I swear this is my last time posting an "Endless Stairs" song!

The [Shepard Scale](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepard_tone) can work just as well going down, so what if, instead, Nintendo made the stairs go down? What it would look like and more importantly, how would it sound?

Should I drop it down an octave or two?

Previous version:

https://notessimo.net/s/g5sLOIGxBD

What if Nintendo made the "Endless Stairs" go down?

Admin

I've received quite a few comments on the [Reddit thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/blackmagicfuckery/comments/ymvzhg/the_neverending_ascending_pitch_illusion_from/) saying they could clearly hear the breaks and also that I was missing perhaps a third sequence to really complete the effect.

The [first version](https://notessimo.net/s/iSn7l12ReH) was based on MIDI and Sheet Music I found on the net but turns out they weren't quite accurate...

I ended up falling into a rabbit hole with [Super Mario 64 ROM hacking](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pSYR91UiMVKnP3PyvJiCdwRF5wNS_nZzMe-r2WPQUJk/edit) using [SM64 ROM Manager](https://pilzinsel64.de/sm64-rom-manager/) to actually rip the notes sequence and have a closer look at it. I also ended up having tons of fun using [Blender](https://www.blender.org/) to modify some [3D model](https://www.models-resource.com/nintendo_64/supermario64/model/41902/) of the level and importing it into the ROM itself and play it on an emulator. Fun Stuff!

This version should be much closer to the original output from the game and hopefully re-create the illusion better for those with gifted ears!

Also, for the pedantic out there, yes ["Shepard Tone"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepard_tone) isn't actually right, it is a "slightly modified Shepard Scale" ;)

Let me know if there are any further tweaks I should be doing!

I think maybe for the V2 of the video having the notes opacity change based on their volume would also represent the effect better visually.

I’ve received quite a few comments on the <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/blackmagicfuckery/comments/ymvzhg/the_neverending_ascending_pitch_illusion_from/" rel="noopener nofollow ugc">Reddit thread</a> saying they could clearly hear the breaks and also that I was missing perhaps a third sequence to really complete the effect.
The <a href="https://notessimo.net/s/iSn7l12ReH">first version</a> was based on MIDI and Sheet Music I found on the net but turns out they weren’t quite accurate…
I ended up falling into a rabbit hole with <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pSYR91UiMVKnP3PyvJiCdwRF5wNS_nZzMe-r2WPQUJk/edit" rel="noopener nofollow ugc">Super Mario 64 ROM hacking</a> using <a href="https://pilzinsel64.de/sm64-rom-manager/" rel="noopener nofollow ugc">SM64 ROM Manager</a> to actually rip the notes sequence and have a closer look at it. I also ended up having tons of fun using <a href="https://www.blender.org/" rel="noopener nofollow ugc">Blender</a> to modify some <a href="https://www.models-resource.com/nintendo_64/supermario64/model/41902/" rel="noopener nofollow ugc">3D model</a> of the level and importing it into the ROM itself and play it on an emulator. Fun Stuff!
This version should be much closer to the original output from the game and hopefully re-create the illusion better for those with gifted ears!
Also, for the pedantic out there, yes <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepard_tone" rel="noopener nofollow ugc">“Shepard Tone”</a> isn’t actually right, it is a “slightly modified Shepard Scale” <img src="/images/emoji/twitter/wink.png?v=12" title=":wink:" class="emoji" alt=":wink:" loading="lazy" width="20" height="20">
Let me know if there are any further tweaks I should be doing!
I think maybe for the V2 of the video having the notes opacity change based on their volume would also represent the effect better visually.