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Channel Manager StaffMake it Simmer Like Hans Zimmer
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Channel Manager StaffMake it Simmer Like Hans Zimmer
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If you’ve ever felt your pulse quicken to an endless ascending sound in a film or tv scene, you’ve likely encountered a Shepard tone — one of the most fascinating auditory illusions in modern sound design. And few composers have mastered it quite like Hans Zimmer, with one of the prime examples being heard in 2017's Dunkirk to create a relentless feeling of tension and urgency.
The Shepard tone is an auditory illusion that seems to rise or fall forever, never actually reaching a higher or lower pitch limit. It’s built by layering multiple sine waves spaced an octave apart, then carefully fading them in and out while pitch-shifting them together.
Imagine a musical escalator that loops back under your feet — you hear a note rising, but before it peaks, another tone fades in below it, creating the sensation of infinite ascent.
Scroll to the end for links to the read-along by staff member L.M. Mint
Amplitude Envelope (Fading In and Out):
Each octave-spaced sine wave fades in as it rises and fades out as it nears the top (or bottom) of the pitch range. This overlapping volume control masks the loop and keeps the illusion seamless.
Pitch Shifting in Octaves:
The sine waves are pitch-shifted together, maintaining their octave intervals. As the set of tones slides upward (or downward), the fading volume gives the impression of continuous motion.
Zimmer’s Dunkirk score doesn’t just rely on the Shepard tone itself. Instead, it layers the illusion with distinct sounds — especially the ticking of a watch and subtle percussive elements that also fade in and out with the Shepard tone’s cycles.
The ticking watch provides a rhythmic pulse, anchoring the listener’s sense of time slipping away.
The percussive swells and fades mirror the Shepard tone’s amplitude envelope, reinforcing the feeling of endless rising tension.
It combines pitch illusion with rhythm and texture, so the effect isn’t just a weird sound, but a living, breathing part of the film’s atmosphere.
The fading and layering prevent listener fatigue, keeping the tension fresh and immersive.
The soundtrack becomes an emotional engine, driving the narrative momentum through sound alone.
Stack octave-spaced sine waves (at least three, preferably more).
The Shepard tone is a deceptively simple illusion that, when done right, can powerfully manipulate emotions and tension. Hans Zimmer’s use of it in Dunkirk shows how combining this auditory trick with rhythmic and environmental layers can create a soundtrack that feels alive, urgent, and endlessly rising — even if you’re not watching the film.
Whether you want to build your own Shepard tones for music, games, or film, understanding these principles will help you craft that compelling sense of infinite motion.
Dunkirk (2017) clips ©️ Warner Bros., under fair use for commentary; other images licensed under CC0
This episode unpacks one of the most fascinating auditory illusions in modern sound design: the Shepard Tone - a technique that creates the sensation of a sound that's always rising, yet never actually goes anywhere.We explore how this illusion was used in Dunkirk (2017), and how you might experiment with it in your own creative projects.Note from the host:I spent way too long editing this episode - probably thanks to the tension-inducing nature of the Shepard Tone itself.
If you’ve ever felt your pulse quicken to an endless ascending sound in a film or tv scene, you’ve likely encountered a Shepard tone — one of the most fascinating auditory illusions in modern sound design. And few composers have mastered it quite like Hans Zimmer, with one of the prime examples being heard in 2017's Dunkirk to create a relentless feeling of tension and urgency.
The Shepard tone is an auditory illusion that seems to rise or fall forever, never actually reaching a higher or lower pitch limit. It’s built by layering multiple sine waves spaced an octave apart, then carefully fading them in and out while pitch-shifting them together.
Imagine a musical escalator that loops back under your feet — you hear a note rising, but before it peaks, another tone fades in below it, creating the sensation of infinite ascent.
Scroll to the end for links to the read-along by staff member L.M. Mint
Amplitude Envelope (Fading In and Out):
Each octave-spaced sine wave fades in as it rises and fades out as it nears the top (or bottom) of the pitch range. This overlapping volume control masks the loop and keeps the illusion seamless.
Pitch Shifting in Octaves:
The sine waves are pitch-shifted together, maintaining their octave intervals. As the set of tones slides upward (or downward), the fading volume gives the impression of continuous motion.
Zimmer’s Dunkirk score doesn’t just rely on the Shepard tone itself. Instead, it layers the illusion with distinct sounds — especially the ticking of a watch and subtle percussive elements that also fade in and out with the Shepard tone’s cycles.
The ticking watch provides a rhythmic pulse, anchoring the listener’s sense of time slipping away.
The percussive swells and fades mirror the Shepard tone’s amplitude envelope, reinforcing the feeling of endless rising tension.
It combines pitch illusion with rhythm and texture, so the effect isn’t just a weird sound, but a living, breathing part of the film’s atmosphere.
The fading and layering prevent listener fatigue, keeping the tension fresh and immersive.
The soundtrack becomes an emotional engine, driving the narrative momentum through sound alone.
Stack octave-spaced sine waves (at least three, preferably more).
The Shepard tone is a deceptively simple illusion that, when done right, can powerfully manipulate emotions and tension. Hans Zimmer’s use of it in Dunkirk shows how combining this auditory trick with rhythmic and environmental layers can create a soundtrack that feels alive, urgent, and endlessly rising — even if you’re not watching the film.
Whether you want to build your own Shepard tones for music, games, or film, understanding these principles will help you craft that compelling sense of infinite motion.
Dunkirk (2017) clips ©️ Warner Bros., under fair use for commentary; other images licensed under CC0
This episode unpacks one of the most fascinating auditory illusions in modern sound design: the Shepard Tone - a technique that creates the sensation of a sound that's always rising, yet never actually goes anywhere.We explore how this illusion was used in Dunkirk (2017), and how you might experiment with it in your own creative projects.Note from the host:I spent way too long editing this episode - probably thanks to the tension-inducing nature of the Shepard Tone itself.
Apply a Gaussian amplitude envelope to each, so they fade in at the low end and fade out at the high end.
Pitch-shift them together slowly upward (for an ascending tone) or downward (for descending).
Layer percussive sounds or rhythmic elements that also fade in and out, syncing with your Shepard tone’s cycle.
Experiment with blending environmental sounds (like ticking clocks, engine hums, ocean waves, or industrial sounds) to make the illusion more immersive.
Apply a Gaussian amplitude envelope to each, so they fade in at the low end and fade out at the high end.
Pitch-shift them together slowly upward (for an ascending tone) or downward (for descending).
Layer percussive sounds or rhythmic elements that also fade in and out, syncing with your Shepard tone’s cycle.
Experiment with blending environmental sounds (like ticking clocks, engine hums, ocean waves, or industrial sounds) to make the illusion more immersive.
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