The Infinite Sound That Can Drive You Insane-Shepard Tones

In this video I show you a sound that seems to continually rise in pitch but never actually does. I show you how to make a Shepard tone, and how they work.
Shepard tone generator: mynoise.net/NoiseMachines/she...
Fractal Zooms from Maths Town: / mathstown
Get Your Experiment Box Here: theactionlab.com/
Checkout my experiment book: amzn.to/2Wf07x1
Follow me on Twitter: / theactionlabman
Facebook: / theactionlabofficial
Instagram: / therealactionlab

[@Potemer]

Fun fact: This is the same technique nintendo used for the infinite staircase music in super mario 64!

[@tnc4700]

So thats why we are all fcked up 🤔🤣

[@whomidity3953]

Except thats not absolutely terrifying

[@josh100150]

I was coming to the comments to ask if this was it (fuck you I'm not using google) and actually I feel like I have faint memories of it feeling scary trying to go up them

[@prod_by_slvg]

that's COOL!

[@richragenj]

That wasn't a fun fact at all. I was very bored reading it.. and im still reading it...

[@rizqiefajar]

The visual is giving me way more anxiety than the Shepard tones lol

[@maxmevissen3816]

Me too lol

[@leolipasti]

Same haha

[@synthoelectro]

me too.

[@darkus6465]

Fractals

[@ikowski2947]

Same

[@raneshmaurya]

Actually, what happens is that when it reaches the highest pitch, in the background, the tone again starts from the lowest pitch. The current sound fades away and the lower one (which was in the background) becomes audible.

[@TweakoTheSecond]

Wait so what he said

[@smoore8807]

and that's different from what he says.... how?

[@kenwittlief255]

load Spectroid on your phone, you can see the FFT the highest sound does not fade out - it goes past 20,000 kHz where you can no longer hear it

[@BenjaminMartinyt]

That’s what I heard too

[@benjaminjones5029]

​@WreckFull Sch-epade tone. Ssh-yepard. SSH-yepard. Shush-epard. Schepard. Ssh-epard. Ah screw it, I'll wait till I get my teef fishked.teeth Fixed I mean. Teef-fishked. Fa-scheppard. I GOT IT! The Schepp-art tone. Schepp-aard. The Schepp-ard tone!!! Fash-niggarty, knew I could do it!! SCHEPP-ARD!! Goddammit Greek dentists!!

[@iloveanimemidriff]

I just think it's pretty cool. I heard these tones for the first time in Mario 64. If you don't have enough stars to get to the last Bowser stage, the door will let you in, but the stairs towards that stage will keep looping forever, and the BGM becomes a Shepard tone.

[@stevenschiro1838]

yup, I think that's probably where nearly everyone first heard it. Endless Stairs were creepy as a kid

[@crispyattucks]

It just sounds like when a beat is about to drop, but it never does

[@redstar1093]

pain

[@SirPogsalotCreates]

The most disappointing dance song ever 😔

[@_strange_entity_]

It's torturing

[@xdiax]

Worst torture. Like it's like you're going to get an orgasm, but you're never going to have an orgasm.

[@knutovekihle5001]

I think the bat actually droped in Wuhan in 2019..

[@dwarferoniharry7654]

*Terrifying sound playing* Me looking at the cool fractals: 👁👄👁

[@Emouse2is]

I find it disturbing

[@doggiechan5278]

Emouse 2 same

[@saiku9081]

Its scari

[@megawebtelecom1895]

true

[@epic4848]

I LiKe ThE sOuNd

[@REDMOONI03]

The fractal images make me feel like I am on a journey becoming smaller infinitely. Trippy and the idea takes me deeper even after seeing it.

[@DV-zv4ox]

This sort of zooming infinite pattern is experienced on most psychedelics (eg. mushrooms, DMT, ayahuasca).

[@falconfira]

I wish I had know about this years ago. This is incredibly relaxing, with just the audio. It's almost like hearing a math equation.

[@pedrosso0]

Hm? why would it be almost like hearing a math equation? I mean all sound waves can be represented as mathematical equations, why is this sound so special?

[@Krispizz]

This is the nerdiest comment I’ve ever read

[@ri2587]

why in the god damn hell would this sound ever be relaxing

[@greengrassgaming2530]

@@pedrosso0 uh-oh we got a “i take everything super super literally” alert!

[@pedrosso0]

@@greengrassgaming2530 Uh, yeah? That's the point of communication.

[@toptier2800]

my tinnitus: "we've trained our whole life for this"

[@unitedastronomer]

LMAO

[@unitedastronomer]

i have tinittus and this made me laugh 😂

[@Michael54723r]

@@unitedastronomer same

[@Michael54723r]

Same

[@TruthIsTheNewHate84]

@@unitedastronomer me too

[@troybb9977]

The shephard's tones is literally just my teapot boiling

[@aguasadonas8346]

But when you leave it to boil too long.

[@user-iv4dh7zp7s]

It is quite similar to the 50 yr old trains in my city.

[@hazelnut4225]

@@user-iv4dh7zp7s same

[@animeislife6157]

Todoroki-kun is shaking

[@bktvr5986]

When you realise it's shepard not shephard

[@YoungPhysicistsClub1729]

the shepard tone with the beats and increased rhythm really slaps!

[@MarkArmour]

I have been going to counseling for mild anxiety, and was recently discharged. I can confirm, the sound and video combination did cause mild anxiety. To satisfy anyone's curiosity, it was a similar feeling to freefalling on a roller coaster, but more discomforting, and my breath did shorten. Personally, it was mild enough that I could handle the full audio. I do not recommend for anyone that suffers from anxiety or panic attacks. But, if you must, try only the last few seconds starting at 1:36. (I'm absolutely completely fine. very mild, very interesting)

[@KarlPilkington89]

I find it relaxing.

[@cybertar]

The sound isn't scary What scared me are his words: "it will scare you"

[@stephenfiore9960]

The pictures are more scary than the music-they look satanic

[@zembii66]

@@stephenfiore9960 true

[@pctechboyz8752]

so true and the background for it got me shook for a sec

[@garnt02]

Eren yaegar

[@Erojing12467]

Hi aot fan

[@literalcode]

“So if you suffer from panic attacks or anxiety attacks you should mute this next part” Me, who _suffers from anxiety and panic attacks:_ *Welp time to see what this is about*

[@drumminfro]

I've been on my meds for 3 weeks now so it didn't happen. Too bad I didn't discover this video before then 🤣

[@leahamy9541]

Why is this me ?😂

[@gorkskoal9315]

LOL you to? it gave me a headache more than anything else.

[@RiftyLuca]

*Hello there, brother*

[@Gabie76]

I took my meds. It freaked me out for a bit but then it started to seem like it capped or something, idk how to explain. True anxiety is listening to songs that have been pitch shifted to 1 note or listening to songs that never start which i guess is similar to this

[@brin573]

I actually loved listening to these, especially the one where he slid the sliders around. I scratches a brain itch I didn't even know I had. It's like stimming for my ears. The visuals are also relaxing.

[@lord_kerman]

I actually find the audio and visuals quite relaxing 😌

[@mackicoA090211]

It feels like a distressingly unsatisfying sound. It never reaches a crescendo, or properly fades out. It's a waiting sound, but the wait never ends.

[@whi2gan]

😥😥

[@lunchbagSSBU]

that's probably why it causes anxiety and panic attacks 🤔

[@Enderia2]

The increasing rhythm one tho is a banger

[@user-ej8bc6bd8r]

@@Enderia2 It is though. It kinda sounds like the beat changes a little.

[@ricardonesmith2318]

Lmao it would be the world's worst elevator music

[@ReallyPissedOffNow]

Imagine the chaos on a dance floor if a DJ creates a track with a shepardtone rhythm and plays it in the middle of their set

[@redsquirrelftw]

And then just gets up and leaves and goes home while it's in an infinite loop.

[@Qui-9]

Yea the hype never gets to the beat everyone's waiting to drop.

[@davyvde]

Check out "when will the bass drop" by lonely island, it's the most frustrating thing

[@samuelstoner5651]

That was wonderful! I'd never heard of Shepard tones before, and I was fascinated by your explanations, examples and illustrations.

[@dakotaachord5626]

Fractals are wild. Especially during "certain events". I still get those "visions" occasionally and it's still trippy 😂

[@CodyRT9120]

Sounds like a space ship warming up to hyperdrive.

[@yajuishere]

Sameeeee And i was imagining myself that i was sitting in it 🤣😀

[@ljkk]

Exactly what i thought when i heard it

[@ccelik97]

Sounds like the scifi space movies that you've watched used an increasing in pitch noise to pass you the impression that something is going to happen with that spaceship \s

[@z1re784]

This is actually a cool sound, or maybe my soul is already broken

[@solarbear7017]

LITERALLY WHAT I SAID LOL

[@pppluronwrj]

sounds like filling a bottle with water and never gets full

[@twistysolution4952]

Tru

[@yuyukosfaithfulservant]

true

[@Nyx42112]

Sounds satisfying.

[@theboyofjoyy]

Soo truee

[@mubarackali7252]

ട്രൂ 😁

[@julianguffogg]

Thank you, very interesting and well explained. Loved those fractals too, come a long way since "Fractint"!

[@hymnodyhands]

As a composer, this is actually fascinating and even a bit exciting ... thank you for the link to the tone generator!

[@gertsandersilm4228]

"The Infinite Sound that can drive you insane" Me: *pulls out speakers.*

[@vedantshah5240]

🤣🤣🔥🔥

[@SemiCollin]

I’m using headphones

[@RandomPerson-ro7np]

Yea I was getting ready to pull out my speaks as well but I don't want to drive my parents crazy😂 I mean I dir turn the volume all the way up tho

[@fanenthusiast3802]

It's not that bad really.

[@RandomPerson-ro7np]

@@fanenthusiast3802 I agree

[@fluzzles]

Action Lab: "this sound will make you go crazy" My Alien from Area 51: "That's some sick beat yo"

[@brycethoreson9216]

But you guys just hung around the gate.

[@systemerror404notfound]

@@brycethoreson9216 That’s what the government wants you to believe

[@aidendoesstuff185]

Why do I think this actually sounds good ;-;

[@blindminerplays]

😂

[@TeddyGNOP]

part of what makes this work so well is that the frequencies usually all start and end outside of the normal range of human hearing. i tried playing a little game to see when i could actually hear the new low frequencies coming in. standing next to the subwoofer, i noticed that i could _feel_ it long before i could hear it. then i noticed something else when you showed the spectrogram - i actually _can_ hear the low frequencies right when they come in. i can hear half the shit on my desk rattling around lol

[@cerealchild166]

The visuals were so awesome!!!

[@danktank5193]

Someone: “So what type of music do you listen to?” Me: “It’s complicated”

[@MT-od6by]

LMAO

[@ravenvalt2406]

to be fair I kinda like the risset rhythms

[@agussumawigena4565]

Ah avril Lavigne?

[@chocky0]

heshehshsjeejjejs

[@Lowercase154]

I like dubstep and I kinda like the tone on the sounds

[@danielflanard8274]

My chest feels heavy when I'm listening to it, almost like my heart is about to stop.

[@anonymouspersonthefake]

same

[@bennytheretriever5032]

You should probably stop listening to it...

[@danielflanard8274]

@@bennytheretriever5032 Rest assured I did and have no plans of listening to it again anytime soon.

[@PurplexEdits]

Yeah same-

[@turinturambar8622]

Same, i didn't think it would affect me, but it's actually almost painful. What fun !

[@consentofthegoverned5145]

The fractal patterns are FIRE!

[@mgamga]

Great Explanation. Thanks!

[@MooseAtundra]

"This sound will drive you insane" *oh no* Anyways, so we started listening

[@shlaak]

Sometimes my genius, is, it's almost frightening.

[@gandhi5596]

same

[@Competitive_Antagonist]

I was one of the forewarned people, but I just had to hear what this is like. The combination of the fractals makes it even more trippy. Maybe this could be used instead of coffee to stimulate us? I'd love to hear what all the other variations sound like.

[@shlaak]

Candles.

[@morning_flower05]

Intresting very interesting

[@Oronaps]

Fun Fact: The endless staircase in Super Mario 64 uses a variation of the Shepard Tone.

[@kitemanmusic]

Supposing the barber's pole had steps in the stripes?

[@KitsuneFyora]

For sure. Makes you think it'll go on forever, only to find out you've been running in the same spot for the last 10 minutes

[@glenturney4750]

And when parents walk in and find their kids convulsing and drooling on the carpet with a Mario Cart control paddle in their hands with this endlessly playing on the screens. 🤣

[@glenturney4750]

@@kitemanmusic: And a stick figure endlessly climbing them as it spins round and round, round, round, round, round, round, round, sorry, I got caught imagining this. I'm o.k. now. 😁

[@AndySG7]

Realized that when I was trying to play it on the piano once, blew my mind when I realized what was going on!

[@JesUSking17]

This video has given you a new subscriber👍 well done fren. 👏👏👏

[@HachiHugada-ve8ex]

This is so relaxing. Thanks

[@thebooshy1262]

Flashbacks to Super Mario 64’s infinite staircase intensifies

[@dannyhamilton5512]

was looking for this comment

[@jellysquiddles3194]

Not so infinite with the blj xD

[@dannyhamilton5512]

@@jellysquiddles3194 Haha aha yep

[@TheHappyPiller]

Getting To The Top Felt Impossible, And When I Did, I Was Disappointed And Yet Happy :3

[@thakyou5005]

Oh, yeah!!! :D

[@PopeRocket]

"The Shepherd Tones can drive you insane." Folks with Tinnitus: Oh, my sweet summer child.

[@ThomasJScharmann]

Thank-you for that. The GoT reference is poetry.

[@justrosie]

Oh, you can *mute* the tones driving you insane?

[@PopeRocket]

@@justrosie Must be nice, right? Hehe.

[@vyper9428]

True

[@GavinColeX]

@l o l I feel this, I litterally cannot sleep unless I have a fan or something to drown it out. I just lay in bed awake slowly going more and more crazy. Usually I can handle it because of my fan but during something like a power outage I just lay there unable to sleep the entire night

[@charleswatts1864]

I'm not sure why, but this is my favorite video of yours!

[@Eternal_11_Sasha]

As a sufferer of crippling anxiety, this does not give me anxiety. I find this to be strangely intriguing.

[@DoggoDaOne]

In my perspective, I can actually hear it get higher pitched, it’s literally just the sound starting from the bottom while another keeps going, think about this while listening to it, you’ll notice the difference add up.

[@gpwdog]

Same

[@travisvarga1659]

Same. You can hear it get higher pitched and then a lower pitch kicks in.

[@matornot]

Yeah I'm pretty sure anyone with any musical training can distinguish between all of the pitches.

[@haydencassidy9536]

Yeah its a loop with a overlapping sound

[@daelinblack6681]

Hell I ain't even had formal musical training I think it's just from not spacing out and actually paying attention to what it sounded like a couple seconds ago

[@imnoodlesoup2250]

"The shepherd tone can drive you insane" Me: W A R P D R I V E

[@rebeccarausch5276]

ah, a man of culture

[@jabjab2286]

Ah yes

[@thetimeisnow2827]

Yes, indeed.

[@rizinahm]

Yess

[@Arek_R.]

I like this sound

[@n8-cre8s95]

When I first heard these I was able to tell the beginning of the new “cannon” (musical term) and was listening for the top to fade away. I knew it had to be multiple sounds playing concurrently and your brain could really jump in at any moment. It’s neat. This video has confirmed what I thought. 👍🏻

[@JrIcify]

thanks for showing the coolest fractal visualization I've ever seen

[@jamie74gemini87]

“If you suffer panic attacks you better mute this part” - 99.9% of viewers turn the volume up.

[@XMguy]

Telling me I’m going to have a panic attack. Gives me a panic attack. Jesus

[@leonaustin123]

@@dandyrion5779 literally the first 20 seconds of the video

[@unknownchannel3141]

So did. 1.

[@BigMythicLizard]

I did that too then had a panic attack lmao

[@nacho74]

It is harmless

[@mehmetklc6527]

This sound alerts you and creates an expectation of a dramatic end but it never happens. As if you were falling down to a bottomless pit. This is what I felt while listening.

[@abcdeisthekeygaming277]

I just posted a comment about me in surgery hearing this tone and having a visual hallucination of red and yellow spirals and everything I love disappearing into the center of it. I got so scared I started scraping my tongue with my teeth to "spit out" the feeling and when I woke up I was sitting up straight in the middle of the operating table with the doctors laughing at me and then giving me stronger drugs to finish. So all that to say... It did lead to dramatic finish for me lol

[@arielkozak]

Yes it like falling to the center of the earth. A true bottomless pit.

[@arielkozak]

Interesting how the Bible states that hell is a bottomless pit. How would they know? When the scientific belief of that time was the earth was actually flat.

[@-Cats-.411]

I felt nothing

[@jacobramirez4894]

@@arielkozak first where does it say tell me. second not every thing it says is literal , some things are symbolic or are metaphors .

[@annaharrington8397]

Oh wow, when I heard the Sheppard tone I could hear the lower octave and the higher octave and I visualized the sounds in my head. In my mind I imagined a black dot getting bigger and within that black dot is a smaller blue dot, and they’re both getting bigger but then at a certain point the black dot fades away and the blue dot is now increasing with another black dot inside of it and while it looks like in my mind it was zooming in I could tell that I wasn’t actually zooming in. I wasn’t exactly sure how to explain the Sheppard tones with anything except this visualization i could somewhat figure out what was happening with this visualization. Cool!

[@cubedtothex]

First time hearing about this and it’s pretty cool!

[@mikeag]

Me who grew up on sci-fi sound effects: "Ahhh... my childhood 😌"

[@aguasadonas8346]

Lmao-

[@r3dp9]

"The Forbidden Planet" will always occupy a fond place in my childhood memories.

[@Carlo99yehey]

putting in "i have no such weaknesses" could probably make it more funny for some

[@cosmicwitchclarith]

"you can get the decreasing tone by playing it backwards!" OH NO-

[@aguasadonas8346]

ruh roh raggy

[@PurplexEdits]

IT'S SCARY

[@ASTROHOO]

SAME

[@spacemoth4973]

I found this comment a second before he said it and braced for impact

[@thenonfurry]

And that’s just *snap* Heck.

[@1Gengar]

Me listening to the Shephard tone: Wohoho, that's spooky! (Thinks while dying inside)

[@kingginger3335]

As soon as you said you were using a fractal, I instantly thought of the Mandelbrot Set. Cool

[@user-vb6yf5ht7j]

Not even gonna lie, the fractal visuals scare me more than the infinite sound

[@Camwize]

Fractals give me anxiety!

[@dominus6695]

they're dark

[@Hoozelfitz]

Very scp like

[@elixquii..]

Ikr!

[@cedartheyeah.justyeah.3967]

@@Hoozelfitz How so?

[@Soul-zg8sd]

Him: You may have wierd feelings listening to this Me: **jamming to the wierd vibe** this is a bop

[@Soul-zg8sd]

@@GiGiTheCatjoy why hello

[@Myticalcattnip]

Im just vibing

[@_strange_entity_]

Literally me

[@TheGamerboi-jn5zu]

same here lol

[@mitvasagar6985]

@@Soul-zg8sd nok

[@oubliette862]

interesting, that instantly put a smile on my face. I didn't expect a reaction of any kind. it made think of a star trek turbo lift, and I like star trek maybe that's the reason I found the sound so pleasant.

[@Differentthings2006]

This sound is incredibly disturbing and creepy, but at the same time very cool, the fractal adds to the creepy/coolness.

[@Karibo_0]

I feel like it doesn’t work for me : I can easily focus on one of the ascending note/rhythm and follow them going up until they eventually fade. and at the same time I can hear the rest continuously climbing as it goes. Just like as if it was turbines starting spinning one after the others, without stopping accelerating.

[@danaaronmusic]

Same here. I could tell what was happening before he explained it. Maybe it's because I happen to be a musician?

[@nouseforaname182]

@@danaaronmusic I'm not one and I can keep track. Maybe because I dance?

[@danaaronmusic]

@@nouseforaname182 Could be.

[@yutub5563]

Me too. Maybe because I sing?

[@vedantshah5240]

@@yutub5563 me too because i listen? 😂😂

[@doinic09]

"this is kind of a spooky sound" Me in a dark room: "rushes to light"

[@glag3994]

Lol

[@tommyfish8374]

Man.. you are a baby huh?😂

[@leoneedscola3805]

Yep

[@HolahkuTaigiTWFormosanDiplomat]

:)

[@Not_An_Alien101]

I like the fear you have human.

[@salobrena6442]

Beautifully explained.

[@g-sm0ke]

Whenever I get goose bumps it usually goes from head down but the tone made it go from down to top

[@BackroomsWater]

1:50 is honestly a bop and even tho it triggers my anxiety when it speeds up, it’s 100% slapping

[@doughman9531]

Had a panic attack but was also like daum this jam tho.

[@aguasadonas8346]

Sounds like the intro to powerful girls 😎😎 (I- I don’t watch it I just know it.)

[@BackroomsWater]

@@aguasadonas8346 it kinda does ngl

[@CyberDagger003]

I believe this is called an amen break.

[@AshPikachu9]

I feel like ive heard this from wipeout (no not the tv show the game with flying ships and stuff)

[@leocaddo1630]

Why does this remember me the sound of underground trains when they leave the station? (first sound)

[@colourless_lines]

Same

[@frostbittenwinds9703]

couldn't have worded it better myself

[@badtoxxin7909]

@@frostbittenwinds9703 you could cuz it’s ”remind" and not ”remember"

[@frostbittenwinds9703]

@@badtoxxin7909 no, couldn't have done that myself

[@Mate_Antal_Zoltan]

@@badtoxxin7909 that's the joke. There are several things wrong with this comment you already mentioned remember -> remind, but there's also the fact that they didn't say "remember me *of* the sound," and also the fact that they called a metro an "underground train," and instead of "sound of it starting," they said "first sound"

[@datatwo7405]

I listened to a few of these for quite a bit, and it didn't affect me at all. Damn it!

[@the-bman]

that sound along with the video makes me feel dizzy, nauseous and makes my brain physically hurt a bit. it definitely is something

[@ziggystardust2435]

The sound didn’t bother me but the visuals made me feel like I was on a acid trip lmao

[@luckyboigamer3110]

Why did he put the visuals it made me throw up like 10 times. Also very trippy and I went insane.

[@bruhpolio8427]

Me too

[@Catfishplays]

The visual made me go nuts not the sound

[@stegosaurus0611]

I love trippy stuff

[@VivaSativaMusic]

Eh, I'd consider it more akin to DMT or perhaps even an inhalant than acid

[@calligraphy4244]

I can hear where it loops.. Can’t get the illusion of it increasing indefinitely

[@momentomoricuzimgay]

I can relate. After being in choir for a couple years, I often find myself searching for patterns or listening in for tone similarities and differences (cue keys from being an alto lol)

[@minddrift7152]

Same. I was kinda let down.

[@ohyeah5465]

Me too, felt kinda different brooo!!!😎✊

[@aperson252]

The curse of the musician’s brain

[@danig9871]

same and im no musician

[@WorthlessDeadEnd]

This is fascinating!

[@potatokatato]

Somebody made a reel about this illusion, but they didn't explain how it worked. I'm so glad you already had a video breaking it down! Also, this video gave me a headache 😂

[@sarahb5531]

“The sound may creep you out” Nope, but the visual was disturbing! Super cool.

[@devanshjagatiya2830]

Yeah seriously

[@legohexman2858]

Called the mandelbrot set. It's pretty cool

[@zeeksthegoblin7564]

So true. I looked at me second monitor and the images were moving. So cool!

[@Gustavo-po9bd]

Yeah some sounds were kinda relaxing, the images were the crazy ones

[@Yealo]

Yeah so wierd

[@otakisenpai8377]

Video title: makes you insane Me seeing the screen: damn what an art I'm seeing

[@bio5612]

You are seeing fractals, things that never end no matter how much you zoom into them

[@finbob5]

what

[@autumnakins7640]

I absolutely love fractals!

[@accurian148]

Windows Media Player visualizations effect

[@kumar2ji]

WoW! very interesting. Thank you

[@OmanutOnamut]

those are some damn good fractals!

[@CaptainSlow93]

1:51 me after eating the expired pill

[@pongdian4442]

DMT

[@colourless_lines]

Lol

[@gametopia6048]

I want to like but its at 69

[@dibyomukherjee8677]

This doesn’t work on musically trained people, ear training helps us evade the illusion. Great stuff though✅

[@unrue1048]

I was thinking the exact same. For me its to the point where even if i try i cannot hear the illusion. I always hear the 2 notes getting louder as they go higher in pitch and then decreasing in volume.

[@marsandbars]

I can a point where it feels like it's fading into the same sequence of pitches. I don't know exactly if you mean hearing notes by ear of hearing if things are on key, but I wouldn't consider myself trained per se and I definitely hear said seam.

[@Games_and_Music]

Yeah, i had a hard time getting fooled by this, as i pretty much immediately spotted the flaw in this infinity, it's just a loop of shifting octaves, or as we learned on elementary school to sing in canon, which sounded the same in certain songs, if they had the repeating octaves of course. But yeah, this was nothing new to me, other than i never knew it had a name to it. I had the same with the whole "Laurel / Yanny" thing, i heard both at the same time and could switch between hearing one or the other. EDIT: besides it just sounded like a typical pop song build up to a beat drop, that's also why it gives that physical/mental feeling of anxiousness, because it's designed to get you going.

[@tom139o7]

I havnt had music training but its still easy to tell

[@kelomelo9604]

i play the piano on a average level and listen to a lot of piano classical music and i didn't know how is that an illusion until he explained it, it was just so obvious lol

[@vossiting2313]

ive been waiting for the drop

[@LiMiNAL_]

I use the Shepard tone just about every time I design sounds, it's incredibly versatile

[@light-.-]

Sounds like a death star charging up to blow up a planet

[@Pettan_Supremacy]

Cultivation star vs a Dead star Battle OST

[@PlasmaChannel]

“Today on Action Lab, I convince you the greys are abducting you...again.” Interesting effect!

[@bluestrawberry5291]

This guy just ended racism

[@KingGuy]

I had the top comment and then you had to show up with your verified check mark

[@aramgarza281]

@@KingGuy lmao fax

[@bluestrawberry5291]

@@aramgarza281 you just ended racism

[@pixelated67]

100th liker 😂

[@skantorizh]

Nice fractal animation!

[@SF-fb6lv]

Well, as much as I barely passed engineering at uni, I could actually see the Fourier transform of the Shepard tone as it was being played!

[@rimanella8366]

When I heard that I felt like I was about to transcend into a higher realm.

[@salvoluca2869]

but never reached it, right?

[@rimanella8366]

@@salvoluca2869 sadly no but if I listen to it in my sleep I might end up in the 4th-Dimensional plane. Or maybe in an alien ship but idk.

[@zirinblossom]

Wow sounds cool. Parallel worlds?

[@volotex6911]

@@salvoluca2869 Yeah, like getting sucked ever closer to a singularity but never reaching it because time.exe has stopped working.

[@TheHuTao.]

@@volotex6911 ugh yeah I hate when I accidentally wake up in the 4th dimension

[@IIswagdelicious]

KZbin: Wanna hear a infinite sound that can drive you insane? Me at 2AM: *Y E S*

[@commanderhopeful]

It's 2:37 for meh

[@MacXpert74]

I’m reading your comment at 2:02 😅

[@Malicious_Killer]

@@MacXpert74 2:26 am for me.

[@ImActuallyGarbo]

*3am

[@IIswagdelicious]

@@ImActuallyGarbo I mean, it was 2am when I watched it so.

[@paranormalsoulcircle3176]

The video and the sound is exactly how I feel when I am going through Dissasociation and derealization. I have Chronic PTSD and it did trigger me but I wanted to see if it was like my panic attacks and it actually was.

[@Vector_Ze]

I played with this long ago using Adobe Audition. Even though I didn't know what I was doing (didn't use octaves), it came out very good! Or at least I thought so. I did both ascending and decending tones. For a while I tried to think of a way to use it on a KZbin video, but never came up with anything. You DID, heh!

[@mountaindew9921]

tbh him getting me prepped up for the sound was 10x as scarier as the actual sound

[@checkit7528]

almost like the clicks of the chain when on a roller coaster

[@shashvatpatel3694]

Imagine a sudden loud burst sound at the end of Shephard sound suddenly

[@veeps]

a loud high pitched long beep would be a little disturbing

[@yesman7670]

It would sound like an was before nuke

[@friendlycreeper1045]

I actually heard this sound in my one of the worst nightmares

[@duck1sgood]

Satan?

[@dunuth]

meh, you just invented dubstep

[@jackbigboi8695]

The second one was just a bop. I was jamming to that so hard.

[@screamingkiss-ups6588]

i listened to it. never had a worse headache

[@papycoima]

The "increasing rythm" part is giving me major anxiety vibes lmao

[@crab-yt2wy]

But at 2:20 it starts to be a good beat for a second

[@ilikepie4685]

Like the “something is getting closer” video game noise.

[@heckitshelen1292]

@@ilikepie4685 big facts

[@burp1361]

i felt the exact opposite, shit sounded dope asf

[@KingGuy]

It sounds like a horror movie raid siren

[@shlaak]

2:00 sounds like an eerie dnb song

[@AxxLAfriku]

It's weird indeed. Everywhere I comment, people tell me how much they love me and my videos. Sometimes it is annoying. But right now it would be okay. So say something nice about my content, dear king

[@shlaak]

@@AxxLAfriku no

[@jono6379]

Or a theremin from scifi movies

[@smith2354]

I think the movie Dunkirk used the Shepherds tone while showcasing the rising tension in escaping war. Also I heard it was used in The Dark Knight on the Batpod.

[@VeryVeryFrighteningMe]

Damn these fractals have some great beats

[@WilliamMcDowell_]

The shepards tone Made me cry Thank you action lab

[@Naveronasis]

The magic is revealed when you run these sounds through a spectrogram.

[@joeltashinian5888]

What you NEED is a "Sexy Scrolling Voicepoint." Thanks, 1999 Winamp!! Those were the good old days.

[@Chikara_Ketsugo]

It said help a lot and ha

[@exmirt7]

@@backtonormal7163 nobody cares :P jk I thought the same actually

[@kenwittlief255]

spectrum analyzer shows when the root gets to 100Hz the next higher tone is not at 1 octave (200Hz) its at 256 Hz that is what gives it the creepy uneasy feeling - its a dissonant chord, not octaves.

[@seymourbuns4620]

A Shepard Tone was used to make the famous 'infinite staircase' song in Super Mario 64

[@Asakedia]

that was the only thing that came up my mind throughout the whole video. and I love that section so much, i was kinda anxious and scared to go back down the stairs when playing as a kid. like a monster chasing you and you are not allowed to turn around.

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

look up the Devil's Staircase

[@ayamrudin7985]

:O

[@ayamrudin7985]

@@Asakedia I was just frustated I couldn't reach the top lol

[@Ithenna]

Oh... I never played Mario, but I heard something some years ago about some music driving people into fits of hysteria, some of which was supposedly from Mario. I never researched or listened to it (I was kinda young at the time and had enough sensitivities as it was without adding anything else, so I didn't think it was a good idea to find out about it). This makes sense now.

[@bigd1348]

I love this sound I find it relaxing

[@galtthedestroyer]

Wow the piano was a perfect visual aid!

[@Shinglerbleach]

2:14 This isn’t making me go insane it’s making me wanna spit some bars

[@generalkenobi4953]

bro i was fucking vibing

[@m1aouzdt]

@@generalkenobi4953 same💃

[@Exotic4M3]

Ay ay ay yuh ay ha ay uh ay ay ay skrrrt skrry

[@mlgspongebob5385]

0:38 how teachers think boys react when they see a shoulder

[@gamistry2947]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@aniruthdinesh9156]

shoulder?

[@gamistry2947]

@@aniruthdinesh9156 yeah

[@aniruthdinesh9156]

@@gamistry2947 what does a shoulder have to do with how a boy reacts?

[@_deletus_]

WHAT DOES IT MEAN???

[@lexquodius]

Now I can use this for a horror game. Literally drive the players into madness and anxiety attacks. Thanks Action Lab!

[@kaceycrypto2001]

I like the Shepard tone sound!!