What you need to know
- Apple has confirmed that it will be adding Spatial Audio support in a future Logic Pro update.
- The update is expected to arrive "later this year."
Spatial Audio is everywhere right now and it's clearly the next big thing in music in Apple's eyes. But for that to be the case it needs people to be able to create music that's designed for Spatial Audio, not just re-tooled for it. To make that possible it's going to release an updated version of Logic Pro "later this year."
Confirmation came in a Newsroom post yesterday that saw Apple Music's Zane Low talk about Spatial Audio and what it means for the music industry. It's an interesting read, but the point we're most interested in here came towards the end.
From here it's going to be a really exciting journey. Eventually there will be new artists who are born into Spatial, just like I was born in stereo. Artists in the future might never even think about making a stereo record — because all they've ever known is Spatial. And making Spatial music is only going to get better. Apple is building immersive music-authoring tools directly into Logic Pro later this year. So any musician will be able to create and mix their songs in Spatial Audio for Apple Music — whether they're in the studio, at home, or wherever.
Apple Music started rolling Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos out yesterday and initial impressions are positive, although I'll need more time to test it properly with different types of audio. Here's how Apple describes it:
Dolby Atmos is a revolutionary, immersive audio experience that enables artists to mix music so the sound comes from all around and from above. By default, Apple Music will automatically play Dolby Atmos tracks on all AirPods and Beats headphones with an H1 or W1 chip, as well as the built-in speakers in the latest versions of iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Apple Music will be adding new Dolby Atmos tracks constantly and will be curating a special set of Dolby Atmos playlists to help listeners find the music they love. In addition, albums that are available in Dolby Atmos will have a badge on the detail page for easy discovery.
So now, we wait. It's likely we'll see the new Logic Pro update arrive around the time of macOS Monterey, which we also don;t have a firm window for. Expect it somewhere around September or October if my tea leaves are anything to go by.
In terms of listening to Spatial Audio, it doesn't get much better than AirPods Max. There's no denying they're costly, so make sure to check the best AirPods Max deals in case there's a bargain to be had.
