ADM Scope User guide

Welcome to ADM Scope

ADM Scope opens an immersive master in ADM format (BW64 / WAV file, ITU-R BS.2076 and BS.2088 standards) and shows it to you: objects in 3D, bed and subwoofer, loudness, points to watch, listening on headphones or speakers. In a few seconds, without opening a mixing session.

It reads the open ADM format, including masters intended for Dolby Atmos. It is affiliated with neither Dolby Laboratories nor Apple.

What ADM Scope does

• Inspection: ADM tree, searchable XML, object timeline, per-track waveforms, differences between two versions of the same master.
• Quality control of the metadata: silent tracks, position jumps, unnamed objects, forgotten headphone modes...
• Spatial views: top and side, rotatable 3D, object size, close approaches between objects, density.
• Measurements: loudness of the bed (exact measurement of its tracks) and of the full mix (measurement of ADM Scope's 7.1.4 render, per ITU-R BS.1770-5), true peak, loudness range, delivery check against your target. Every value states the signal measured.
• Mix analysis: energy per zone, low / mid / high balance, dynamics, phase and mono compatibility, with "why" and "what to listen for" for each point.
• Listening (standalone application): speakers from stereo to 9.1.4, or binaural headphones; A/B comparison with the stereo version of the same track, level-matched.
• Reports in PDF and HTML.

What it does not do

• It never modifies your file: ADM Scope reads, it does not write.
• It does not replace your mixing software's renderer: its listening is a monitoring listen, with its own render (see Listening).
• It does not decode the audio of immersive MP4 files delivered to platforms: it reads their container only (format, channels, information).
• It sends no files: everything is computed on your computer (see Privacy).

Platforms and languages

• Windows: standalone application (Microsoft Store or installer from the website) and VST3 plugin (installer from the website).
• macOS: standalone application, VST3 and AU plugins (download from the website).
• Interface in English and French (Menu > Language). On first launch, the language of your computer.

Installation, trial and license

Windows

Two ways to install, with the same license:

• Microsoft Store: the simplest option if you only need the standalone application.
• Website installer (ADMScope-<version>-Setup.exe): installs the standalone application and the VST3 plugin (in C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3, the standard folder every DAW scans). It requires administrator rights. Windows may show "Windows protected your PC" (SmartScreen): click More info, then Run anyway.

After installing the plugin, restart your DAW (or run a new plugin scan): ADM Scope appears among the VST3 plugins of the vendor WM Studios.

macOS

The application and the plugins (VST3 and AU) are downloaded from the White Mastering website, as a single .zip file (macOS 10.15 or later, Intel and Apple Silicon Macs).

1. Double-click the .zip to unzip it.
2. Copy ADM Scope.app to Applications.
3. For the plugin: copy ADM Scope.vst3 to /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3 and ADM Scope.component to /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components (in the Finder: Go > Go to Folder...).
4. As ADM Scope is not "notarized" by Apple, macOS blocks its first launch. Once only, open Terminal (Applications > Utilities) and paste these three lines (you will be asked for your password):

sudo xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/ADM Scope.vst3"
sudo xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/ADM Scope.component"
sudo xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Applications/ADM Scope.app"

If macOS shows a warning, click Cancel, never "Move to Trash". For the application only, without Terminal: after a first refusal, open System Settings > Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.

Pro Tools is not supported (it only accepts the AAX format).

14-day trial

• The trial starts on the very first launch. An Internet connection is needed at that moment (once only).
• The trial lasts 14 days per computer. Reinstalling, or switching from the application to the plugin, does not restart it.
• During the trial, every feature is available. The "Trial: 12 d" button at the top (days left) opens the license screen.
• When the trial ends, the "Trial ended" screen appears: enter your key and click Activate, or click Buy a license. In a DAW, only the plugin's interface is locked: the audio of your session is never cut.

License

• Purchase on the White Mastering website: €99, one-time payment. Version 1 updates are free.
• You receive a key of the form ADM-XXXXX-... by e-mail. Enter it in Menu > License... and click Activate.
• A license can be used on 2 computers. On the same computer, the application and the plugin count as one.
• To change computers: Menu > License... lists your computers; click Release next to the one you no longer use (even remotely), or Release this computer.
• ADM Scope checks the license online at most once a day, and works for up to 30 days offline.
• Professional use is allowed (work for your clients, labels, studios). Reselling the license is not. Details: end user license agreement (EULA) and terms of sale on the website.

Getting started

Standalone application or plugin?

In a DAW, the plugin passes the audio through unchanged: it renders nothing and modifies nothing. It is used to inspect a file without leaving the session, and to measure live the signal of the track it is inserted on. To listen to an ADM file, use the standalone application.

Opening a file

Click Open ADM... (top right) and choose a BW64 / WAV file containing ADM metadata. The analyses start immediately; the longest ones (audio analysis, 7.1.4 render measurement) finish in the background while you browse the first tabs.

• WAV file without ADM: ADM Scope shows its tracks, waveforms and loudness, but no spatial view.
• Immersive MP4 file (platform delivery): ADM Scope reads its container (format, channels, information) without decoding the audio.
• Compare with...: with the stereo version of the same track (Mix analysis, A/B listening), or with another version of the ADM file (Diff tab).

The main window

• Top left: the version number. Click it to see what's new.
• Menu: language, theme (dark or light), interface size, audio settings (standalone application), user guide (this guide, on the website), license, about.
• Top right: Export report..., Compare with..., Open ADM... In the standalone application: Play, Stop and the output choice (Binaural, Stereo, 5.1, 7.1, 7.1.4, 9.1.4). If the window is narrow, these controls move to a second row.
• Time bar: shared by every tab. Move it to place every view at the same instant; during playback it follows the audio.
• Tabs: one view per tab (see The views).

Shortcuts (standalone application)

On a Mac, Ctrl is replaced by Cmd.

Playback: the sample rate

ADM Scope plays the file at its original sample rate, without resampling. When a file is opened, the application sets the audio device to that rate if it can. Otherwise, the counter shows in magenta "Audio device must run at 48000 Hz": click Play to open the audio settings and choose the right rate.

The views

Every tab shares the time bar: choose an instant and every view moves to it.

Spatial

The room seen from above and from the side, with the objects at the chosen instant.

• Each object is a coloured dot with its name; its trail shows where it comes from.
• The halo around an object shows its size (ADM width, height, depth).
• The density map colours the areas where many objects are present at the same time.
• Close approaches between objects are flagged when their edges come closer than the Collision < threshold (adjustable).
• Focus: show a single object to follow its path.
• Position jumps (a very short back-and-forth, often an automation glitch) appear as red dotted lines.
• Hover over an object for its name, exact position and size.

Timeline

One line per object over the whole track: when each object is active, when it moves.

3D

The room in three dimensions, with the objects, the bed speakers and the subwoofer.

• Drag: rotate the view. Mouse wheel: zoom. Double-click: back to the initial view.
• The bed speakers light up when they play; the subwoofer reacts to the LFE level.
• Hover over an object for its name and position.

Waveforms

One waveform per track of the file, with the total duration. Zoom and move through time; a click places the time bar. Silent tracks stand out at a glance.

Headphones (standalone application)

Headphone listening settings: head model, headphone profiles, crossfeed for the stereo version, level matching. See Listening.

Loudness

Integrated loudness, true peak and loudness range:

• of the bed: exact measurement of the bed tracks as recorded in the file;
• of the full mix (bed + objects): measurement of the 7.1.4 render computed by ADM Scope, per ITU-R BS.1770-5 Annex 4. During the few seconds of this render, when the file is opened, the card shows "Measuring the 7.1.4 render...".

A curve shows the short-term loudness over the whole track. In a DAW, the plugin also measures live the signal of the track it is inserted on. See Loudness, delivery and reports.

Delivery

Checks the file against a delivery profile (immersive master, 7.1.4 or 9.1.4 monitoring) and your loudness targets: sample rate, bit depth, number of channels and objects, bed, silent tracks, loudness, true peak, clipping. Each line is green, orange or red.

Mix analysis

Observations on space, dynamics, coherence, phase and mono compatibility, with the immersive / stereo comparison at the bottom of the tab. See Quality control and mix analysis.

Inspector

The complete ADM tree (programmes, contents, objects, pack, channel and track formats...) and the attributes of the selected element.

XML

The raw ADM XML of the file, searchable.

QC

Quality control of the metadata. See Quality control and mix analysis.

Diff

The metadata differences between the open file and another version of the same master: objects added, removed or modified, positions, names... Open the reference file first, then Compare with... > Another ADM file (metadata differences)...

Quality control and mix analysis

Quality control (QC tab)

Quality control checks the file's ADM metadata: structure, names, references between elements, tracks, positions. These checks concern the file itself: they are exact and do not depend on listening.

Examples of what is reported:

• Position jumps: an object leaves and comes back in less than 0.1 s. This is almost always an automation or export glitch of the mixing software, inaudible but present in the delivered file.
• Headphone render modes (Near / Mid / Far / Off): their distribution is shown. If every track is in Mid, ADM Scope reports it as IMPORTANT: fine if intended, but it is also the default setting, never changed.
• Parameters not rendered by the listening: if the file uses ADM parameters that ADM Scope's listening does not apply (diffuse, channel lock, divergence...), an IMPORTANT line says so. See Listening.

Mix analysis

The mix analysis does not grade your mix or judge your taste. It reports observations an engineer checks before delivering, and says for each one why it is reported and what to listen for. An artistic choice remains a choice.

What is analysed

• Use of space: energy per zone (front, surround, height, LFE), perceptually weighted; low / mid / high balance per zone; use of the centre; objects active at the same time; object size.
• Dynamics and balance: loudness, loudness range, true peak, peak-to-loudness ratio, LFE (content above 120 Hz, level).
• Coherence and phase / mono compatibility (see below).

Phase and mono compatibility: points to listen to, not verdicts

Each observation gives the signal analysed, the measured value and the threshold applied. They are possible anomalies, to be confirmed by listening:

• Phase opposition between two tracks (bed pairs, stereo objects): reported only if both tracks are very similar in opposite phase and their mono sum really loses level. It may be a polarity inversion, but also an intended effect. A merely low correlation is never reported: two tracks carrying different elements (ambiences, reverbs) are weakly correlated, which is normal.
• Constant delay between two tracks: measured on the passages where they are clearly similar, and reported as NOTE: it is often intended (widening, spaced microphones, processing).
• Mono compatibility: level loss when the stereo fold-down of ADM Scope's 7.1.4 render is summed to mono, over the whole spectrum and below 250 Hz (the low end cancels first). Reference: two identical signals give 0 dB, two independent signals -3 dB.

Levels

Where each value comes from

Each value carries its origin:

• MEASURED: exact data, read from the file (bed and object tracks as recorded, metadata).
• ESTIMATED: computed by ADM Scope. Two cases, always stated in the label: the loudness, loudness range and true peak of the full mix are measured on ADM Scope's 7.1.4 render (ITU-R BS.1770-5 Annex 4); the energies per zone (front, surround, height, left / right) are the track energies distributed with ADM Scope's 7.1.4 panning. Another renderer would give close values, not necessarily identical ones.
• INTERPRETATION: comparison with a documented threshold; may be an artistic choice.

Immersive / stereo comparison

At the bottom of the tab: load the stereo version of the same track (WAV, AIFF, FLAC). ADM Scope aligns it automatically with the immersive master, compares both, and lets you switch from one to the other while listening, level-matched. See Listening.

Listening

Listening happens in the standalone application (in a DAW, the plugin passes the session audio through without modifying it). Choose the output at the top right, then Play (or the space bar).

Order of the audio device outputs: L, R, C, LFE, then the surrounds, then the heights (in 9.1.4, the wides Lw / Rw on outputs 13 and 14).

Why ADM Scope's listening may sound different from your mixing software

ADM Scope has its own renderer, designed independently from the open standards (ADM, ITU-R BS.2076) and measured head responses. Every renderer has its own signature: head responses, room modelling, headphone distance modes, the way objects are spread across speakers. Audible differences from one renderer to another are therefore normal, especially on headphones. It is a fault neither of your file nor of ADM Scope.

ADM Scope's listening is there to check your mix consistently: balance, positions, movements, comparison with the stereo version. The metadata, quality control and measurements do not depend on the render. For the final validation of the headphone render intended for platforms, also listen in your mixing software.

What the listening applies, and what it does not

Applied: object positions and movements, bed, LFE, object gains and mute, object start times, gradual moves between two positions.

Not applied (quality control reports it when the file contains them): object size, diffuse, channel lock, divergence, zone exclusion, head-locking, and the Near / Mid / Far headphone modes (read and displayed, but not rendered).

Listening on speakers

• The chosen layout must match the number of active outputs of your audio device. If the device has fewer (for example 7.1.4 on a 2-output device), the counter shows in magenta "Active outputs: 2 of 12 !": the missing speakers are not heard. Choose Binaural or Stereo, or enable more outputs in Menu > Audio settings...
• The LFE goes to the LFE output, as it is in the file. The subwoofer listening level (+10 dB in the LFE band, as customary) is set by your monitoring system.
• Stereo is ADM Scope's own render, without LFE, like usual stereo fold-downs. It does not use the stereo fold-down settings your mixing software may have stored in the project.

Listening on headphones

The headphone render places 12 virtual speakers (7.1.4) around the head and plays them through measured head responses (built-in SADIE II database from the University of York). The LFE is added to both ears, below 120 Hz.

Its level is matched to the 7.1.4 render of the same file, with a -1 dBTP safety margin: switching from speakers to headphones does not change the perceived level. The matching is done when the file is opened (an hourglass shows it in the Headphones tab).

Headphones tab

• Head model: SADIE II head (default), Computed model (spherical head), or your own head responses in SOFA format (AES69) with Load a SOFA file... The licence stated in the SOFA file is displayed; you are responsible for respecting it.
• My headphones (correction): your headphone EQ curve, if you use one (preamp + filters).
• Simulate: listen to the mix through generic tonal signatures of headphone families (EQ only). They do not reproduce any specific headphone model.
• Crossfeed: to listen to the stereo version on headphones as on speakers (opposite ear from -16 to -4 dB below 700 Hz). It never applies to the ADM render, which already contains its own crosstalk.

Tip: to judge the headphone render, turn off the EQ of your listening system (or use the same one for every listen you compare).

Comparing with the stereo version

1. Compare with... > The stereo version of the same title, then choose the file (WAV, AIFF, FLAC). ADM Scope opens the Mix analysis.
2. The offset between the two files is detected automatically; you can adjust it (-10 ms / +10 ms buttons, Auto to return to the detected offset).
3. The A: IMMERSIVE / B: STEREO button (at the top) switches from one to the other in 20 ms, without losing the position.
4. Level-matched: ON: both versions play at the same loudness, without clipping, so you can compare without being fooled by the volume.

The comparison heading reminds you what you hear as A: for example "Immersive = ADM Scope headphone (binaural) render of the ADM file". If you load your mixing software's headphone export as the "stereo version", A and B will not be identical: they are two different renderers (see above). For that comparison, keep crossfeed off.

Loudness, delivery and reports

Loudness (Loudness tab)

Measurements per ITU-R BS.1770 / EBU R128: integrated loudness, loudness range (LRA), maximum short-term and momentary, true peak. Every value states which signal was measured:

• The full mix follows the standard's method for object-based programmes (ITU-R BS.1770-5, Annex 4): render to a standard speaker layout (here 7.1.4), then measure the render. The standard asks for the layout and the renderer to be stated: that is what the badge says.
• Heights count folded into the ear-level plane, 3 dB lower, as in the immersive loudness meters of mixing software. On our reference files, ADM Scope's value is within 0.4 LU on average of the mixing software's (0.8 LU at most). Each software's renderer places objects in its own way: for an official value, rely on your mixing software's measurement.
• The render is computed when the file is opened (a few seconds); until then, the card shows "Measuring the 7.1.4 render...".
• The LFE is excluded from loudness, as the standard requires; the side surrounds are weighted (+1.5 dB).
• The bottom curve shows the short-term loudness over the whole track, with the target line.
• Profile, Target LUFS, Max dBTP: your delivery targets. A value that reaches the target turns red.

Live metering (plugin in a DAW)

Inserted on a track, the plugin measures live the signal passing through it (Live metering, Reset live). It measures what goes through that track: on the bed track, you get the loudness of the bed, not that of the full mix with the objects. With Live metering off, the plugin only passes the audio through.

Delivery check (Delivery tab)

Choose the profile (immersive master, 7.1.4 or 9.1.4 monitoring). ADM Scope checks: file integrity, sample rate, bit depth, number of channels and object tracks, bed, silent tracks, integrated loudness of the full mix (ADM Scope's 7.1.4 render) and true peak of ADM Scope's 7.1.4 render, loudness range, and on the file tracks: clipping (fail) and tracks recorded without headroom (warning, with the track name: an object can be recorded hot then spread over several speakers by the render). Each line shows the value found, the signal measured and the expected value.

Reports

Export report... saves a PDF, HTML or text report, in the interface language: quality control, loudness, delivery check, mix analysis, and the comparison with another version if you loaded one. Handy for attaching a technical summary to a delivery.

Frequently asked questions

Listening

Measurements

Installation

License and trial

Privacy

What stays on your computer

Everything about your files. ADM Scope analyses, measures and plays your masters on your computer. No audio file, no ADM metadata, no track or object name is sent. There is no telemetry.

Your settings (language, theme, interface size, headphone profiles, targets) are saved in a settings file on your computer.

What is sent, and when

Only for the trial and license, to the WM STUDIOS license server:

• on the first launch (start of the trial);
• when a key is activated, and for the license check (at most once a day);
• when you release a computer.

Data sent: the license key, a fingerprint of the computer (a computed code that cannot be used to identify the hardware), the platform (Windows / macOS) and the computer name, so that you can recognise your computers in Menu > License...

A plugin running in a DAW without its interface open never contacts the server.

Details and retention periods: the applications privacy policy, on the White Mastering website.