With Airtel’s Wynk Music getting Dolby Atmos support, Spatial audio is no more a novelty feature

Wynk Music’s Spatial audio feature supports Dolby Atmos, a 360-degree surround sound technology that is more than a remastered version of the song. Atmos creates the effect of listening to music at a live concert or watching a movie at a cinema — the sound comes from all around you (center, left, right, above and behind) — and Spatial audio adds another layer where music becomes multi-dimensional where voices and instruments popup from all the directions.

“This technology [Atmos] utilises advanced audio processing techniques to simulate a sense of space, depth, and directionality in sound, similar to how we perceive sound in the real world,” explains Karan Grover, Sr Director, Commercial Partnerships, IMEA, Dolby Laboratories.

Wynk isn’t the only music streaming platform that offers Spectral Audio music tracks. Globally, Apple, Tidal and Amazon Music already offer a selection of titles that have been remixed in Atmos. The Atmos mixes are typically provided by record labels, so the quality of music and the listening experience will be the same across every platform that supports Spatial Audio. But Wynk is the first music streaming Indian platform to support Spatial Audio.

Airtel currently isn’t providing an exact number on how many tracks will be Spatial Audio at launch, but says it now supports Dolby Atmos-tuned tracks in eight languages from local music labels, including Yash Raj Films (YRF), Saregama, and Phonographic Digital Limited (PDL). Users will notice an Atmos badge in the Wynk Music app when playing spatial audio tracks. The telecom giant isn’t charging extra for Spatial Audio tracks as it will be a regular part of the service for all Wynk Music subscribers. Wynk Music’s Spatial Audio feature works on a compatible iOS or Android Dolby Atmos-compatible smartphone. However, there is not much requirement with headphones.

For Grover, Spatial Audio adds a new perspective to how music is made and launched. In fact, he says it’s opening up new possibilities for artists, mixing engineers, and producers. “It [Spatial Audio]gives artists and producers more creative control over how their music is presented. They can experiment with spatial elements to craft unique sonic experiences that engage and captivate listeners in novel ways,” he said.

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