Affordable Atmos AV processor for music mixing room/studio (ToneWinner AT-300)

I discovered an excellent Atmos AV processor at an affordable price that's perfect for a small recording studio specializing in Atmos music: the Tone Winner AT-300. The receiver supports Atmos over 12 different speaker configurations up to 9.3.4 with line-level balanced XLR outputs.
It's a great addition to my Atmos mixing and speaker setup. This video offers tips on integrating it with Steinberg Cubase or Nuendo.
This video is not sponsored in any way.
Featured links:
Tone winner AT-300 North American dealer:
summithifiusa....
Dolby sample media for Atmos (MP4)
developer.dolb...!
Sony BDP-S3700 Blu-ray Disc Player
www.balladeers...

[@dougleydorite]

This is so awesome. People are spending way too much just to get Atmos playback in their mix room. I never thought of going into your interfaces inputs!

[@g.o.9513]

Hey man, I really love your channel, the way you edit, talk, and most important the substance in your videos is what keeps me coming back.

[@DietzMix]

Thanks for the hint! Interesting box. --- Sidenote: Use one of the multi-channel monitor sources offered Nuendo's Control Room instead of "live monitoring" via an audio track. You could make your speaker alignments there, too, without the hassle. ;-)

[@balladeerstudio]

Thanks. That would be a better approach!

[@pablovega6937]

Thank you very much. Just to clarify a bit about Atmos, although it's very expensive to implement, Dolby recommends the same height speakers as the front and rear ones, or at least very similar. I.M.H.O Atmos has a different approach to the previous Dolby surround systems, in Atmos every speaker should be considered equally important, or at least this is what I have understood. I guess you will upgrade your height speakers as soon as possible, I am trying to do so right now... cheers.

[@balladeerstudio]

Thanks for the comment. You sent it just in time. As a result of your comment I changed my wording in one section of the video I was just about to publish. It's true that Dolby recommends the same speakers for head level, but height speakers can be smaller. professionalsupport.dolby.com/s/article/Can-I-use-smaller-speakers-for-the-overheads?language=en_US . Not everyone recommends that even all the height speakers match exactly; the rear speakers could be different (which is my own conclusion). www.pro-tools-expert.com/home-page/2020/7/1/everything-you-need-to-know-about-dolby-atmos-home-entertainment-r57h5#block-yui_3_17_2_1_1593672914506_275830 I address all these trade-offs in my new video, just published. Please check it out. kzbin.info/www/bejne/noS2gmewjdSokLM

[@johnkrummrich4948]

Thank you exactly the receiver i am looking at. it looks like the cheapest way to get atmos into my setup.

[@balladeerstudio]

You're welcome, John. I'm glad I found this unit. Happy to share the info.

[@billybobby7607]

It's a good basic AV pre which does the job. The auto room EQ isn't very good I would recommend disabling it or manual rew/umik1 filter settings

[@yaghiyahbrenner8902]

Interesting fact - "Tone Winner" is an OEM for high-end ATMOS receivers, they have all the R&D to develop ATMOS, HDMI receivers.

[@balladeerstudio]

Thanks Yaghiyah. I can believe that. Just curious: do you have a source for this info?

[@AnkitBhargavaweddings]

@@balladeerstudio The recent iota and budget emotiva atmos Pocessors are produced by Tonewinner

[@balladeerstudio]

@@AnkitBhargavaweddings Thanks, Ankit!

[@josealfredfernandes]

@@balladeerstudio Hey. Good day. I too got same processor, what should I do, 9.1.4 or 7.1.6? Which is better? Why? Shall I give up front wides for 2 extra Atmos ch? Or shall I give up 2 Atmos ch for 2 front wides? 10x4x9 rectangular room Just 1 person, 1 seat, 1 row

[@balladeerstudio]

@@josealfredfernandes I am very happy with 7.1.4. I don't currently use the extra pair of outputs. If I DID, I would go for adding the "wides" (9.1.4). I heard many Atmos mixers on KZbin rave about that. In my opinion, very few actual listeners will ever hear that. Four overheads seem fine to me.

[@SOUNTH11composingdesign]

Thank you very much. Great information.

[@em0jr]

This is so inspiring!

[@darkphotographer]

5,1 or 7,1 sound card exist for years and cost almost nothing some are iven on board , is it so dificult to add 2 more jacks to add top speakers to make it a atmos ,

[@giacomobuonafina]

Thank you for sharing your studio. This Chinese brand has a receiver with inputs? This is the way I monitor my 5.1 system. I have a Marantz receiver and I take my interface outs to the Rvr inputs and the good part is that they are calibrated, just LFE needs calibration. So I was wondering about this for monitoring ATMOS. Thank you.

[@balladeerstudio]

That’s nice. This model does not have inputs. I run the 12 outputs as inputs to my computer, where I do the calibration in my DAW with a plug-in.

[@eskerinola5845]

I finally bought this AT-300. Thank you!. However I find impossible to connect via bluetooth due to chinese instructions only. Do you know or have any info on how to do it?

[@dafeedesiri9599]

Hello Sir, I've found this video very useful and am so grateful!! Please can you guide me as I set up my Dolby Atmos system over here in Nigeria?

[@balladeerstudio]

Hi Dafe, I'm figuring this out as I go, and when I learn enough to share, I put a lot of time into making video. I hope it's helpful to someone.

[@TrackballClick]

I am following many of your videos, but this video I saw it first time today. Yestarday I ordered a ToneWinner AT-300 and I was wondering how it would work for Tidal. If that works with Fire Stick, already good. I do have another android tv, which is not supported by Tidal. If that doesnt work, I will get a fire stick. I think it would be nice to present how does it appears the features of Tidal, when used for studio. Actually I also have a Nuendo and I made my speaker setup from JBL LSR 305, plus JBL LSR 301 subwoofer. Now I have 5.1.4, because of small studio, but I am thinking to get a second hand pair of speakers more and have 7.1.4. The good news to me with these basic jbl speakers, that they are now relatively cheap, especially the second hand first generation. Actually I like both the mk1 and mk2. I used 2.1 before, now I just added a few more. Hopefully in matter of weeks I can also listen Tidal in atmos. Until than, just trying to produce, mix etc in Nuendo.

[@balladeerstudio]

Thanks. I am using the Fire Stick for Tidal. I'm not impressed with Tidal's UI, but at least I can play Atmos content. If I didn't have the Fire stick, I might look at NVidia Shield.

[@TrackballClick]

@@balladeerstudio Good to hear that at least Fire stick is working for you. I saw a youtuber who fought two days with Fire Stick, then had to give up and buy an apple-tv. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJeUYYSifaqVrMk Since I have a Mecool KM6, which I consider better than NVidia Shield, for me is no option to look for NVidia Shield. Most likely will not work with KM6, therefore I would use Fire stick for just dolby atmos music from Tidal. With regard to Tidal's UI. I do have the subscription already, therefore I know that there is a difference from the PC app versus the Android TV app of Tidal. What I do, I build my playlists on PC, then I can use that on Android TV. I guess to find the dolby atmos music, we may have to google, have the list of titles and search in Tidal. Tidal's UI doesn't really help in a reliable way, to not need alternative search methods. What I would like to avoid, to buy a firestick and then buy an apple tv also, just because doesn't work. But now, at least I know it works for you. I am not familiar with Fire Stick, there are also different versions like form Apple TV? Which one you have?

[@balladeerstudio]

@@TrackballClick Great suggestion about creating my playlists on another device! I have the Fire TV Stick 4K .

[@TrackballClick]

@@balladeerstudio After looking to all the device specs in the list which Tidal supports for Dolby Atmos, there is one very important difference. Only Nvidia Shield TV Pro (maybe standard, but I don't remember now) supports TrueHD or uncompressed Dolby Atmos passthrough. Including Apple TV 4K, just transcode the bitstream of uncompressed dolby atmos into compressed and also chops off the dolby atmos metadata, resulting pure 7.1 stream only. Up until now I couldn't find any Android TV box which would support dolby atmos in uncompressed mode. Nor mine KM6. Of course that format is not used by music streaming providers, just some blueray media. Anyway, I have to reconsider and correct my statement about which is the best Android TV box. Certainly Shield TV Pro doesn't have the top specs in term of hdmi version, cpu power, but from the software point of view, it seems to be the top android tv box.

[@balladeerstudio]

@@TrackballClick Thanks for that information!

[@jeemonpaul]

i have recently purchased at 300 and about to set up and can you tell me how to use the room calibration tool they are providing ?

[@billybobby7607]

Don't bother it's bad Use umik1 and rew do response then do manual filter in the at300 Don't use auto eq in the at300

[@LandOfAbundance]

How do you find the da conversion sound? Great tip this one, good channel, practical research!

[@balladeerstudio]

It sounds good to me.

[@veag687]

wow!

[@djhofer6187]

Thx for the great review! Looking into this box myself, read through the manual, but there’s some details that are still unclear to me. I’m wondering if you’d indulge a few questions? Seems you’re running analog outs into your interface…I’m wondering if it’s possible to use the unit more like an interface... - The back has a usb connection labeled “pc audio”. Manual is scant on details. Have you tried plugging into that? - Alternatively, i wonder if the unit would show up as an output device if connected to a computer via e-arc (as e-arc has more bandwidth can channels available than older hdmi). - If you’ve tried any of these things, I’d also be curious to know if you are on a windows or Mac machine (My personal goal would be to use on a Mac w/ pro tools and Dolby Atmos Production Suite) and if you had any sort sample rate/clocking options in that configuration. - and generally, do you know anything about supported sample rates? Don’t recall that being discussed in the manual. Thanks!

[@balladeerstudio]

Thanks for posting! I agree that the manual is scanty on details. That said, I'm fairly certain the receiver cannot be used as an interface. Please let me know if you learn anything interesting!

[@djhofer6187]

@@balladeerstudio will do! Do you have any idea what the “pc audio” usb connection is for on the back? Is it just an alternate disk connection to the one on the front?

[@balladeerstudio]

@@djhofer6187 The manual says USB (For PC): For playing PC audio. I just tried connecting it, but my PC didn't see a new device. Maybe it's the cable. I suggest you ask Aamir at Summit High-Fi. He's very responsive.

[@djhofer6187]

@@balladeerstudio 10-4. I actually have, he’s reached out to the engineer.

[@personalwatching9312]

Great vid but the mouth clicks are horrible to listen to. :) Maybe a plugin or be a little further away from the mic?

[@YannKEMPF]

Hello ! I'm happy I stumbled upon your video, as I would like to do the same thing, possibly too with the same pre/pro AT-300 and an audio interface. ( I hesitate with the Marantz SR 6015 which still has multichannel inputs, like the 5.1 input on the AT-300). So, if I understand everything well, the path is : DVD Player >~HDMI~> AT-300 >14 XLR~> Audio Interface + Nuendo. But what about when you want to create your own music in Atmos and pass it through the AT-300 ? Do you use the multichannel input ? Or HDMI ? Or you only use the AT-300 as an input source for your audio interface, never the other way around ?

[@balladeerstudio]

Hi Yann, you got it. I only use the AT-300 as an input source for your audio interface. Nuendo is my monitor controller, and all Atmos runs through it. Good luck!

[@YannKEMPF]

@@balladeerstudio Thank you for your quick answer ! OK, then I think I will pass onto the AT-300, as I want to do the opposite (to send from my audio interface into the receiver) (that's why I would like to have a 7.1 input on the receiver). Actually, what I would like to do is to buy different sets of atmos speakers (one like a home theater, one as a "sound system", one as studio monitors) and be able to switch between them (in Nuendo or Pro Tools or other) to compare between them. And of course, trying to do it as cheaply as possible ^^.

[@YannKEMPF]

@@balladeerstudio Thank you for all your other videos, I'm exploring each of them =)

[@cesarbohorquez5575]

Hi ! I just received my AT-300 and I'm setting it up. I have a 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos music studio based on Protools and my audio interface is an Antelope Galaxy X32. I have the Roku Streaming Stick 4k but I haven't been able to get it to play dolby atmos from Tidal. On the AT-300 screen it shows PCM 2.0 and not Dolby Atmos (Thrue HD) and the Atmos led does not turn on either. Is it because of the Roku Streaming Stick 4k and in that case the solution is the Amazon Fire Tv Stick 4k? Or is the problem in the AT-300 configuration? Congratulations for your videos, they have been very useful!

[@balladeerstudio]

Hi Cesar. As far as I know, the AT-300 will detect an Atmos mix if it's really Atmos, so if you're not seeing that on the screen, there's something wrong with your setup. I've been successful with Tidal and a FireTv stick. I've switched to an Nvidia shield and that also works. Good luck!

[@0kiruku]

Hello sir thank you for this useful video, can you please explain this set up, how do you take the out of your tonewinner to which interface and how is the conversion done, i am curious thanks ,,, just ordered a AT300 want to invest in rme family most economical way...

[@balladeerstudio]

Hello. The AT300 has line level outs. If you're building a home theater system, the outputs need to go to speaker amps and then to speakers. I'm using it in my recording studio, where I want to use them as line-level inputs to my audio interface.

[@0kiruku]

@@balladeerstudio thanks a lot, i want to use it with audio interface , to my studio monitor set up, watching your other videos to get more insight... Once again thanks a lot , what i wanted to know was which audio interface you were using to get seven plus muti hannel input and outputs... I am thinking about rme ucx 2...

[@balladeerstudio]

@@0kiruku My main interface is Steinberg UR824. It connects with optical cable to a PreSonus DP88. Both are obsolete now. If I were starting from scratch I would consider one of the FocusRite Dante-enabled interfaces.

[@0kiruku]

@@balladeerstudio thanks a lot sir

[@billyfiallos9009]

I’m sorry, I’m new to this , so you connected the at300 to a interface via optical?

[@billyfiallos9009]

Hi, how you connect your interface to the tonerwinner at300, thank you 🙏🏼

[@balladeerstudio]

Hi Billy. See my reply to 0kiruku on this thread.

[@thorstenweimar1190]

@Balladeer Studio: Great content! I really like your channel, but I am an absolute beginner regarding ATMOS/Nuendo and mixing in general. I thought, I will get deeper in Dolby ATMOS. My question, how can get the Atmos files out of NUENDO? Or in other words: Is it possible to MIX/Master in ATMOS using their native plugins, or do I need additional plugins for that? And of course, I would like to get the ATMOS Mix/Master out of Nuendo. Thanks Thorsten

[@balladeerstudio]

Hi Thorsten. In Nuendo, go to the ADM Authoring tool and click Export ADM file button at the lower right. No additional plugin needed.

[@thorstenweimar1190]

@@balladeerstudio great! Thanks for your reply, I appreciate it! Now, I will watch your videos 👍!

[@Strages_Powers]

If my sound interface has 16 outs, can I use it instead of getting an AV processor?

[@balladeerstudio]

No, you need something to decode the Atmos (or 7.1 or 5.1...)

[@Strages_Powers]

@@balladeerstudio I am trying to understand your cabling, how do your audio interface, computer and avr connect?

[@balladeerstudio]

@@Strages_Powers The AV outputs go into 12 analog inputs on the interface, which in turn connects to the computer.

[@Strages_Powers]

@@balladeerstudio I am also struggling to see the need for an Avr when you can buy the atmos decoder for pc, couldn't you then use your sound interface directly to your speakers and use atmos streaming services from your pc?

[@balladeerstudio]

@@Strages_Powers I'm not familiar with an Atmos decoder for PC. By decoder, do you mean it accepts input somehow from DVD or Tidal and other streaming services? If that exists, please try it and make a video. It would have saved a lot of money.

[@johnwalter564]

Dude.. You CAN mix on 4 different models of speakers. Some being computer monitors....... IF you aren't serious about the quality of the final product. If you are serious about mixing and the final product you should not be- 1. Mixing on cheap computer speakers. 2. Mix-matching monitors. You arent going to get a accurate representation of what you are hearing doing it this way. If you want to use those cheap hs5's then get ALL Yamaha hs5's. Yamaha hs5's are dirt cheap. Please dont mix on mis-matches computer monitors

[@balladeerstudio]

I agree. It was a way to experience Atmos, without doing professional mixing. In later a video you'll see I replaced the computer speakers with inexpensive Yamahas, and the result is much better. Still not a professional mix room.

[@jimhamlin6551]

You still dont own a receiver...the AT 300 is a pre processor a receiver has phono input and a am/fm tuner plus it has power to drive speakers

[@balladeerstudio]

Thanks for pointing out that distinction. Yes, the manufacturer calls it an AV processor.