The Beatles’ producer Giles Martin, in a new interview, delves into the technical marvels and challenges of Apple Music’s Spatial Audio’s three-dimensional sound, explained why the current version of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band won’t stick around much longer, and much more.
Brian Hiatt for Rolling Stone:
RS: Sgt. Pepper’s was the first Atmos mix you did. What was that process like?
Martin: Sgt. Pepper’s, how it’s being presented right now, I’m actually going to change it. It doesn’t sound quite right to me. It’s out in Apple Music right now. But I’m gonna replace it. It’s good. But it’s not right. Sgt. Pepper’s was, I think, the first album ever mixed in Dolby Atmos. And we did that as a theatrical presentation. I liked the idea of the Beatles being the first to do something. It’s cool that they can still be the first to do something. So Sgt. Pepper’s is a theatrical mix that’s then being converted into a smaller medium. Therefore, it’s not quite right. I’m gonna go back to the theatrical mix and and make it into what’s called near-field Dolby Atmos, as opposed to the cinema Dolby Atmos. It’s a bit bright. It’s a bit digital. But again, I’m gonna replace it, so that’s cool.
RS: Abbey Road does seem to sound quite a bit better. There’s something a little float-y about the way Sgt. Pepper’s sounds right now.
Martin: It seems to lack a bit of bass and a little bit of weight behind it. Abbey Road is a much better-functioning Atmos mix because it’s much closer to to the stereo mix, sonically.
MacDailyNews Take: There is much more in the full interview – recommended – here.