Twenty Thousand Hertz

A lovingly crafted podcast that reveals the stories behind the world's most recognizable and interesting sounds.

Design
Arts
Music Commentary
51
Breathe
A story from Dallas’ former life.
32 min
52
Relearning Boléro
Can we really trust our ears?
38 min
53
Ghosts in the (Hit) Machine
Inside the secretive world of ghostwriting and ghost producing.
27 min
54
Windows_Logon.wav
The death and rebirth of the Windows startup sound.
31 min
55
Ta-da! It’s Windows
Start me up.
26 min
56
Liquid Terror
The sound that haunts Hollywood.
24 min
57
Mind the Gap
Stand clear of the closing doors, please.
32 min
58
Hidden Hitmakers
Who writes the hits for the pop stars?
30 min
59
Happy Little Episode
How a soft-spoken, poofy-haired painter changed the world, one gentle word at a time.
41 min
60
Pirate Radio
How a group of scrappy radio pirates changed the course of music history.
33 min
61
Being Dallas Taylor
What’s in a name?
40 min
62
Sul Sul
The secrets of Simlish, the gibberish language of The Sims.
25 min
63
Aural Exam
The hosts of Underunderstood go head to head in our annual Mystery Sound game.
37 min
64
HBO 2.0
How HBO reconciled its analog past with its digital future.
25 min
65
It's Not TV. It's HBO.
How HBO crafted two of the most iconic pieces of sonic branding in history.
23 min
66
Zzzzzzzzzzzrr...
If you live with a snorer, it can be tricky to roll out of bed after a night of little sleep.
40 min
67
Creature Speakers
How do you voice over 200 monsters?
26 min
68
Video(less) Games
The ins and outs of gaming without sight.
24 min
69
Blind Sports
Keep your ears on the ball.
21 min
70
Listening to the Movies
Hearing is believing.
27 min
71
Sonic Bubbles
Self-control through sound control.
24 min
72
Domestic Symphony
What happens when dryers and dishwashers get the sound design treatment?
22 min
73
The Windsor Hum
Cracking the case of a sonic mystery.
13 min
74
The Buzzer
Tuning in to spy radio.
31 min
75
Stay Tuned
The new voices of the Looney Tunes.
25 min