McCartney III (Dolby Atmos - 2022)

Dolby Atmos is an advanced audio technology designed to create a more immersive and three-dimensional sound experience in various entertainment settings, such as movie theaters and home theaters. Unlike traditional audio systems that use channel-based audio, Dolby Atmos uses object-based audio, allowing sound to move freely around the listener in a three-dimensional space, including overhead. This technology enhances the realism and depth of sound, providing a more immersive and cinematic audio experience with greater precision and immersion.

From paulmccartney.com, August 8, 2022:

If you’ve been eagerly anticipating the release of the new McCartney I II III box set, there’s now a whole new reason to get excited: McCartney, McCartney II and McCartney III have become the first Paul McCartney solo records to be made available in Dolby Atmos!

But what exactly is Dolby Atmos? And just how will it enhance the listening experience of these three iconic albums?

Since music fans moved on from listening to their favourite Beatles records in mono, we’ve been listening to our favourite Paul and Wings albums in stereo. Mono gave us one channel of audio. With stereo, you have two: left and right.

In Dolby Atmos, the process is quite different. Audio is delivered using an ‘object-based’ format so mixers can place and move sounds around in a 3D environment.

Without getting too technical, if you’ve seen Paul play live, you’ve heard him play in stereo. He and his band stand in front of you and when they perform the music comes to you from that one direction. Mixing in Atmos is more like standing in the middle of the band. Paul might be in front of you singing, but Abe could be playing the drums behind you. Wix, Rusty, Brian and the Hot City Horns could then be spread around you so when they’re playing one of Paul’s classic songs, you’re immersed right in the middle of the music!

The technology is still very new, so to experience McCartney albums I, II and III at home you’ll need a couple of things: an account on a streaming platform that supports Atmos and a pair of headphones or set of speakers that have Atmos enabled.

After listening to these new mixes, we already have several new favourite songs, from the percussion and running on ‘Kreen-Akrore’, to the playful bass line of ‘Coming Up’ and the rich, complex layers of ‘Deep Deep Feeling’. We’re sure those will soon change though as there’s so much to discover in the new mixes!