diff --git a/src/audio/music-pulse.ts b/src/audio/music-pulse.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5c56625
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/audio/music-pulse.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+/**
+ * A single low-band level shared between the soundtrack and the scene.
+ * The scene samples it once inside its existing render loop; nothing here
+ * schedules work of its own. When no soundtrack is audible it reads zero.
+ */
+let analyser: AnalyserNode | null = null;
+let bins: Uint8Array<ArrayBuffer> | null = null;
+let audible = false;
+
+export function attachMusicPulse(node: AnalyserNode | null): void {
+  analyser = node;
+  bins = node === null ? null : new Uint8Array(new ArrayBuffer(node.frequencyBinCount));
+}
+
+export function setMusicPulseAudible(value: boolean): void {
+  audible = value;
+}
+
+/** Bass energy in [0, 1]: the mean of roughly 90-380 Hz. */
+export function readMusicPulse(): number {
+  if (!audible || analyser === null || bins === null) return 0;
+  analyser.getByteFrequencyData(bins);
+  const sum = (bins[1] ?? 0) + (bins[2] ?? 0) + (bins[3] ?? 0) + (bins[4] ?? 0);
+  return sum / (4 * 255);
+}
+
+/** Insert a pass-through tap in front of `destination` and analyse it. */
+export function createPulseTap(context: BaseAudioContext, destination: AudioNode): AudioNode {
+  const tap = context.createGain();
+  tap.connect(destination);
+  try {
+    const node = context.createAnalyser();
+    node.fftSize = 512;
+    node.smoothingTimeConstant = 0.55;
+    tap.connect(node);
+    attachMusicPulse(node);
+  } catch {
+    attachMusicPulse(null);
+  }
+  return tap;
+}
diff --git a/src/audio/soundtrack-engine.ts b/src/audio/soundtrack-engine.ts
index 594f7dd..b129d5a 100644
--- a/src/audio/soundtrack-engine.ts
+++ b/src/audio/soundtrack-engine.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import { attachMusicPulse, createPulseTap } from './music-pulse';
 import {
   AFTERGLOW_LOOP_END_SECONDS,
   AFTERGLOW_LOOP_START_SECONDS,
@@ -596,12 +597,17 @@ export function createBrowserSoundtrackEngine(
       sampleRate: SOUNDTRACK_SAMPLE_RATE,
     }),
     loadBuffer: loadAudioBuffer,
-    createMixer: createAdaptiveMixer,
+    // The mixer feeds a pass-through tap so the scene can read the bass level.
+    createMixer: (context, destination) => createAdaptiveMixer(context, createPulseTap(context, destination)),
     createDriveTexture,
   });
   let resumeCount = 0;
   return {
     ...graph,
+    async close() {
+      attachMusicPulse(null);
+      await graph.close();
+    },
     async resume() {
       resumeCount += 1;
       if (isTestFault('F11-audio-resume-rejection') && resumeCount > 1) {
diff --git a/src/composables/useAudioEngine.ts b/src/composables/useAudioEngine.ts
index f6abce3..b80481f 100644
--- a/src/composables/useAudioEngine.ts
+++ b/src/composables/useAudioEngine.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import {
 } from 'vue';
 import { createAudioController } from '@/audio/create-audio-controller';
 import { createBrowserSoundtrackEngine } from '@/audio/soundtrack-engine';
+import { setMusicPulseAudible } from '@/audio/music-pulse';
 import type {
   AudioController,
   AudioUiState,
@@ -65,6 +66,10 @@ export function useAudioEngine(sources: AudioEngineSources): AudioEngineBinding
   watch(sources.chapter, (intent) => controller?.setChapterIntent(intent), { flush: 'sync' });
   watch(sources.drive, (sample) => controller?.setDriveEnergy(sample), { flush: 'sync' });
   watch(sources.volume, (value) => controller?.setVolume(value));
+  // The world only answers the music the visitor can actually hear.
+  watch(state, (next) => {
+    setMusicPulseAudible(next.kind === 'running' && !next.muted && next.volume > 0);
+  });
 
   onMounted(() => {
     ensureController();
diff --git a/src/scene/world/environment.ts b/src/scene/world/environment.ts
index c4febf0..6488086 100644
--- a/src/scene/world/environment.ts
+++ b/src/scene/world/environment.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import * as THREE from 'three';
 import type { JourneySnapshot } from '@/journey/types';
+import { readMusicPulse } from '@/audio/music-pulse';
 import type { SceneResourceBag } from '@/scene/resources';
 import type { SceneBuildContext, SceneGeneration } from '@/scene/types';
 import { renderQualityFor } from '@/scene/render-quality';
@@ -165,6 +166,7 @@ export async function createProceduralSceneGeneration(
   let signCameraWeight = 0;
   let overdrive = 0;
   let terrainSurge = 0;
+  let musicPulse = 0;
   let terrainSpectrumPhase = 0;
   let firstFrameSuppressionRecorded = false;
 
@@ -264,10 +266,17 @@ export async function createProceduralSceneGeneration(
       const surgeTarget = Math.sqrt(
         THREE.MathUtils.clamp(snapshot.acceleration, 0, 1),
       );
+      // Soundtrack coupling: the bass the visitor hears lifts the terrain and
+      // the sun. One analyser read per frame; zero when nothing is audible.
+      const pulseTarget = readMusicPulse();
+      musicPulse +=
+        (pulseTarget - musicPulse) *
+        (1 - Math.exp(-deltaSeconds / (pulseTarget > musicPulse ? 0.05 : 0.32)));
+      const beat = THREE.MathUtils.smoothstep(musicPulse, 0.42, 0.92);
       terrainSurge +=
-        (surgeTarget - terrainSurge) *
+        (Math.max(surgeTarget, beat * 0.55) - terrainSurge) *
         (1 -
-          Math.exp(-deltaSeconds / (surgeTarget > terrainSurge ? 0.11 : 1.15)));
+          Math.exp(-deltaSeconds / (Math.max(surgeTarget, beat * 0.55) > terrainSurge ? 0.11 : 1.15)));
       // Integrate color travel instead of multiplying elapsed time by speed:
       // lifting off slows the spectrum to rest without rewinding its phase.
       terrainSpectrumPhase =
@@ -314,7 +323,7 @@ export async function createProceduralSceneGeneration(
         currentPalette,
         snapshot.routeProgress,
         elapsedSeconds,
-        response.bloomEnergy,
+        Math.min(1, response.bloomEnergy + beat * 0.35),
         snapshot.arrived,
       );
       car.update(
diff --git a/tests/unit/music-pulse.test.ts b/tests/unit/music-pulse.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..517a3f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/music-pulse.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+import { attachMusicPulse, readMusicPulse, setMusicPulseAudible } from '@/audio/music-pulse';
+
+const fakeAnalyser = (level: number) => ({
+  frequencyBinCount: 8,
+  getByteFrequencyData(target: Uint8Array) { target.fill(level); },
+}) as unknown as AnalyserNode;
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  attachMusicPulse(null);
+  setMusicPulseAudible(false);
+});
+
+describe('music pulse', () => {
+  it('reads zero without an analyser', () => {
+    setMusicPulseAudible(true);
+    expect(readMusicPulse()).toBe(0);
+  });
+  it('reads zero while the soundtrack is not audible', () => {
+    attachMusicPulse(fakeAnalyser(255));
+    expect(readMusicPulse()).toBe(0);
+  });
+  it('normalizes the low-band level when audible', () => {
+    attachMusicPulse(fakeAnalyser(51));
+    setMusicPulseAudible(true);
+    expect(readMusicPulse()).toBeCloseTo(0.2);
+  });
+});