Binaural Renderer for Apple Music
Plugin & Standalone Application
User ManualIntroduction

Binaural Renderer for Apple Music is a plugin andstandalone application from Audiomovers whichenables you to hear how your Dolby Atmos 7.1.4
session material will sound when released on theApple Music platform.
The plugin and application can be downloaded
from the Downloads page on Audiomovers.com.
This is an invaluable tool for Mixing, Masteringand Post Production Engineers working with
Dolby Atmos material.
Binaural Renderer for Apple Music utilizes Apple’s
built-in Binauralization allowing us to guarantee
100% accuracy when referencing with BinauralRenderer.
The ability to choose headphones or speaker
proﬁles for music or movies gives you peace ofmind and conﬁdence in your mix or master.
Headtracking and personalized HRTF options arealso available with supported headphones.

Binaural Renderer User Manual2

Table Of Contents

Installation
System Requirements
Plugin/Application Authorization

44
5

Product Overview
Plugin Controls
Application Controls
Application Settings

6789

Getting Started - Plugin:
Plugin Overview
Setting up the Plugin
Using personalized spatial and HRTF options
Native Dolby Integration WorkﬂowUtilizing Aggregate Devices
Pro Tools & Aux IO Workﬂow

10111213141516

Getting Started - Application:
Application Overview
Auxiliary Inputs
Pass thru output
Routing Rerenders into the App

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Binaural Renderer User Manual3Supported formats, hosts and installation locations

Supported systems- Apple Silicon Mac (M1+), OS 13+- Intel 2018+, OS 12.3+(Limited functionality - not tested)
Supported plugin formats
AAX, AU, VST3
Note* AU is fully supported with Logic Pro:In other DAWs we recommend using VST3/AAX(Pro Tools)

Default Plugin Installation Locations
Mac OS/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/Library/Audio/Plug-ins/Components/Library/Application
Support/Avid/Audio/Plug-Ins
To uninstall Binaural Renderer, use the
Binaural Renderer Uninstaller

Supported DAWs/hosts
Pro Tools 2023.6+, Logic Pro 10.7+,
Nuendo 12+, Cubase Pro 12+, Reaper
6.66+, Studio One 6.50

To manually uninstall Binaural Renderer,
you will need to remove it from the default
installation folders —/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/Library/Audio/Plug-ins/Components/Library/Audio/Plug-ins/Hal/Library/Application
Support/Avid/Audio/Plug-Ins

Supported channel widths:
7.1.4 - 2.0
7.1.4 - 7.1.4 ( L and R output)
Supported headphones for HRTF:
Personalized or headtracking options will
only be available with supportedheadphones:- AirPods Pro (1st & 2nd Gen)
- AirPods Max- AirPods (3rd Generation)- Beats Fit Pro- Beats Studio Pro
Static rendering will be the only option
available for wired and unsupportedheadphones. Please refer to the Apple
User Manual in regard to HRTF proﬁlesBinaural Renderer Quick Start User Guide4Authorization

1.

In order to begin using Binaural Renderer,
you must ﬁrst authorize it with yourAudiomovers account.

2.

You can create an account on
audiomovers.com
You will be prompted with the authorization
dialog when you attempt to run the software
the ﬁrst time.

3.

Each license can be authorized on up to 3
machines.
We also oﬀer a ‘7 Day Demo’ - this is a
one-time-only trial period given to new
accounts.
The trial license can be authorized on one
machine only.
1.

Click Authorize or Start Demo in theplugin/application2.

For authorization you will be redirectedto our website

3.

Login/Signup with your Audiomovers
account

4.

Select the licence/demo licence you
wish to authorize

5.

Return back to the plugin/application

4.

5.

5

Product Overview

Binaural Renderer Quick Start User Guide

Plugin Controls

1. Plugin Input Gain (Post-Input Meters)
2. Plugin input channel remapping
3. Rendering Mode selectora.
Headphones Music - Applies Apple Music proﬁle to 7.1.4 input - replicates headphone playback
for Dolby Atmos music.
b.
Speaker Music - Applies Apple Music proﬁle to 7.1.4 input - replicates speaker playback forDolby Atmos music on supported devices such as MacBook Pro etc.
c.
Headphones Movie - Applies Apple TV proﬁle to 7.1.4 - replicates rendering of material releasedon Apple TV
4. Level Meters
Individual meters for your 7.1.4 input
5. Channel Mute/SoloMute or solo individual channels
6. Headphone Rendering Options/Binaural Meters
Static - works with any headphones
Static Personalized (HRTF ) - works with any headphones, but available only if personalized HRTF
proﬁle is found in the system. For more info please refer to Apple:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213318
Headtracking* - works with Apple or Beats headphones only
Headtracking Personalized (HRTF )* - as above

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Application Controls

1. Settings
Opens the Binaural Renderer settings page. Shortcut: Command +,2. Input Source selector
A selector that allows for switching between Spatial Renderer input, pass thru Aux 1 and pass thru
Aux 2.
Each input selector has gain control with adjustment range from -120 dB to +20 dB of gain.
Shortcut: Alt+Click - Resets to default
Aux 1 and Aux 2 inputs bypass Spatial Renderer and are routed to Binaural Renderer’s Audio Output
device channels.
3. Rendering Mode selector (Applicable only to Spatial Renderer 7.1.4 input)a.
Headphones Music - Applies Apple Music proﬁle to 7.1.4 input - replicates headphone
playback for Dolby Atmos music.
b.
Speaker Music - Applies Apple Music proﬁle to 7.1.4 input - replicates speaker playback forDolby Atmos music on supported devices such as MacBook Pro etc.
c.
Headphones Movie - Applies Apple TV proﬁle to 7.1.4 - replicates rendering of material
released on Apple TV
4. Meters and Solo / Mute controls
Solo and Mute per channel
Shortcut: Command + Solo to add a channel to Solo. Click on Solo to reset the multi solo,
5. Headphone Rendering Options
Static - works with any headphones
Static Personalized (HRTF ) - works with any headphones, but available only if personalized HRTF
proﬁle is found in the system. For more info please refer to Apple:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213318
Headtracking* - works with Apple or Beats headphones only
Headtracking Personalized (HRTF )* - as above*Personalized or headtracked options will only be available with supported headphones:
AirPods Pro (1st & 2nd Gen), AirPods Max, AirPods (3rd Generation), Beats Fit Pro, Beats Studio Pro

8Application Settings

1. Sample Rate/Buﬀer Size48 or 96* kHz (96 kHz operation is not supported with Bluetooth headphones)
32 - 2048 (dependant on output device)
2. Audio Input Device
Input device selection for 7.1.4 Spatial Renderer Aux 1 and Aux 2 inputs.
Spatial Renderer channel assignment - assign channel to corresponding inputs
3. Aux Inputs
AUX 1 and AUX 2 channel assignment - assign channels to AUX 1 and AUX 2 Left and Right inputs
respectively
AUX 1 and AUX 2 Name ﬁelds - allows to enter any name that will be reﬂected in main UI
4. Copy audio input to (Passthru Output)
Output device selector that will be used to pass thru audio from 7.1.4 Spatial Renderer Input.
5. Renderer Audio Output
Selection for device that will be used for Spatialized audio output, or pass thru Aux inputs.
6. Reset settings to default*96 kHz operation not supported with Bluetooth Headphones

9Getting started with Binaural Renderer for Apple Music(Plugin)

Binaural Renderer Quick Start User Guide

Plugin Overview

Binaural Renderer for Apple Music is a plugin andstandalone application from Audiomovers which enables
you to hear how your Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 session materialwill sound when released on the Apple Music platform.
In this ﬁrst section we will cover the plugin version. Whenyou purchase Binaural Renderer, both versions areavailable to you. They can be downloaded from theDownloads page on Audiomovers.com.
Binaural Renderer applies Apple Spatial Audio renderingto Dolby Atmos 7.1.4, allowing you to monitor how thespatialized audio will sound when uploaded to andstreamed on Apple Music and Apple TV.
The ability to choose headphones or speaker proﬁles formusic or movies gives you peace of mind andconﬁdence in your mix or master.
Headtracking and personalized HRTF options are alsoavailable with supported headphones. (See systemrequirements)

Binaural Renderer Quick Start User Guide

11

Setting up the plugin

In your DAW session, insert the Binaural
Renderer plugin on a 7.1.4 Atmos Mix content
master, audio track or aux track (depending onDolby Atmos Workﬂow
Once inserted, your discrete channels inputting
the plugin will be converted to a binaural renderthat is an accurate reﬂection of how audio willsound on Apple Music or Apple TV dependingon the selected proﬁle.
You can select your render proﬁle between
Music, TV and Speaker depending on theplatform you are mixing for.
Output your stereo render to your headphonesof choice to see how your mix translates.
If using Apple Headphones that support HRTF
functionality, make sure you have supported
Apple Headphones (See system requirements)
For HRTF functionality with Binaural Renderer,
your wireless headphones will need to beconnected to your Mac for the plugin tocommunicate with your headphones for
personalized spatial and headtracking.

12Using personalized spatial and HRTF
options

Utilizing personalized HRTF
To monitor your audio with personalized spatialand headtracking, you will need supported
headphones (see Page 4).
You will also need to enable personalized
spatial on your headphones. Please refer toApple’s User Manual for more info:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213318
Your wireless headphones will need to beconnected to your Mac for the Binaural
Renderer plugin to communicate with yourheadphones for personalized Spatial andHeadtracking.
You can also use any wired headphones
plugged into your machine, however you will
only have the option to playback a static
binaural render.
More information on connecting to Apple
headphones while using Pro Tools is includedoverleaf.

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Utilizing Binaural Renderer Plugin inDAWs with native Dolby AtmosIntegration

Native Dolby integration workﬂow:
DAWs such as Logic Pro, Studio One 6 Pro,
Nuendo/Cubase Pro 12 and Pro Tools 2023.12
now have built-in Dolby Atmos Integration. Thisallows for a simple workﬂow with BinauralRenderer plugin.
On your 7.1.4 Multi Channel Master, insert
Binaural Renderer for Apple Music, if using
Studio One 6, Cubase 13 Pro or Nuendo, makesure you are inserting the plugin ‘post’.
The plugin comes in 7.1.4 > 7.1.4 format (L & Routput) allowing it to be inserted on yourMaster channel.
Note* AU is fully supported with Logic Pro:In other DAWs we recommend using
VST3/AAX (Pro Tools)*Demonstration in Studio One 6 Pro14

Utilizing Aggregate Devices

Outputting audio to AirPods with anAggregate Device
There are various diﬀerent ways of monitoring
your Binauralized 7.1.4 session audio with yourAirPods. One method is to use an Aggregate
Device. This will allow you to output your audio
to your preferred outputs as well as through
AirPods simultaneously. The below steps will
guide you through setup:
Audio MIDI Setup:1.
Open Audio MIDI Setup
2.
Create Aggregate Device
3.
Select preferred playback engine device
as well as AirPods/Bluetooth Speakers
4.
Disable Drift Correction
DAW:
1.
Select Aggregate Device as DAWPlayback Engine2.
Route Discrete Channel output todedicated HW outputs.
3.
Duplicate 7.1.4 output and send to Aux
track
4.
Insert Binaural Renderer on Aux track5.
Route stereo Binaural Render output tochannels connected to
AirPods/Bluetooth Headphones

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Pro Tools & Aux IO Workﬂow

Utilizing Aux IO in Pro Tools
If using Pro Tools in conjunction with the Dolby
Renderer, you can utilise Pro Tools’ Aux IO tobridge audio between the Dolby Renderer andPro Tools to reference utilising the BinauralRenderer Plugin.
In the Dolby Renderer’s settings, assign theoutput device as one of the Pro Tools Audio
Bridge Devices, the 32 channel device will work
great as you have more channels to output
re-renders as well as 7.1.4 discrete channels for
the Binaural Renderer Plugin.
In the Aux IO settings in Pro Tools, select thisdevice as an AUX IO input device, following
this, in input settings create a 7.1.4 input
conﬁguration for the discrete channels from theDolby Renderer to travel into Pro Tools and thenthe Binaural Renderer plugin.
If you wish to output to AirPods or you canutilize your AirPods as an AuxIO output device

16Getting started with Binaural Renderer for Apple Music(Application version)

Binaural Renderer Quick Start User Guide

Application Overview

Binaural Renderer for Apple Music is a plugin andstandalone application from Audiomovers whichenables you to hear how your Dolby Atmos 7.1.4
session material will sound when released on theApple Music platform.
In this section we will cover the standalone
application version. When you purchase BinauralRenderer, both versions are available to you. They
can be downloaded from the Downloads page onAudiomovers.com.
The Application comes with a 16-channel virtualdriver (named ‘Binaural Renderer Link’) that allow
users to place the Binaural Renderer app between
the Dolby Renderer output and the output audio
device of your system.
The app also has a 12-channel Spatial Renderer
input which can be copied (Pass thru) to any
audio device in a system so you don’t lose yourspeaker routing.
For convenience, it also features two 2-channel
pass thru aux inputs, which can be used toquickly A/B between diﬀerent versions of binauraland stereo material.

Binaural Renderer Quick Start User Guide18

Aux Inputs

Binaural Renderer has two Auxiliary inputs thatcan be selected at the top of the applications
UI.

Auxiliary Inputs

These can be toggled between the Spatial
Renderer Input to reference Apple’s Spatial
Rendering with two stereo audio sources.
In the settings tab you can select the input
channels. By default it will be set to:
Aux Input 1: Channels 13 - 14
Aux Input 2: Channels 15 - 16

Auxiliary Input Channel Selection

The Aux Inputs can also be renamed in thesettings tab to help easier navigate the audio
source you are listening to.

19Aux Inputs

Binaural Renderer allows you to copy theincoming 7.1.4 discrete channels to any audio
device on your system, bypassing Apple’s
Spatial Rendering.

Pass thru output

This will you to reference Apple’s Spatial Renderas well as output the discrete channels to yourdesignated 7.1.4 speaker conﬁguration.
This could also be used to send the discrete
channels to a routing application for various
utilities such as streaming discrete channels
with LISTENTO or routing your 7.1.4 back intopro tools.

20Routing your Dolby Atmos audio with your DAW to monitor
through Binaural Renderer for Apple Music

Recommended setup with the Dolby Renderer application
1.

Assign the output of your Dolby Renderer application to ‘Binaural Renderer Link’.
You can use any other device to route 7.1.4 output from Dolby Renderer application to Binaural renderer
Application audio input, this is just a recommendation.

2.
3.
4.

If you use speaker setup you can utilize ‘copy audio to’ option in settings and select your audio
device that will playback to your 7.1.4 speaker conﬁguration
Select the Renderer’s output device and channels that are routed to headphones.
Additional AUX channels may be used to route Dolby Binaural renderer output from Dolby Renderer
application, or any other 2-channel source.

Binaural Renderer Quick Start User Guide

21

Have more questions about Binaural Renderer or Audiomovers?
Head to —https://audiomovers.com/help
Alternatively, please contact us at contact@audiomovers.com*Binaural Renderer for Apple Music is solely a product of Audiomovers, and not
created or endorsed by Apple Inc

All product names, logos, and brands are property of their respective owners.
All company, product and service names used in this guide are for identiﬁcation
purposes only.

Copyright © 2023 Audiomovers TA Virgin Records, All rights reserved.

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