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Bach in 3D Audio

Bach fills the room

The difference is most striking when listening with headphones. Please put on your headphones.

Stereo3D-Audio
Choir I Choir II Choir III Concert Hall
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Listening sample: BWV 227 “Jesu, meine Freude”

"Denn das Gesetz des Geistes"

Every note. From every direction.

Experience Bach up close

Voices and instruments come not only from the front – they surround the listener. That's Bach in 3D Audio.

  • Greater clarity

    Individual voices and instruments become easier to distinguish. Bach's intricate polyphony emerges with remarkable clarity.

  • Immersed in sound

    The concert hall envelops the listener, creating an experience in which space, music and perception become one.

  • Easy access

    All you need is a pair of ordinary headphones. The recordings are available on platforms such as Apple Music and TIDAL.

  • Projekt – Bachipedia.org / J. S. Bach-Stiftung

    Produced in Dolby Atmos

    What is 3D Audio?

    Most recordings are produced in stereo, with the sound divided between a left and a right channel. Through loudspeakers, the music is perceived as coming from the space in front of the listener, while headphones create the impression that the sound originates inside the head, between the ears.

    3D Audio adds an entirely new spatial dimension. Individual voices, instruments and groups of instruments can be positioned not only to the left and right, but also in front of, behind and above the listener. The result is a three-dimensional soundscape that surrounds you.

    The effect is especially vivid when listening through headphones. Although the sound initially seems to originate inside the head, between the ears, this is precisely what creates the remarkable sense of space that defines 3D Audio. The concert hall itself becomes part of the listening experience.

    "From the very first note, the space begins to breathe and come alive."

    Hartmut Rosa on the immersive 3D Audio experience

    Space becomes structure

    Why Bach?

    Bach’s music is built from multiple independent voices. Musical lines interact, choirs answer one another, and instruments pursue their own distinct paths.

    In 3D Audio, these musical lines become more clearly defined. Individual voices stand out with greater clarity, while choral and instrumental groups can be distinguished more easily.

    Bach Vokalwerk

    А pilot project with Gallus Media

    In 2026, the J. S. Bach Foundation is partnering with Gallus Media to explore how immersive audio can deepen the experience of Bach's music. The recordings are produced at Eastern Switzerland's first professional 3D Audio studio in St Gallen.

    This is a pilot project. Throughout the year, we will evaluate the artistic and technical possibilities of 3D Audio before deciding whether to continue developing the format.

    Find out more

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