When the Mix Ain't the Distribution

I recently scored a short film where I decided to experiment with a relatively new distribution strategy: delivering both a stereo mix and an Atmos re-render for potential theatrical and premium streaming placements. What worked well was creating distinct printmaster buses early in the mixing process, one feeding into my stereo master chain, and another, less compressed and limited, feeding into the Atmos renderer. This allowed me to optimize the stereo for loudness and punch while preserving dynamic range for the immersive mix. What didn't work so well was underestimating the metadata required for the Atmos ADM BWF file; I spent hours double-checking channel assignments and object properties after the fact because I hadn't made it part of my initial checklist. The stereo delivery was a breeze by comparison, standard WAV files, a data sheet, done. The Atmos, though, demanded meticulous detail regarding content descriptions and even specific speaker configurations that I hadn't fully considered during the creative phase. Do others find themselves needing completely different delivery prep workflows for immersive audio vs. traditional stereo, or have you found a way to streamline the metadata generation for both simultaneously?