Video instruction guide - MacOS
Video instruction guide - Windows
Please read this entire document before getting started. Updated 1/25/24.
It’s assumed that you have a basic working knowledge of the Renderer and associated DAW and setup operations. If you’re unsure how to set up or run the Renderer, please see Dolby’s Support Pages or get help elsewhere before starting your Maxwell head tracking journey. With that out of the way, let’s goooooo!!!!
MacOS:
- Install the latest version of the Dolby Atmos Renderer (must be at least 5.1.0). If you already have the Renderer installed, make sure you check the version because it doesn’t update automatically.
- Install the beta version of the Audeze HQ app with Head Tracking and drift calibration from this folder (download and unpack the zip, then double-click the .pkg file and follow the onscreen prompts). See TROUBLESHOOTING section below for security warnings if needed.
- Power on Maxwell and plug its USB dongle into your computer, then launch the HQ app. Go to the "Settings" tab and ensure your Maxwell is on the latest firmware version (v56 or higher). If you need to update your firmware, please follow the next steps, if both dongle and headset versions are current, skip ahead to step 4.
- Plug in the dongle and click the "Update dongle" button. Follow the dialogue boxes and wait for your dongle's firmware to finish flashing.
- Once the dongle is updated successfully, unplug it and connect a USB-C cable between your computer and Maxwell (make sure it’s still powered on). Click the Update Headset button and follow the instructions. Once updated, unplug the cable and re-insert the dongle. Both firmware versions should now read v1.0.1.56.
- Lay Maxwell flat on a stable surface; do not disturb it during the calibration period. Click the HEAD TRACKING tab. Move the Calibration Time slider to at least 30 minutes and then click the Calibrate button. (The button will grey-out; calibration is complete when the button becomes active again.) Follow any on-screen instructions and then QUIT HQ. You must quit HQ before running the Atmos Renderer, and vice-versa; they should not be run at the same time to prevent conflicts in data transmission.
- Go to Finder on your Mac:
- Navigate to System Settings>Sound and choose USB-Audeze Maxwell Game as your Output device.
- Navigate to Macintosh HD>Users>(your user name)>Library>Application Support>Dolby>Dolby Atmos Renderer>Head Tracking. Drag and drop the Dolby Library file (.dylib) from the previously unpacked zip into the Head Tracking folder.
- Launch the Dolby Atmos Renderer, be sure Maxwell is powered on and connected via dongle. (See TROUBLESHOOTING section below for security warnings if needed.) In the top bar menu, go to Dolby Atmos Renderer>Preferences, or type “Command(⌘) ,(comma)”.
- In the Preferences panel:
- Under DEVICES, choose Game-Audeze Maxwell as the Audio output device.
- Under MONITORING, make sure Binaural is chosen for Headphone Render Mode, Head tracking is turned On, and choose Maxwell HT from the pulldown menu.
- Under OUTPUTS, make sure Headphone Only mode is turned On. (You can also use both Headphone and Speaker outputs, but you may need to make changes to routing, see the * note at the bottom of this document.)
- All other settings should be set up to match your project or ADM file, as per Dolby’s instructions.
- Launch or create your project in the Renderer. In the “theater box” viewer, click the 3D cube button and choose “Person” View:
- To center the audio around your head, double tap firmly anywhere on the left earcup of Maxwell or click the + symbol (red arrow). Note you should also see Maxwell HT listed under Head tracking (green arrow). You may need to re-center the audio from time to time due to drift or confusion of the gyroscopes.
- Play your project and enjoy the head tracking experience!
TROUBLESHOOTING:
You may get some warning prompts during initial installation and launch because the software is in beta and may not be fully signed yet. There is no danger to your computer. Here are the steps to bypass the security warnings:
- When installing the Audeze HQ app, you may need to right click the .pkg file, choose Open, then click Open for the installer to run.
- The first time you launch the Renderer after dropping the .dylib file, you may get a security warning. Click Cancel, then open System Settings>Privacy & Security, scroll down and click “Allow Anyway” in the “blocked from use” message box about the Library file. Re-launch the Renderer.
- If you find you’re getting more drift in head tracking than you’d like, you can launch HQ and re-calibrate (be sure to quit the Renderer first). You may need to add more time during calibration (40 minutes, etc). Be sure Maxwell is completely still during the entire calibration period.
Windows:
- Install the latest version of the Dolby Atmos Renderer (must be at least 5.1.0). If you already have the Renderer installed, make sure you check the version because it doesn’t update automatically.
- Download the files and Install the beta version of the Audeze HQ app with Head Tracking and drift calibration from the website here (you'll need to complete a checkout and download the file from the order confirmation page or from your email).
- Install the ASIO drivers from the .zip file ("Audeze__UsbAudio_v5.62.0_2023-10-24_setup.exe") following the on-screen instructions.
- Power on Maxwell and plug its USB dongle into your computer, then launch the HQ app. Go to the "Settings" tab and ensure your Maxwell is on the latest firmware version (v56 or higher). If you need to update your firmware, please follow the next steps, if both dongle and headset versions are current, skip ahead to step 5.
- Plug in the dongle and click the "Update dongle" button. Follow the dialogue boxes and wait for your dongle's firmware to finish flashing.
- Once the dongle is updated successfully, unplug it and connect a USB-C cable between your computer and Maxwell (make sure it’s still powered on). Click the Update Headset button and follow the instructions. Once updated, unplug the cable and re-insert the dongle. Both firmware versions should now read v1.0.1.56.
- Lay Maxwell flat on a stable surface; do not disturb it during the calibration period. Click the HEAD TRACKING tab. Move the Calibration Time slider to at least 30 minutes and then click the Calibrate button. (The button will grey-out; calibration is complete when the button becomes active again.) Follow any on-screen instructions and then QUIT HQ. You must quit HQ before running the Atmos Renderer, and vice-versa; they should not be run at the same time to prevent conflicts in data transmission.
- Go to your Windows settings
- Navigate to System Settings>Sound and choose USB-Audeze Maxwell Game as your Default output device.
- Then navigate to C:/ >ProgramData>Dolby>Dolby Atmos Renderer>Head Tracking. Drop the .dll file from the provided software zip file that contained the HQ app in this folder (the version shown below may differ slightly).
- Navigate to System Settings>Sound and choose USB-Audeze Maxwell Game as your Default output device.
- Launch the Dolby Atmos Renderer, be sure your Maxwell is powered on and connected. In the top bar menu, go to File>Settings .
- In the Settings panel:
- Under DEVICES, choose USB-Audeze Maxwell Game as the Audio output device. The External sync source should be set to Audeze USB Audio Device.
- Under MONITORING, make sure Binaural is chosen for Headphone Render Mode, Head tracking is turned On, and choose Maxwell HT from the pulldown menu (the version shown below may differ slightly).
- Under OUTPUTS, make sure Headphone Only mode is turned On. (You can also use both Headphone and Speaker outputs, but you may need to make changes to routing, see the * note at the bottom of this document.)
- All other settings should be set up to match your project or ADM file, as per Dolby’s instructions.
- Launch or create your project in the Renderer. In the “theater box” viewer, click the 3D cube button and choose “Person” View:
- To center the audio around your head, click the + symbol (red arrow). Note you should also see Maxwell HT listed under Head tracking (green arrow). You may need to re-center the audio from time to time due to drift or confusion of the gyroscopes.
- Play your project and enjoy the head tracking experience!
Additional Notes:
*If you want to operate the Renderer with both headphones and speakers (instead of Headphone Only mode), you’ll need to select different outputs from the Room setup window (⌘M). One example setup would be to run speakers out of the first 12 outputs of the hardware device, then route the headphone outs to 13-14, then start any re-renders from output 15.
For our uses as pictured below, we opted for 1-2 to be headphones, speakers from 3-14, and re-renders from 65.
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