12 channel Atmos on a budget, 7.1.4 Guide

Speakers & Subwoofers
42

Hey Team,

I have a concern I am building in house 7.1.4 setup with Active Monitors and I am currently using focusrite audio interface I am quite confused about the REW. Should I have to calibrate each and every speaker through REW? I am still confused with the Speaker Calibration Stuff.

43

Hey @Krentus

Could you please explain little bit more about the calibrating using REW?

What are the steps do we need to follow and how we can apply those eq settings to our speakers if we are not using miniDSP can we do this eq settings with Audio Interface (FOCUSRITE)?

45

You should be able to use FAST Equaliser software with the Focusrite stuff for the EQ.

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So basically you could measure the room with REW if you want.
And yes, all channels.

Then see results and try change the EQ to correct some room boosts, or peaks. Maybe correct some FR’s lost under the normal.

But these require some learning and testing to figure out. :slight_smile:

46

Hi everyone,
I am newbie and had only verbal knowledge. When I tried to learn, I had confused in how to connect all 5 DSP to single audio source.
I hope someone will clarify me.
Thanks in advance :smiley:.

47

Single graph with connections and explanations might been a nice thing.
Keep in mind. This aint newbie level… to set and configure ( first post + configuration ).

Anyone with more information please correct me. I think →

  1. you connect these 2X u2audio7-1 DAC to the audio source / being computer.
  2. each day gets a few set of 3.5mm to RCA cables coming out, these signals pass through the miniDSP 2X4 (two channels per miniDSP, channel 1 and 2), then into the Dayton speaker amp.
  3. Amps to speakers.

Plus read slowly and mindfully the first post concerning power and software + video.

Or just trash and forget everything all and look for any other solution that is much simple but little more money. Few good options as well in comments.

48

Just buy a real Dolby Atmos licensed processor… This is NOT Atmos

49

Wondering what this is then?

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Not a Apple fan or user but Apple has Atmos support.
So it should be using Atmos codec and sending correct sound channels to correct speakers.

50

I was informed originally was “Apple Spatial Audio” lossy playback for Dolby Atmos material. Maybe that was not true or changed I don’t keep up with Apple.
I would hate for someone without an existing MACbook to try and go this route as “budget”.

51

True.
Also this “Apple budget” system is very complicated vs. one stop shop or standard AVR.
Now days with automated On/Off setups you might need to press 2 or 3 buttons to actually start playing the movies / music / games. Depending of course on devices and HT -setup design.
Minimun would be 1) Insert disk → then everything turn On automatic ----> 2) Hit play = Thats it.
3) adjust volume.

That convenience can cost few $ in my mind. Specifically the “daily using part” needs to be simple and easy.

52

Can anyone please help me with surround sound setup similar to this with dolby atmos on windows 11 I have 3 pairs of Edifier R1700bts speakers paired with DIY center speaker also I have creative X4 external sound card which has support for 7.1 descrete outputs

53

OSX can now be easily virtualized. For a few hundred bucks I can now have a 16ch setup. You aren’t going to get that anywhere “officially” for less than 5 grand, and thats just for the processing. As I mentioned before in this thread, this whole setup is intended for enthusiasts on a budget.

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54

Its not possible. Windows doesn’t have any software currently that will allow you to aggregate multiple sound ouputs like mac does. You run a virtualbox of mac now though really easily. Linus Tech Tips has a tutorial on how to do it.

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55

16 channels isn’t happening for anything less than 5 grand.

56

i dont think it even should happen.
It should not be 16 channels on a budget when you could have Good with 5 channels.

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57

Subject: Mac-Based 7.1.4 Home Theater — Dual USB Soundcard Setup Breaking Channel Mapping (BlackHole/Loopback Issue)

Hi all,

I’ve built a custom 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos home theater setup using my Mac as the central hub , and I’m running into some frustrating issues with multi-device audio routing and channel mapping .

:exclamation: Important upfront:

I’m not using an AVR, and that’s by choice — I know it would simplify things, but I’m specifically building this with USB soundcards. I’m not looking for suggestions to switch to HDMI or AVR-based solutions. I’m fully committed to getting this to work with my current setup.

:hammer_and_wrench: System Overview

  • Mac (Apple Silicon) running macOS
  • Two Vantec USB 7.1 soundcards , connected via a dual USB-A female to USB-C male adapter
  • Soundcard 1: 7.1 ground-level speakers
    • 5 active speakers + sub connected via aux
    • Center channel and rear surrounds go through individual amps (aux → amp → speaker wire)
  • Soundcard 2: 4 active ceiling speakers for Atmos height channels via aux

:white_check_mark: What Works

  • Single soundcard setup works flawlessly: 5.1 or 7.1 content plays fine and maps correctly in Audio MIDI Setup
  • I can watch 5.1 or 7.1 content on Apple TV+, VLC, etc., as long as only one card is in use
  • Loopback Audio shows correct 12-channel output from Dolby Atmos content — but the full feature set requires a license, and I’m trying to avoid paid solutions

:x: The Problems

1.

Multi-Device Mapping Breaks

  • As soon as I use two soundcards together in an Aggregate or Multi-Output Device , or through BlackHole 16ch :
    • Channel mapping becomes unreliable
    • The Mac will randomly reassign channels, or sound will suddenly start coming from the wrong speaker
    • After this happens, macOS often only outputs to one soundcard , seemingly at random

2.

BlackHole Doesn’t Route Cleanly

  • I’m using BlackHole 16ch as the output device so that Apple TV+ sees a 12+ channel output
    • Without it, Apple TV+ defaults to 5.1 audio, even for Atmos content
  • Problem is: BlackHole doesn’t let me easily route those 12 channels to the correct physical outputs on my soundcards
  • There’s no per-channel activity monitor in BlackHole, making it hard to debug

:question: What I’m Looking For

  • A reliable way to route 12-channel output (7.1.4) through two USB soundcards on macOS
  • A method to lock channel assignments in place without the OS reshuffling them
  • A free or open-source alternative to Loopback that supports channel mapping and monitoring
  • Any solution (within the USB soundcard approach) that enables Apple TV+ and Apple Music to consistently output 12-channel Dolby Atmos

I’m really close — the speakers, amps, wiring, and content sources are all set. It’s just the software/hardware routing layer on macOS that’s causing problems.

Any help from others who’ve attempted similar setups, or have advanced knowledge of macOS audio routing, would be deeply appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Abdullah

58

By quoting DMS he only used MacOS, Loopback and REW (for EQ).
So. Would the license in Loopback actually be the easy answer?

You might not be able to bypass the “Dolby license” with 2x USB cards and then get 7.1.4 audio.
That kinda is the point.

Any additional USB-device or suitable multichannel audio device or software with Dolby (multichannel) support has bought the license from Dolby.