Bounce a Spatial Audio project to a channel-based file in Logic Pro for Mac

In Logic Pro for Mac, you can bounce a Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos project to a channel-based audio file. This can be helpful when you want to play back your immersive mix on a system that doesn’t have Dolby Atmos playback capabilities.

A Spatial Audio mix is object-based and not based on a specific channel format. However, you have to select a channel format that matches your speaker setup when working on your Spatial Audio mix. This selection also determines the channel-based format for the file that you bounce from your Spatial Audio project.

When you bounce a Spatial Audio project, you can choose a speaker-based format such as stereo, 5.1, or 7.1, or one of the binaural options, which renders your Spatial Audio mix to a two-channel binaural audio file to achieve the immersive experience of your mix when listening over headphones.

Bounce a Spatial Audio project to a surround audio file

In Logic Pro, click the Dolby Atmos plug-in in the surround master channel strip, click the Monitoring Format pop-up menu, and then choose one of the surround formats (5.1, 7.1, 5.1.2, 5.1.4, or 7.1.4).
Do either of the following to open the Bounce window:
- Choose File > Bounce > Project or Section (or use the Bounce key command, default assignment: Command-B).
- Click the Bounce button at the bottom-right corner of the surround master channel strip.
Select the Uncompressed checkbox in the Destination list on the left.
Select the Surround Bounce checkbox, below the Dithering pop-up menu in the Bounce window.
Note: When the Surround Bounce checkbox is selected, the Add to Apple Music Library checkbox is deselected because Apple Music doesn’t support surround audio files.
From the Format pop-up menu, choose either Split or Interleaved.
Select other bounce settings, as required.
Click the OK button.
In the next dialog, enter a name for the file, navigate to the location you want to store it and click Bounce.

Note: You can’t use the Bounce command to create compressed surround files (AAC, MP3). If you click a compressed format checkbox, a dialog appears, indicating that a compressed surround (or split stereo) bounce is not possible.

Bounce a Spatial Audio project to a stereo file

In Logic Pro, click the Dolby Atmos plug-in in the surround master channel strip, click the Monitoring Format pop-up menu, and then choose one of the two stereo options.
- 2.0 Direct: This option renders your Spatial Audio mix directly to stereo, which is preferable if you want to create a stereo and a Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos version based on the same project. See Downmix and trim controls.
- 2.0 from 5.1 Downmix: This option first renders your Spatial Audio mix to 5.1, and then downmixes it to stereo to simulate the Dolby Digital Plus with Dolby Atmos encoding, used when delivering your mix to Apple Music.
Do any of the following to open the Bounce window:
- Choose File > Bounce > Project or Section (or use the Bounce key command, default assignment: Command-B).
- Click the Bounce button at the bottom-right corner of the surround master channel strip.
Make sure the Surround Bounce checkbox, below the Dithering pop-up menu in the Bounce window is unselected.
Select other bounce settings, as required.
Because you are bouncing to a stereo file, you can also select MP3 or M4A from the Destination list to create a compressed audio file.
Click the OK button.
In the next dialog, enter a name for the file, navigate to the location you want to store it and click Bounce.

Bounce a Spatial Audio project to a binaural audio file

Bouncing a Spatial Audio mix to binaural creates a two-channel binaural audio file. When played back over headphones, it provides an immersive experience that’s similar to listening to the Spatial Audio mix on dedicated surround speakers.

In Logic Pro, click the Dolby Atmos plug-in in the surround master channel strip, click the Monitoring Format pop-up menu, and then choose a binaural option.
Do any of the following to open the Bounce window:
- Choose File > Bounce > Project or Section (or use the Bounce key command, default assignment: Command-B).
- Click the Bounce button at the bottom-right corner of the surround master channel strip.
Configure the parameters in the Bounce window as follows:
- Destination: Uncompressed.
- File Type: AIFF or WAVE.
- Sample Rate: 48 kHz.
- Format: Interleaved.
- Dithering: None.
- Surround Bounce: Deselect the checkbox.
- Add to Project: Select the checkbox if you want to add the binaural audio file of your mix to your project.
  A two-channel binaural recording in a Spatial Audio mix needs to be placed on a stereo bed track, panned left and right.
- Add to Apple Music Library: Select the checkbox if you want to add the binaural audio file of your mix to your Apple Music Library, so you can listen to it in the Music app.
  The Add to Apple Music Library checkbox will be accessible as soon as the Surround Bounce checkbox is deselected.

You can play back the two-channel binaural audio file the same way as a two-channel stereo audio file on any application that supports audio playback, such as the Music app. You can also upload the binaural audio file to social media sites so that listeners can experience your Spatial Audio mix on any headphones.

For more information about bouncing, see Bounce a project to an audio file.

Tip: You can use a bounced file, especially the binaurally rendered files, to send a mix to clients for approval. You can also post the binaurally rendered Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos mixes on YouTube or other websites with a note that headphones are required to experience the immersive sound.

Download the guides:

Logic Pro User Guide: PDF

Logic Pro Instruments: PDF

Logic Pro Effects: PDF

Control Surfaces Support Guide: PDF

Helpful?

Logic Pro User Guide for Mac

Bounce a Spatial Audio project to a channel-based file in Logic Pro for Mac

Bounce a Spatial Audio project to a surround audio file

Bounce a Spatial Audio project to a stereo file

Bounce a Spatial Audio project to a binaural audio file