This Week in Immersive Audio: 24 February 2025
This Week In Immersive Audio is my weekly roundup of news from the spatial audio world and new Atmos releases from the previous week. If no engineer is listed on a release, I was unable to find the credit. Please get in touch if it was you or if you know who it was!
Albums
Saya by Saya Gray
Saya Gray’s SAYA is an album that thrives in fluidity—shifting between moments of haunting intimacy and expansive, multi-layered chaos. In Dolby Atmos, that duality is heightened, allowing the smallest whispers to carry weight while the grander sonic swells feel boundless.
One of the album’s most striking features is its harmony stacks—thick, dynamic, and sometimes unpredictable, they hover in the mix like ghostly echoes, wrapping around the listener in full 360-degree space. The unconventional percussion choices add to this disorienting beauty—sometimes dry and upfront, other times skittering around the periphery like fleeting thoughts.
A standout moment comes in "HOW LONG CAN YOU KEEP UP A LIE?", where the harp and Mellotron weave together in a mesmerising interplay. In stereo, they’re already hypnotic, but in Atmos, they seem to materialise out of nowhere, shifting positions as if breathing in the space. The depth of the mix here creates a sense of weightlessness—one moment, the textures feel grounded, and the next, they dissolve into the ether.
Throughout SAYA, Atmos is used not just for width but for movement—instruments appear and disappear across the field, vocals float above and behind, and textures emerge from unexpected corners. It’s an album that feels even more alive in spatial audio, where its layers and subtleties can stretch to their fullest dimensions.
So Close To What by Tate McRae
Tate McRae’s So Close To What is a masterclass in momentum—its pulsing beats, shimmering synths, and emotional vocal delivery create an urgent yet intimate experience. In Dolby Atmos, that energy expands beyond stereo’s limitations, wrapping around the listener and heightening every subtle inflection.
"Revolving Door" is a prime example of how Atmos transforms McRae’s sound. The backing vocals and ad-libs—already a signature of her style—drift in and out of the mix, surrounding the lead in a way that feels almost three-dimensional. The driving percussion keeps everything locked in, but the spatial elements allow room for contrast—breathier moments pull you in, while the dynamic layering makes the chorus hit even harder.
Then there’s "Sports Car", where McRae’s whispered vocal delivery takes full advantage of Atmos’ ability to isolate and place sounds. Her voice isn’t just close—it’s everywhere, floating above the mix, slipping between left and right, creating a sense of vulnerability and intimacy that stereo could never fully capture. It’s the kind of track that feels designed for headphones in an Atmos mix, where every detail is heightened.
Across the album, Atmos is used to enhance movement—some tracks let synths swirl overhead, others push drum elements wider than ever, and vocal layers often feel as if they’re shifting and breathing alongside the production. The result is a more immersive and cinematic version of So Close To What that places the listener not just in front of the music, but inside it.
People Watching by Sam Fender
Sam Fender’s People Watching feels like a widescreen, cinematic continuation of his signature sound—towering instrumentation, raw emotion, and a Springsteen-esque sense of nostalgia. But in Dolby Atmos, those elements take on a new dimension, making the album feel even more expansive and alive.
The title track, "People Watching," is a perfect showcase of how Atmos elevates Fender’s storytelling. The song leans into his nostalgic tropes, with its soaring sax solo and layered instrumentation, but here, the space around those elements feels endless. The sax doesn’t just sit in the mix—it swells, moves, and echoes in a way that makes it feel almost ghostly, like a distant memory drifting through the speakers. The way the vocals and guitars wrap around the listener adds to the song’s cinematic, reflective quality.
Then there’s "TV Dinner," a track that thrives on urgency and build. In Atmos, that build feels even more intense—the rhythm section punches harder, the layered guitars stretch wider, and as the song grows, so does the space around it. The climactic moments don’t just hit; they engulf, with Fender’s voice cutting through like a beacon in the chaos.
Across People Watching, Atmos is used not just for width but for depth—Fender’s anthemic sound doesn’t just expand outward, it pulls you in. The drums feel bigger, the vocals feel closer, and the quieter moments carry even more weight. Whether it’s a reverberant guitar line drifting into the ether or a wall of sound crashing over you, the Atmos mix ensures you’re not just listening—you’re inside the music.
Singles
Call Me When You Break Up by Selena Gomez, benny blanco and Gracie Abrams
"Call Me When You Break Up" thrives on intimacy—it's a song that feels like an unanswered voicemail, suspended in time. In Dolby Atmos, that intimacy becomes even more palpable, pulling the listener into the song’s delicate world, where whispered regrets and unresolved emotions echo in every corner.
The track opens with a lo-fi, phone message intro, which Atmos places in a distinct, confined space, as if you’re eavesdropping on a late-night confession. The contrast between Gracie Abrams’ breathy delivery and Selena Gomez’s smooth, melancholic tone is heightened in Atmos—each voice occupies its own space, weaving around each other rather than blending into a single plane. It feels like two separate internal monologues coexisting, adding to the song’s emotional weight.
The somewhat minimal production allows Atmos to stretch the details—soft guitar lines hover just beyond reach, reverb-drenched backing vocals fade in and out like fleeting memories, and subtle percussive elements feel scattered across the room rather than locked into a single space. The effect is haunting, immersive, and heartbreakingly real.
By the time the song closes, the Atmos mix has made the emotion feel even more unfiltered—not just something you hear, but something you’re surrounded by. It’s a track that’s meant to feel personal, and in spatial audio, it becomes even more so.
News
Purple Rain: reissued for one night only
The iconic 1984 film is returning to cinemas in the UK (at Odeon Cinemas) and the US (at AMC Theaters), enhanced with Dolby Atmos audio and Dolby Vision visuals. Prince fans, don’t miss this fleeting opportunity to relive the legendary performance with an immersive twist. Jed Harmsen, Head of Cinema and Group Entertainment at Dolby, emphasises Atmos’s ability to create a new experience of familiar songs: “Purple Rain reimagined in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos for Dolby Cinema is a celebration of Prince’s genius and enduring legacy. Devoted and new fans alike prepare to be exhilarated by an unforgettable and unparalleled performance from one of music’s greatest of all time.” The movie will be screened for one night only, 5 March 2025.
Samsung Eclipsa Audio
I would be remiss not to mention this important announcement in the immersive media space. Designed to rival Dolby Atmos, the development indicates the growing interest in spatial audio. Co-developed by Google using an open-source framework, Eclipsa is designed to make spatial audio experiences more accessible to consumers. The new technology is set to be available on YouTube, which is perhaps the biggest advantage I see of adopting this technology versus Atmos.
Save 23% on a Samsung surround sound system
Equipped with Wireless Dolby Atmos, this powerful rig is available for nearly a quarter below its usual price. If you’re looking to build your home setup, this deal could be worth considering during this limited sale.