Date of Award
5-2026
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Music
Department
School of Music
First Advisor
James Adams
Second Advisor
James Taylor
Third Advisor
Dr. Scott LaGraff
Fourth Advisor
Dr. George Franks
Abstract
The human voice is the central element in much of recorded commercial music, and in R&B it serves as the primary vehicle of expression. Across the evolution of reproduction formats, including mono, stereo, surround, and Dolby Atmos, engineers have adapted strategies to preserve vocal clarity while exploring new spatial possibilities. This thesis examines how these shifts in technology and perception have shaped vocal production, using R&B as a lens for the relationship between format and artistic practice. Psychoacoustics provides a foundation for understanding how listeners perceive localization, masking, and vocal prominence. Analytical approaches are introduced to distinguish direct and indirect production techniques and to classify vocal spatialization strategies. The creative component consists of two original R&B compositions recorded and mixed in Dolby Atmos, testing bed-based, object-based, and Object Bed subgroup methods to explore their impact on vocal clarity, cohesion, and immersion.
Repository Citation
Slape, Samuel W., "From Mono to Object: A Contextual Evolution of R&B and Soul Vocal Production Techniques with Emphasis on Object-Based Audio in Dolby Atmos" (2026). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 689.
https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/689
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
