229 - De La Soul’s 3 Feet High and Rising in Dolby Atmos - Reimagining the Classics

Dolby Creator Talks

Celebrating the 35th anniversary of “3 Feet High and Rising,” De La Soul's iconic 1989 debut album, mix engineer Rich Keller joins Dolby Creator Talks guest host Ben Givarz to discuss reimagining the group’s legendary catalog in Dolby Atmos®. Rich reflects on the process of remixing these classics while preserving their essence, and explores how Dolby Atmos enhances hip-hop’s depth, energy, and spatial dynamics. Drawing from his work with legends like DMX, Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, and many other hip-hop artists, Rich offers invaluable insights into honoring the past while embracing the exciting new creative possibilities with Dolby Atmos.

“There's only one hard rule that I maintain when doing Atmos... and this is the one lesson that keeps on giving. When you're dealing with stereo stems, keep 'em wide. All the way hard left and right. Because as soon as you bring it in, you've changed the mix... You got to keep the artist happy... I've had them here in my room, in my little basement. They come down, they sit down, and I go back and forth to the stereo. Then they freak out. They're like, 'Oh my God, that sounds incredible. And it sounds big! But it still sounds like my song. Thank you.' And that's the critical thing.”

—Rich Keller, Audio Engineer

This interview is part of our ongoing music series, "Reimagining the Classics."

You can listen to De La Soul, as well as many other classic and contemporary artists in Dolby Atmos, on enabled streaming services.

Interested in creating content in Dolby Atmos? Check out our FREE resources to give you a jump start!

- Dolby Atmos Music Accelerator: https://www.dolby.com/creator-lab/music-accelerator/

- Dolby Atmos Essentials Course: https://learning.dolby.com/

- Dolby Atmos Music Support: https://professional.dolby.com/music/Professional-resources/

To find out more about Rich Keller and his work, check out his website:

https://richkellermusic.com/

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You can also check out the video for this episode.

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