dolby Atmos, which is a unique surround technology developed by Dolby Laboratories, and is characterized by being able to provide music listeners with a three-dimensional sound space that includes not only the left and right but also the height direction. It can be likened to an experience that is so real that the artist jumps into the space where he is playing music.

To enjoy this spatial audio, you need to play the corresponding songs among the songs distributed on Apple Music. In addition, how to enjoy spatial audio and how to find compatible songs will be described later.

Q2. Is there a usage fee? A. No additional cost! Enjoy Apple Music for the traditional monthly fee

For the usage fee of Apple Music, you can register a "personal plan" of 980 yen (tax included) per month that one user can use with one account, and up to 5 user accounts in addition to the registered users, and at the same time, each There is a "Family Plan" that can be played on a device for 1480 yen (tax included) per month. In addition, for student users, there is a "Student Plan" with a monthly fee of 480 yen (tax included).

As of mid-June, when I was writing this article, Apple has a three-month free trial of Apple Music. Before you start using the paid plan, you may decide whether to continue using it after confirming during the trial period whether the song you want to listen to is in the distributed song or whether the usability of the service meets your expectations. I think.

There is no additional cost to use 3D audio. You can enjoy thousands of new spatial audio-compatible songs added to Apple Music at the same monthly usage fee as before.

Q3. What do I need to use 3D audio? A. You can enjoy it if you have an iPhone and ordinary headphones / earphones.

Next, I will explain the environment necessary to enjoy music that supports spatial audio.

Devices that support spatial audio playback are iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV 4K. In addition, if you have an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you can listen to it through the built-in speaker. The breakdown is as follows.

Q4. How do I set up spatial audio? A. For iPhone and iPad, you can select from "Settings" in the app.

For example, if you want to enjoy 3D audio only on your iPhone, select the "Music" app from "Settings" and select "Dolby Atmos" in the "Audio" list to say "Automatic", "Always on" or "Off". One selection item will be displayed, so set it to "Automatic" or "Always on".

If you select "Auto", models equipped with the Bluetooth audio chip "H1" or "W1" such as Apple's AirPods series wireless headphones and earphones, or Beats Flex released by Beats by Dr. Dre. Automatically switches the playback mode to spatial audio when you play it by connecting it to your iPhone or iPad. On the other hand, if you want to listen in stereo playback, turn this off.

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The headphones and earphones of Apple and Beats that automatically switch the playback mode are as follows.

Also, if you set the "Dolby Atmos" selection to "Always on", you will be able to listen to Apple Music's spatial audio using all wireless and wired headphones and earphones other than Apple.

Q5. Can I enjoy other than headphones and earphones? A. You can create the best 3D audio playback environment using Apple TV 4K and speakers.

In the case of the media player "Apple TV 4K", which allows you to enjoy various contents such as Apple Music and Apple TV by connecting to a display device equipped with an HDMI terminal such as a TV, the way to enjoy spatial audio changes a little.

First, there is a way to connect and listen to the smart speaker "HomePod" that has Apple's Siri built-in. What's more, you can have two HomePods in a stereo pair to connect to your Apple TV 4K. Of course, the stereophonic sound of spatial audio can be reproduced with just one unit.

If you want to enjoy spatial audio other than HomePod, you can listen to it by connecting a Dolby Atmos-compatible soundbar, AV amplifier, smart TV, etc. to Apple TV 4K with an HDMI cable. If you stick to the sound bar, AV amplifier, speakers connected to it, and their quality, you can create the "best spatial audio playback environment" at home.

You can also connect wireless headphones / earphones such as the AirPods series or Beats headphones / earphones to Apple TV 4K via Bluetooth. In this case, select "Music" from "Settings" on Apple TV and set the Dolby Atmos setting to "Automatic". However, with this method, it seems that Bluetooth headphones and earphones made by other companies do not support spatial audio.

Q6. How do you find a song that supports spatial audio? A. Let's search from "Playlists" of Apple Music

How can you find a song that supports 3D audio from Apple Music's more than 75 million songs?

The simplest way is to go to the "Find" tab of the music app and follow the 8 types of "Spatial Audio: Playlists". I would like you to be able to search by entering keywords such as Dolby Atmos and 3D audio from the "Search" function, but as of mid-June when I am writing this article, it is not yet supported.

Playlists divided by theme, such as "Spatial Audio: Hits" and "Spatial Audio: Pop," are lined with spatial audio songs from various artists.

Also, depending on the artist, the entire album work may be listened to in 3D audio, or only one song in the playlist may precede the album and be compatible with 3D audio. You will be looking forward to digging deeper into whether your favorite artist has released a work that supports 3D audio.

By the way, when I searched for it, Japanese artists were able to find Alice Sara Ott's 3D audio works in classical playlists. It seems that the number of works by Japanese artists that support 3D audio will increase in earnest.

Q7. I'm worried about the decrease in giga, what should I do? A. Download and listen when you go out

In the case of iPhone, when you play videos and music on the go using mobile data communication, you are worried about the consumption of data communication capacity, that is, the "decrease in giga".

Music that supports spatial audio, like other music content from Apple Music, can be downloaded to your device and listened to offline as long as your iPhone's storage capacity allows. From the "Settings" of the music app, turn on the "Download with Dolby Atmos" selection in the "Download" section. Now you can enjoy 3D audio on the go without worrying about the loss of giga.

An open and three-dimensional music experience is the real thrill of spatial audio.

Finally, I would like to give you the impression of connecting AirPods Pro to your iPhone and listening to 3D audio music. When the song is played, the vocalist and piano melody are strongly localized in the center, and the band's performance creates a spacious space. This is an open and three-dimensional musical experience that is closer to speaker listening, rather than "listening with your ears", and this is the real thrill of spatial audio.

Right now, I'm listening to the works of overseas artists, but since I usually listen to Japanese music-related works, I'm really looking forward to seeing how the songs of familiar artists can be heard through 3D audio.

Apple has already announced plans to implement 3D audio related updates in the near future.

One is support for a function called "dynamic head tracking" that allows the user to turn his / her face while wearing headphones / earphones and hear the music from the appropriate direction without blurring. Dynamic head tracking of 3D audio can be enjoyed by combining iPhone with iOS 14.6 or later, iPad with iPadOS 14.6 or later, and AirPods Pro or AirPods Max. Apple TV's video content supports dynamic head tracking ahead of the game, so it's a good idea to experience what it's all about.

The other is that the Android version of the "Apple Music" app will soon be able to enjoy 3D audio.

Surprisingly, there are not many contents and services that allow you to enjoy a realistic 3D music experience on your smartphone. The author thinks that Apple Music's 3D audio is a revolutionary attempt to enjoy immersive sound that is close to live music anytime, anywhere. Please try to "experience" what spatial audio is like before "thinking".

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