Binaural on Youtube?

Probably an innocent question, but I don’t know much about YouTube’s audio mechanics. If I want to place an Atmos project on YouTube, but in its binaural version, what do I do?

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Your safest bet is to supply a dedicated binaural version. That’s an example using DearVR’s Monitor for binauralisation, but it would work with a printed audio output of the Dolby encoder, too:

Binaural 3D Mix

(… there’s a plain stereo version too, of course.)

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Okay, I’ll take a look. Thanks Dietz.

P.S. Nuendo does dedicated binaural, doesn’t it?

Depends what format you are working with.
There is AmbiDecoder which is Nuendo’s own implementation esp. if you are working in ambisonics but your mix has to be set to Ambisonics, it also has Atmos as well as MPEG-H, but if you are just working in plain Stereo as Dietz mentions DearVR stereo version is your best bet as it also simulates different rooms, places, cars etc. so that your mix can translate well not just on headphones.

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For posting? Most people put up a binaural mix with a great big disclaimer that says “Wear headphones”.

Hi,

well, if you have Nuendo 13, then …

  • It comes with the Dolby Atmos Renderer.
  • And this includes a binaural mixdown mode,
  • with that, you can write with Nuendo on-board tools a stereo file in mp3, or flac, wav etc.

To me, the unanswered question is, whether YT does apply yet another conversion or filters behind the scenes, that kills some of the binaural characteristics. As said, this is just my speculation.

LG, Juergi

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I have to broaden my question.

In fact, I work in Dolby Atmos with Nuendo 13, via internal rendering, in a physical 7.1.4 studio (in Focal), where I can also listen in binaural via Nuendo with headphones.

My general problem is to check my work outside this studio, and also to have my colleagues listen to it for comment.

That’s why, for example, I try to use YouTube, at least for binaural.

Next example, I’m trying to listen to an MP4 produced by the external Renderer on the basis of a Nuendo ADM. On my Macbook Air, it works and you can feel the Atmos playback of the MP4. It’s even amazing in terms of perspective. But if I try to send this Atmos MP4 to my 5.1.2 living room system (with an Anthem MRX 540 8K configured for Atmos playback) via Apple TV, and therefore with the Quicktime player, it only comes out in stereo (on all speakers, so All Stereo).

So, two questions:

  1. how do you play a Dolby Atmos MP4 file (created by the external Renderer on the basis of a Nuendo ADM) in binaural on an external computer like a simple PC with headphones?

  2. How do you get the same MP4 to play on a 5.1.2 or other Atmos-configured home theater system?

From what I know and tested with a MacBook Pro 2017, it does not transfer Bitstream format via HDMI or DisplayPort. This is a Must for any kind of encoded material.

This is a system limitatation in MacOS. I have no idea, why that is.

There may be some software-addon for MacOS, which does enable Bitstream transfer.

However, 5.1 in PCM should have worked, but not 100% sure. The downmix happens on the Macbook.

It doesn’t tell me what they give Youtube to broadcast in binaural. Someone must know that.

They do know. You just need to find it on their support page. I did for you:

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Their full specifications. These is the only formats they support.

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Thank you, great service! You search better than I do.

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Okay, I read it better. I was looking for Dolby Atmos, because that’s my thing, I work in that little hallway. I don’t do ambisonics and I don’t know anything about it. And I was thinking in terms of binaural as such, because Dolby Atmos, as you know, produces a binaural version. So I can’t find what I need. What file should I give to Youtube for binaural audition, using Nuendo and then the Dolby Atmos Renderer (in Mp4)?

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They have their spec on there. All I did read was it needs to be a 1st order Ambisonics format, in a mp4 container. You’ll have to read their specs more closely to know exactly what they need from you. Cheers.

Binaural audio is just stereo audio, recorded or treated to be binaural. But having both stereo audio and a seperate Atmos track… I doubt that is possible. Or maybe I don’t understand your question.

Binaural carries more information than ST, so your answer surprises me (but I thank you for your attention to my question). Anyway, I’m talking about a Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 binaural updowm. I can do that without a problem, but I’d like to place something like that on Youtube and I don’t see it. However, there are Dolby Atmos sound examples in binaural versions on Youtube, where you are asked to put on headphones (and it works). But I don’t know what file format to give Youtube for that. There must be someone on earth who has this information. Youtube-Google doesn’t talk about Atmos, but content creators on Youtube talk about Atmos with binaural examples on Youtube. I’m missing one piece of information.

No, it just carries different information. Technically it’s a two channel audio stream, one for each ear - hence the name. :wink:

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FWIW I have binaural vinyl recordings from the 1970s which gave the 3D head stereo effect through a normal stereo sound system (or “record player” as they used to be known!). The BBC have done many experimental binaural transmissions over the decades, all transmitted through a standard stereo radio broadcast.

Check out recordings by Can, e.g Saw Delight, some of the sound effects on Pink Floyd The Final Cut.

Binaural is essentially creating subtle timing and tone differences, which originally were captured by using an actual dummy head and microphones placed in the ears of the dummy. These days, the binaural effect is created by creating these effects mathematically. The stereo track then retains these micro-adjustments, there is no processing required at the receiving end (unlike Atmos).

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Understood.

I read about all this, the history of binaural. Very interesting. What interests me here, however, is binaural as a (headphone) version of Dolby Atmos rendering, as produced by the Dolby Renderer. And, subsidiarily, its integration with YouTube. But I don’t have an answer to that question.