Shepard Tone Generator
Lower your volume before pressing Play — the effect is sharper with headphones, but also more tiring.
In 1964, Roger N. Shepard described a "circular" pitch illusion: the Shepard scale creates the impression of a tone that rises (or falls) endlessly. Used in cinema (Dunkirk, The Dark Knight) and music. This tool plays several stacked octaves with a bell-shaped envelope to produce the illusion.
BPM
WAV Export Options
Use cases
- Film sound design: illusion of relentless rising tension (e.g. Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk).
- Psychoacoustic demo: illustrate an auditory illusion in class, talk or museum.
- Music composition: ambiances that suggest perpetual motion.
- Video games: signal mounting pressure without saturating the mix.
- Meditation / hypnosis: enveloping, immersive, hypnotic sound.
Real-world uses
Here are concrete examples where this tool has been used:
- YouTube Short: Tim, developer of the indie game Starchitect, uses this generator to build continuous tension in his game.
- Blog post by Joshua Seigler: uses this generator to demonstrate the tritone paradox, a related illusion discovered by psychologist Diana Deutsch where listeners disagree on whether a Shepard tone pair is rising or falling in pitch.
FAQ
How does it work, exactly?
Several sine waves play simultaneously, each one octave above the previous. A bell-shaped (Gaussian) volume envelope attenuates the extremes. When a note steps up an octave, it gradually fades out at the top while a new one fades in at the bottom — the ear perceives an endless ascent.
Why does it feel weird?
That's the illusion: your brain tries to assign a definite pitch to a sound that has none. With headphones, the effect is sharper than with speakers.
Spaced vs full mode?
Spaced (♩ 𝄽 𝄽 ♩): note plays 1/4, rest 2/4, note 1/4 — rhythmic effect. Full (𝅝): note held for the entire beat — smooth, continuous illusion.
What is the "continuous glissando"?
It's the note-free version of the illusion (the Shepard-Risset glissando): instead of playing notes one by one, the frequencies glide continuously, never stopping. The Tempo setting controls the glide speed. The Note rhythm menu still matters: 𝅝 gives a smooth, continuous glide, while ♩ 𝄽 𝄽 ♩ chops it into rhythmic pulses (the glide keeps going, but the volume beats time at the tempo). Only "Starting note" has no effect in this mode.
Which export quality should I pick?
The default 24-bit / 48 kHz is the standard for audio post-production (film, broadcast). If you work in a floating-point chain, pick 32-bit float. For CD distribution, 16-bit / 44.1 kHz is enough.
♥ - Joseph SARDIN - Founder of BigSoundBank.com - About - Contact