Ableton Forum

I followed Tom Cosm's tutorial for creating Shepard's Tone. Since I'm using a sample, I don't have the bend option so I'm using transpose. Everything works except I get stepping using the transpose.

Is there a way to either use the bend or to some how smooth the steps in the transpose?

Thanks,
bobland

Could you put the sample into simpler and then bend it?

On the subject of Shepard's tone, does anybody know how Pink Floyd got that effect at the end of 'Echos'?

Using Sampler, there's no option for bend. This option is only available for MIDI. My other option is to convert the sample to midi but I haven't found a way to do that yet.

Solved. Simple. Cut sample into slices. Actually, gives me a lot more creative options then a straight conversion.

You can also use the pitch envelope to sweep the pitch of the sample up or down smoothly. I much prefer this over using the pitch bend if sweeping over more than a few semitones.

And, it's always worth a try doing some barber pole phasing too. Your phaser just keeps on rising...

It's the same principle as the shepherd tones thing but uses a batch of phasers or samples of a single phaser sweep.

Like the background drone on this http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&v=d_oXrecrLZ4

When I used the pitch envelope I can hear the steps, probably because I'm sweeping an octave with a sample that has discrete pitches within it.

I listened to the link you indicated but the background drones sounded static to me, that is, no rising.

bobland wrote:When I used the pitch envelope I can hear the steps, probably because I'm sweeping an octave with a sample that has discrete pitches within it.

So the steps you can hear are actually the changes in pitch within the original sample? If so slicing it up is probably the best way.

YMO's Loom is a good example of a continuous rising tone:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amZ3HoUR3lc starts from 20 seconds in.

bobland wrote:I listened to the link you indicated but the background drones sounded static to me, that is, no rising.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&v=d_oXrecrLZ4

No rising pitch on this one this is true. But there is a slow continuous rise in the notch frequencies of the phaser. It's the same type of effect as the Shephard tone but uses a varying filtering effect rather than a rise in pitch. It's a great way (if used sparingly) to make interesting an otherwise boring drone.

Hi,
I tried to locate any ready-made good sounding sample (either free of charge or commercial)
but haven´t found any. Does someone know where to download some Shepard tone -based samples?
Harry

http://www.monolake.de/files_software/S ... amples.zip

have fun,
Robert

to make it go upwards, simply reverse the entry in the Pitch Envelope Amount: -48st versus 48st. you might also want to play with the transposition of the Sample. And of course replace it by a more exciting one !!!!

and please also try smaller amounts of the pitch envelope

Thank you for the contribution. I have to say didn´t get this
example working very well.
I´ve tried to do some of my own by following Tom Cosm's tutorial,
but for some reason, in spite of following his steps, the use of Operator
has not give very good result either. I don´t know if the reson is
that the Operator sound I use differs somehow from Tom´s (I use the default which
should be the same which Tom uses), but the end result is
that in my case the I can hear clearly the transition from cycle to another,
when Tom get´s much better and more seamless result. I do all the settings
according to Toms example.
I wonder if there´s more ready made audio samples, somewhere available?
Harry

Robert's set is exactly what I've been looking for. Unfortunately, I'm two years late and the link is no longer working.
Has anybody got these files still? The zip file was called ShepardToneDownSamples.zip
I would be extremely thankful if somebody could re-post them here or via PM.

Unless anybody has figured out an even more elegant way of recreating Shepard tone with samples - any ideas would be most welcome!

Thank you very much and have a nice day.