Dolby Headphone Personalization with SoundID Tools

Use the SoundID Tools mobile app to create a Dolby Headphone Personalization profile to use in the Dolby Atmos rendering tools.

In this article:

• Dolby Headphone Personalization
• Create and export your profile
• Apply profile to Dolby Atmos rendering tools
  • Pro Tools
  • DaVinci Resolve
  • Dolby Atmos Renderer standalone app
• Frequently asked questions
  • Can I use it with SoundID Reference headphone calibration?
  • Binaural configuration menu not showing up?
  • What are the requirements for the SoundID Tools mobile app?
  • Is it approved by Dolby?

Dolby Headphone Personalization

Sonarworks has partnered with Dolby to deliver a better headphone monitoring experience for creators working with Dolby Atmos.  

Dolby Headphone Personalization tailors the binaural render to your anatomy, improving how accurately you hear space over headphones. This helps you perceive direction, distance, and height more clearly, so you can make mix decisions with greater confidence.

The SoundID Tools mobile app creates a profile to be imported and used for headphone monitoring in Dolby Atmos rendering tools:

• Dolby Atmos rendering in supported DAWs. Most major DAWs already have Dolby Atmos rendering natively integrated (Renderer standalone app not needed).
• Dolby Atmos Renderer standalone app (v5.3.2 or higher required). Available for purchase in Dolby Professional Store, and a free trial is also available.

Note: For natively supported DAWs, profile import is currently available in Pro Tools and DaVinci Resolve. Support in other DAWs is pending updates from their respective manufacturers.

Create and export your profile

1. Download the SoundID Tools mobile app: 
   • iOS: App Store
   • Android: Google Play
2. Create your Dolby Headphone Personalization profile. 
3. Export profile and transfer the file to your computer.

Apply profile to Dolby Atmos rendering tools

• Pro Tools
• DaVinci Resolve
• Dolby Atmos Renderer standalone app

Pro Tools

1. Create your profile with SoundID Tools mobile app, and transfer the file to your computer.
2. Go to Pro Tools > Setup > I/O... > Renderer.
3. Enable the 'Dolby Atmos Internal Renderer' setting checkbox, and click OK to confirm.
4. Got to Pro Tools > Window > Renderer, and click on '⚙' (the gear icon) to open the left sidebar.
5. Go to Headphone Personalization > '↓' (dropdown menu) > Import New Profile...
6. Click Browse to load the .personalized_headphone profile; Open and Save.

DaVinci Resolve

1. Create your profile with SoundID Tools mobile app, and transfer the file to your computer.
2. Go to Da Vinci Resolve > Preferences > Video and Audio I/O > Immersive Audio.
3. Enable these settings: Enable Dolby Atmos and Enable Dolby Atmos Renderer.
   • Note: You will be required to relaunch DaVinci Resolve.
4. Go to Da Vinci Resolve > Preferences > Video and Audio I/O > Dolby Atmos > Dolby Headphone Personalization.
5. Click Browse to load the .personalized_headphone profile; Open and Save.

Note: The Dolby Atmos rendering features require DaVinci Resolve Studio (not available with the free version of DaVinci Resolve).

Dolby Atmos Renderer standalone app

1. Create your profile with SoundID Tools mobile app, and transfer the file to your computer.
2. Place the .personalized_headphone file in the Binaural Configurations folder:
   • macOS: 
     Macintosh HD/Users/your username/Library/Application Support/Dolby/Dolby Atmos Renderer/Binaural Configurations
   • Windows: 
     C:\ProgramData\Dolby\Dolby Atmos Renderer\Binaural Configurations
3. Launch the Dolby Atmos Renderer app. If it was already running, relaunch the app to detect the profile.
4. Go to Preferences/Settings and adjust these settings:
   • MONITORING > Headphone Render mode: Binaural.
   • OUTPUTS > Headphone: ON.
   • OUTPUTS > Headphone Only mode: ON (optional, to ensure correct headphone routing).
5. Click on the Binaural configuration menu, and change from Default to your personalized profile.

Note: The User/Library and user\AppData folders on macOS and Windows are hidden by default. To enable showing hidden files and folders, follow the instructions here: How to show hidden files on macOS and Windows?

Frequently asked questions

Can I use it with SoundID Reference headphone calibration?

Yes, Dolby Headphone Personalization can be used in combination with SoundID Reference headphone calibration (SoundID Reference standalone app or DAW plugin). The routing depends on which Dolby Atmos rendering workflow you are using:

Dolby Atmos Renderer standalone app + SoundID Reference

1. Apply Dolby Headphone Personalization to Dolby Atmos Renderer app as shown above: Apply profile to Dolby Atmos Renderer standalone app.
2. Go to the Dolby Atmos Renderer app Prefereces > DEVICES > Audio output devices.
3. Assign SoundID Reference standalone app (system-wide driver) as your output device.

Note [WIN]: The Dolby Atmos Renderer standalone app is ASIO-exclusive on Windows. This means that the regular SoundID Reference standalone app driver modes (WASAPI, WASAPI-to-ASIO, and APO) won't be available as audio output devices in the Renderer app Preferences. For this purpose, the only compatible SoundID Reference standalone app driver mode is ASIO-to-ASIO. Set it up as shown here (relaunch the Renderer app after setting it up): [WIN] Virtual ASIO to ASIO driver (ASIO to ASIO).

Dolby Atmos rendering in supported DAWs + SoundID Reference

1. Apply Dolby Headphone Personalization to Dolby Atmos rendering as shown above: Apply profile to Dolby Atmos rendering in supported DAWs.
2. Load the SoundID Reference DAW plugin AFTER the Dolby Atmos rendering instance on your master output channel.

Binaural configuration menu not showing up?

If the Binaural Configuration menu is not showing up in the top-right corner of the Dolby Atmos Renderer standalone app, proceed as follows:

1. Relaunch the app to detect new profiles. The Binaural Configurations menu shows up only if at least one personalized profile is detected in the correct file location.
2. Double-check if the .personalized_headphone is in the correct location as shown above (check the exact filepath).
3. Make sure the app is updated to the latest available verion (v5.3.2 or higher required).

What are the requirements for the SoundID Tools mobile app?

• iOS 16 or above, with TrueDepth frontal camera (iPhone XS, XR or later).
• Android 10 or above.

Is it approved by Dolby?

Yes, Dolby and Sonarworks are working together to ensure that the SoundID Tools app conforms to Dolby’s standards and is compatible with the full ecosystem of Dolby Atmos content creation tools.