DESERT COMB MUSIC
Immersive Audio Guide
How to get the most out of your Desert Comb Music downloads
What is immersive audio?
Conventional stereo places sound across two channels, left and right. Surround formats extend this across five, six, or seven speakers positioned around the listener. Immersive audio goes further. Rather than placing sounds into fixed channels, Dolby Atmos treats sounds as independent objects with positional metadata. The playback system renders those objects into whatever speaker configuration is available, from headphones and stereo up to multi-channel arrays with height speakers. Both a 5.1 mix and a 7.1.2 mix with overhead channels can be valid Atmos. The format adapts to your setup rather than requiring a specific one.
The difference matters most in music that was composed and mixed with the format in mind from the start, not stereo recordings adapted after the fact. The Desert Comb catalogue is produced for immersive audio natively.
Downloads versus streaming
Music streaming services like Apple Music and Tidal deliver Atmos content using Dolby Digital Plus (DD+/E-AC3) at around 768 kbps. This is a compressed format, adequate for casual listening but with audible limitations in the rear and height channels where compression artefacts are most apparent.
The Surround Bundle from Desert Comb Music includes Dolby TrueHD, the same lossless format used on Blu-ray disc, at bitrates between 6,000 and 18,000 kbps. There is no quality ceiling imposed by a streaming infrastructure. What you download is what was mixed.
For reference, a Dolby TrueHD Atmos file contains roughly ten times more audio data than a streaming-quality equivalent.
What’s in a Surround Bundle
Each Surround Bundle contains four formats in a single ZIP file. You don’t need to use all of them. Choose based on your setup.
| Format | File type | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Dolby Atmos TrueHD | MKV | Reference Atmos playback. Requires AV receiver with bitstream passthrough. |
| Dolby Atmos DD+ | MP4 | Atmos soundbars, Apple TV 4K, most modern AV equipment |
| 5.1 FLAC 24-bit / 96kHz | FLAC | Home theatre receivers, computers, compatible Blu-ray players |
| Binaural FLAC 24-bit / 48kHz | FLAC | Headphone listening. Any pair of headphones, no special hardware needed. |
What’s in a Stereo Bundle
Up to four formats in a single ZIP file, covering every stereo use case from portable playback to reference listening.
| Format | Best for |
|---|---|
| MP3 320kbps | Phones, portable players, casual listening |
| FLAC 16-bit / 44.1kHz | CD-quality lossless, compatible with virtually everything |
| FLAC 24-bit / 96kHz | Hi-res lossless at full studio resolution |
| Vinyl master FLAC 24-bit / 96kHz (if available) | Two files (Side 1, Side 2) with CUE sheets for track navigation |
The Stereo Bundle also includes the vinyl master recording as a pair of 24-bit / 96kHz FLAC files, one per side, accompanied by a CUE sheet for each side. See the section below on playing CUE files.
The vinyl master and CUE files (if available)
The vinyl master is included in the Stereo Bundle as two continuous 24-bit / 96kHz FLAC recordings, one per side of the LP. Each side has an accompanying CUE sheet (.cue file) containing the track titles and timecodes. A compatible player reads the CUE file and presents the continuous recording as individual navigable tracks, preserving the vinyl listening experience including any intentional gaps or transitions between songs.
This format is different from individual track files. The CUE file is not an audio file itself. It is a plain text map that tells your player where each track begins within the larger FLAC file.
Windows
Foobar2000 is the correct player for CUE+FLAC on Windows and handles this reliably. Drag the .cue file into Foobar2000’s playlist window and the tracks will appear individually with their titles and durations. Do not drag the FLAC file directly. The CUE file and the FLAC file must be in the same folder.
VLC does not support CUE+FLAC reliably on Windows and will typically fail to play the file or produce no audio. This is a known limitation of VLC’s CUE demuxer, which was built primarily around WAV files. Do not use VLC for CUE playback.
Mac
Foobar2000 is available for Mac and is the simplest cross-platform option. Cog is a free, open-source Mac audio player with solid CUE+FLAC support and a clean interface. Both are reliable choices.
VLC on Mac has the same CUE+FLAC limitations as the Windows version and is not recommended for this use case.
If you prefer individual track files
CUETools (Windows, free) can split a CUE+FLAC pair into separate FLAC files, one per track, with full metadata embedded. This is useful if your preferred player or library software does not support CUE sheets. XLD (Mac, free) does the same on macOS.
Choose the right format for your setup
You listen on headphones
Start with the Binaural FLAC. This is a dedicated headphone mix derived from the full Atmos session, not a simple stereo downmix. The spatial information is encoded into the recording itself, so no special hardware or processing is required.
If your headphones or device apply their own spatial audio processing (AirPods Spatial Audio, for example), turn it off when listening to the binaural mix. The effect is already in the file, and adding extra processing degrades it rather than enhancing it. On iPhone, open Control Centre, long-press the volume slider, and set Spatial Audio to fully off, not just fixed.
For standard stereo hi-res without spatial processing, use the FLAC 24-bit / 96kHz from the Stereo Bundle.
You have an AV receiver or home theatre system
5.1 FLAC is the most universally compatible surround format and works with the vast majority of AV receivers, including equipment that pre-dates the Atmos era. Playback via HDMI from a computer or media player will show as PCM or Multi-Channel on your receiver display. This is correct. It means lossless audio decoded by the player and passed as uncompressed multichannel, identical in quality to the source file.
Recommended software for 5.1 FLAC
- Foobar2000 (Windows), the standard choice for audiophile FLAC playback. Handles multichannel natively.
- VLC (Windows, Mac, Linux), free and plays everything.
- Kodi (Windows, Android, Raspberry Pi), excellent for home theatre setups.
You have an Atmos-capable soundbar or AV receiver
Use the Dolby Atmos DD+ MP4. This delivers the full Atmos object-based mix, including any height information, in a format compatible with virtually all Atmos-capable equipment sold in the last five years. Works via Apple TV 4K with Infuse Pro (paid subscription), Nvidia Shield, most Android media players, and standard HDMI ARC connections to soundbars.
You want reference-quality lossless Atmos
Use the Dolby Atmos TrueHD MKV. This is the uncompressed Atmos format, lossless and with the full object metadata intact.
TrueHD requires a player capable of HDMI bitstream passthrough. This means sending the raw audio signal to your AV receiver for decoding rather than decoding it internally. Not all devices support this.
Compatible players:
- Nvidia Shield TV Pro (with Kodi, passthrough enabled)
- Zidoo Z9X Pro / Z3000 Pro
- Dune HD Premier 4K
- Homatics Box R 4K Plus
- Neumi Atom 4K
- Windows PC with Kodi, connected directly to an Atmos-capable receiver via HDMI. Bitstream passthrough must be enabled in Kodi’s audio settings.
Does not support TrueHD passthrough:
- Apple TV 4K. Decodes to 7.1 LPCM, losing the Atmos metadata. Use the DD+ MP4 file instead, played via Infuse Pro.
- Amazon Fire TV / Roku devices
- Smart TV built-in media players
- Optical / TOSLINK connections (insufficient bandwidth)
If you’re unsure whether your hardware supports TrueHD passthrough, use the DD+ MP4 instead. It delivers full Atmos with height objects in a format your equipment will almost certainly handle correctly.
Playback software quick reference
| Software | Platform | Formats | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foobar2000 | Windows | FLAC (stereo + multichannel) | Free. Audiophile standard. |
| VLC | Windows, Mac, Linux | FLAC, MKV, MP4, MP3 | Free. Decodes to PCM, no bitstream passthrough. |
| Kodi | Windows, Android, Shield | FLAC, MKV, MP4 | Best for TrueHD bitstream passthrough. |
| Infuse Pro | Apple TV, Mac, iOS | MKV, FLAC, MP4 | Best Apple experience. Paid subscription required for Atmos. |
| Plex | All platforms | FLAC, MKV, MP4 | Good for home media library. |
| VLC | Android | FLAC, MKV, MP3, MP4 | Free. Plays everything. |
| Poweramp | Android | FLAC, MP3 | Music files only. Excellent interface and EQ. |
Common issues
The download was interrupted. Chrome and Firefox have the most reliable large-file download resumption. If interrupted, open the browser’s download manager and resume from where it stopped. Safari has a resume button but it is less consistent and depends on server-side support. If a Safari download fails to resume, switching to Chrome or Firefox is the simplest fix. If a download times out repeatedly on a slow connection, try at a different time. If your link has expired, contact us with your order reference and we’ll issue a new one.
Mac can’t open the ZIP file. macOS’s built-in Archive Utility occasionally has difficulty with large or multi-part ZIP files. A third-party unarchiver such as The Unarchiver (free, App Store) or Keka resolves this reliably.
No sound, or only sound from some speakers. Check that your system’s audio output is configured for multichannel, not stereo. On Windows, right-click the sound icon, go to Sound settings, select your output device, click Configure, and choose 5.1 or 7.1. On Mac, check the audio output in System Settings and confirm your HDMI output is selected. If you hear sound but only from some speakers, check your receiver’s speaker configuration and input assignment.
The receiver display shows PCM or Multi-Channel, not Dolby. This is normal and expected for FLAC playback. It means the audio is being decoded by your player and sent as uncompressed lossless multichannel, identical in quality to the source. If you want the receiver to do the decoding and display “Dolby Atmos,” use the MKV file with bitstream passthrough enabled.
The binaural mix is quieter than the stereo tracks. Binaural mixes are intentionally left with greater dynamic range and are not mastered to the same loudness level as the stereo version. Turn up the volume. The quieter level allows the spatial detail, the sense of air and distance between instruments, to come through more clearly at higher listening levels.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a surround system to benefit from these downloads? No. The Binaural FLAC in the Surround Bundle works on any headphones and requires no special hardware. The Stereo Bundle hi-res FLAC delivers full studio resolution on any system capable of playing FLAC, which includes most modern hardware.
What if my AV receiver is too old for Dolby Atmos? The 5.1 FLAC plays on any receiver with HDMI multichannel input, regardless of age. If you play the TrueHD MKV on a receiver that pre-dates Atmos, the Atmos metadata is ignored and the audio falls back to the base lossless TrueHD track in whatever channel configuration your receiver supports, still lossless and significantly better than streaming quality.
Can I play these files on a standard Blu-ray player? Some Blu-ray players support multichannel FLAC from USB, particularly audiophile-grade players such as Oppo models (discontinued but widely owned). Compatibility with MKV files is less common and varies significantly by manufacturer. Check your player’s specifications for MKV and TrueHD support before relying on it.
How long are my download links valid? Download links are valid for 14 days from the time of purchase, with a limit of 3 downloads per link. If you need a link renewed, for example after a computer failure or an interrupted download, contact us with your order reference.
I’ve already bought the stereo version. Can I add surround later? Yes. The Stereo and Surround Bundles are sold separately precisely for this reason. If a surround mix is released after you purchased the stereo version, you can buy just the Surround Bundle without repurchasing formats you already own.
If you have a playback question not covered here, contact us at support@desertcomb.com and include your operating system, media player, and a description of your audio setup.