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Paul Kozel, Director of the Sonic Arts Center, sits in his office, two speakers behind him with a microphone in front, enthusiastically explaining Atmos technology. He begins by flashing back to Fall 2024. Thanks to a generous donation from alumnus Allen Grubman, Kozel, with Winy Taveras, the Center’s Senior Technical Associate, installed a mountain of equipment into a brand-new, state-of-the-art Dolby Atmos studio—the third and most advanced Atmos studio in the Center. Since then, this new studio has elicited jaw-dropping reactions from students and faculty alike.

Atmos is a technology licensed by Dolby that builds on surround sound by adding audio not only around you, but also above you. This software enables three-dimensional sound positioning—the freedom to move the sound through space more precisely. You may be familiar with this sensation at an AMC Dolby Cinema when they show a wave crashing on the screen as a part of their intro before the movie: you hear the sound moving around and above your head like you are surfing inside the wave. Aside from large formats like at AMC, Atmos is a scalable technology; this means it can mix a sound and deliver it on any form of speaker, or headphone technology. In Kozel’s words, “I can take the mix I make in this [small] new  studio, bring it to an Atmos theatre [that has] thirty speakers in the ceiling, thirty speakers on the side, and it will work!”

Kozel shares his screen, revealing a virtual three-dimensional space filled with metadata that Atmos uses to place sounds in space. Imagine the CCNY campus during Club Fair on the NAC Plaza. Each table begins blasting its own tunes—Afrobeats here, jazz there, salsa just beyond the steps. The music takes shape as floating balloons, each one representing a distinct sound source. Now, imagine as the music swells, the balloons multiply and float through campus, changing in size and position to reflect the intensity and direction of the sound. Some rise above the steps, while others hover low—echoing off the stone walls. That’s what the metadata in the Atmos visual looks like. On screen, spheres move through a virtual 3D space that captures height, width, and depth—enabling a total immersive experience. Just like the Club Fair could take place in the NAC or alternatively, Compton-Goethals, or Wingate Hall, the Atmos three-dimensional visual can be recreated to reflect any space—as long as the right speaker or headphone setup is in place. The sound and visual translation is portable, immersive, and fully translatable.

The relevance of this technology in the industry today is apparent. It is becoming a standard practice to deliver an Atmos mix in the music, streaming, and broadcast industries. “Students need to learn this technology,” Kozel explains, “because they're going to be using it in the professional environment.” Kozel has been leading the charge with Atmos, convincing faculty and students of the importance of technology and creating the pedagogical materials to support Atmos training. Kozel continues, "After years of being in the audio industry, I’m still excited about the development of new audio tools… exploring this new and exciting technology should be embraced by students and faculty alike."

With Atmos being a new technology, particularly in the music industry,  it will take some time to see the full benefits of students training in this new technology. However, Kozel has already noticed that often alumni who are now working in professional studios may be the only ones who have experience in  Atmos technology. This creates a clear advantage in job retention and promotion.

The Division of Humanities and the Arts is excited to witness the opportunities unfolding for students and alumni thanks to their training in Atmos. We are deeply grateful for Paul Kozel’s and Winy Taveras’s above-and-beyond efforts to uplift the next generation of sound engineers.

Fast forward ten years, my 12-year-old son excitedly pulls me into an AMC Atmos theater, eager to share his favorite movie with me and my wife. As we settle into our seats, the theater comes alive—helicopters sweeping across the ceiling, explosions rumbling from behind, whispers creeping in from the sides. I glance at him, his eyes wide with wonder, and can’t help but smile—knowing that somewhere behind this experience is a graduate from the Sonic Arts Center at CCNY, whose journey may have started with a demonstration of the cutting-edge sound system.