Twenty Thousand Hertz
The stories behind the world’s most iconic and fascinating sounds.
101
Auditory Icons: Credit card beeps to driverless...
Why are some device sounds pleasing, while others stress us out?
16 min
102
Progression Obsession: Pop music’s most used ch...
From Pachelbel's Canon, to the Ice Cream Changes, to the Four Chords, we examine the most-used chord changes in pop music.
25 min
103
SM7: The mic that shaped sound and culture
How the Shure SM7 became one of the most game-changing vocal microphones of all time.
22 min
104
The Sound of Minecraft: A melancholy masterpiec...
Crafting the music and sounds of Minecraft.
24 min
105
20th Century Fox Fanfare: A family legacy
The history and future of the 20th Century Fox fanfare.
24 min
106
Sonic Weapons: How “sound cannons” are used for...
What happens when you get hit with a “sound cannon?”
20 min
107
I'm Lovin’ It: How “Ba da ba ba ba” took over t...
Ba da ba ba ba.
23 min
108
The Physics of Sound w/ Bill Nye the Science Guy
Listen up! It’s time to go back to basics on the physics of sound.
22 min
109
Seeing Sounds, Tasting Names: The world of syne...
What’s it like to see sounds and taste names?
25 min
110
Sing Gently: Singing together, even when apart
How an internet choir connects singers around the world at a time when they can't sing together.
33 min
111
The Song Hunter: How Alan Lomax saved the sound...
Legendary music archivist Alan Lomax made it his life's work to preserve and promote the sounds of local culture.
24 min
112
From Klingon to Dothraki: How sci-fi languages ...
From Klingon to Elvish, what makes a good constructed language?
26 min
113
Space Audity: The challenges of space communica...
The mind-boggling technology behind space communication.
21 min
114
Sonic Utopia: Can we build a better sounding wo...
What can we expect the future to sound like, and how can we build a sonic utopia?
25 min
115
The Cyborg, The Scientist, and the Death of Sil...
The way we each experience sound depends on so many unique factors, from tiny receptors in our ears to the way we were taught to communicate.
48 min
116
Dies Irae: The death melody haunting Hollywood
How a four-note melody from the 13th century became a movie soundtrack superstar.
26 min
117
Perfect Pitch: Unlocking Jacob Collier’s musica...
What's it like when every sound you hear—from the whir of the coffee grinder to the beep of the microwave—all sound like musical notes?
27 min
118
Tyrannosaurus FX: What dinosaurs really sounded...
The sound design wizardry behind the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park, and how these sounds compare to what dinos REALLY sounded like.
23 min
119
Napster: How free music broke the industry
The stunning rise and fall of Napster, and how it transformed the music industry in a few short years.
36 min
120
Vocal Discords: When nodules silence singers
A diagnosis of vocal nodes is every singer's worst nightmare. But when nodes develop, is all hope truly lost?
21 min
121
Deepfake Dallas: How AI learned to speak like me
Is your voice your own? Maybe not anymore.
22 min
122
The Weight of Noise: One writer’s struggle in N...
The link between chronic noise and chronic anxiety may be closer than we realize.
23 min
123
Tudum! The story behind the iconic Netflix sound
The never-before-told story behind the iconic Netflix sound.
21 min
124
McElroys, Mysteries, and Me: Guess That Sound! ...
The McElroy brothers, hosts of My Brother, My Brother and Me, compete in a heated and hilarious game of mystery sounds.
41 min
125
Hamilton’s Sonic Secrets: Behind the Broadway p...
How the sound design of Hamilton draws the audience into the story.
28 min