Immersive Audio Insights: Gabriel Lundh on Object-Based Mixing and Why He Loves Immersive Master Pro
Gabriel Lundh in his studio
Immersive Machines’s Russ Hughes sat down with Swedish producer and audio professional Gabriel Lundh to discuss his passion for object-based audio, the advantages it brings to mixing, and how Immersive Master Pro (IMP) has become an integral part of his workflow.
Gabriel Lundh’s journey into audio began modestly in a family garage converted into a makeshift studio. Encouraged by his father, he first explored music by picking up the bass guitar, gradually diving deeper into the art of recording and production during his high school years. After school, Gabriel found his true passion lay behind the scenes—in music and film production rather than performance. His down-to-earth and determined approach culminated in establishing 'the dome.', one of Sweden’s pioneering Dolby Atmos-equipped music studios.
Russ Hughes: Let's dive straight in. You've previously mentioned you're not particularly fond of the term "Immersive Audio" when talking about the Dolby Atmos format. What is it about the term that doesn’t sit right with you?
Gabriel Lundh: Absolutely, Russ. For me, the term doesn't fully capture the potential of a format like Dolby Atmos. "Object-based audio" makes more sense as it better describes the difference to traditional channel based formats, like 5.1. The traditional channel based formats required very specific configurations and felt restrictive, and upmixing from, lets say, 5.1 meant remixing entirely, which never made sense to me. Object-based audio, however, is one master mix adaptable to all formats, even binaural headphone experiences. It just makes so much more sense to me.
Russ Hughes: That's fascinating. Stereo has dominated music for decades—what specifically are you gaining with object-based audio that you couldn't achieve with traditional stereo?
Gabriel Lundh: The real power is emotional connection. When listening in a larger system, you don't perceive individual speakers; the sound completely envelops you and I find it easier to connect with the music. In stereo, it’s always clear that sound is coming from in front of you and from just two speakers, whereas formats like Dolby Atmos allow sound to interact dynamically within the room. You can also play with true mono like experiences, for example, placing a voice dead centre creates a genuinely intimate, personal experience that's challenging to replicate in stereo.
Russ Hughes: You mentioned something intriguing—that working in Atmos brought you back to mono recording. Can you explain that a bit?
Gabriel Lundh: Indeed, Atmos actually highlighted to me that mono is king. Mono signals give you precise placement within the 3D space. Combining mono instruments like synths or guitars with immersive reverbs creates clarity and presence that's harder to achieve using stereo sources. You get that intimacy and pinpoint accuracy, which makes the listening experience richer.
Russ Hughes: When it comes to music styles or types of recordings, do you find certain ones better suited to object-based audio?
Gabriel Lundh: Definitely. Studio productions benefit hugely due to their potential complexity and layering possibilities. In the studio, you can meticulously position elements and craft deep, enveloping mixes. Live recordings, meanwhile, tend to replicate a realistic stage setup, offering fewer opportunities for creative spatial manipulation, at least that’s what I think. Studio albums allow a richer, more detailed audio experience.
That being said - in terms of music styles, I find that more cinematic and softer productions tend to be easier to mix and more aggressive music styles require a bit more to achieve the same enveloping results without being too aggressive and confusing to the listener.
Russ Hughes: Let's shift to your experience with Immersive Master Pro. What were your initial thoughts when you first used it?
Gabriel Lundh: Honestly, I was sceptical at first. I wasn't sure if it would provide accurate, reliable results—especially regarding metadata and the binaural render modes metadata. But it genuinely surprised me. The precision of IMP in handling complex tasks like removing silent objects, changing loudness or dividing ADM files is superb. Plus, knowing it uses Dolby’s SDK and gets approved by Dolby before every new release, reassured me that the deliverables would be consistently reliable.
Russ Hughes: You've made it clear that IMP is a critical part of your process now. Could you still do your work effectively if it wasn't available anymore?
Gabriel Lundh: Since incorporating IMP, I haven't delivered a single project without it. It significantly speeds up my workflow when doing deliverables, especially when handling batches of unrelated tracks that needs to be checked for loudness or with an album where you need to keep the integrity of the loudness between the songs intact. The ability to quickly verify files and make adjustments without constantly returning to Pro Tools or the renderer is invaluable. Losing IMP now would be a real setback.
Russ Hughes: What advice would you offer to audio professionals considering IMP but perhaps hesitant to add new software to their workflow?
Gabriel Lundh: Try the demo, but give it a proper chance. Explore its advanced capabilities like the edit mode—it offers flexibility unlike anything else, where you can create multiple deliverables from one ADM file.
Initially, there's a short learning curve, but once you integrate it, the efficiency and consistency gains are tremendous.
