Twenty Thousand Hertz

The stories behind the world’s most iconic and fascinating sounds.

Design
Arts
Music Commentary
126
Tudum! The story behind the iconic Netflix sound
The never-before-told story behind the iconic Netflix sound.
21 min
127
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
128
Hamilton’s Sonic Secrets: Behind the Broadway p...
How the sound design of Hamilton draws the audience into the story.
28 min
129
Stop, Collaborate and Listen: Can you copyright...
Theft or inspiration? Part two of a deep dive into the complicated world of copyright, sampling and the ability to own a song.
23 min
130
Copyrights & Wrongs: Musical Inspiration vs. Pl...
Theft or inspiration? Part one of a deep dive into the complicated world of Copyright.
24 min
131
Makin’ Whoopee: The hilarious history & science...
The history and science behind our favorite fart sound-maker, the whoopee cushion.
26 min
132
Pew Pew! The making of Star Wars’ iconic sounds
How legendary Sound Designer Ben Burtt helped transport audiences to a galaxy far, far away.
29 min
133
That’s All Folks! Mel Blanc’s curtain call
The story of Mel Blanc, Part 2. The accident, recovery, and passing of the torch.
20 min
134
What’s Up, Doc? Mel Blanc and the magic of Loon...
The early life and career of Mel Blanc.
24 min
135
Twenty Parts Per Thousand: Designing with smell
The stories behind the world's most recognizable and interesting smells.
21 min
136
Cremona: Saving the world’s most prized violin ...
The story of a town that stayed quiet to preserve an instrument they love.
23 min
137
Satanic Panic: Backwards messages and '80s hyst...
Warning: Listening to this episode might entice you to worship the devil.
28 min
138
Noise “R” Us: The evolution of noisy toys
A nostalgic history of toy sounds.
25 min
139
Good Vibes: Unlocking music’s hidden power over...
We know music can affect our moods, but its influence over us goes even deeper, and has the power to heal, harm, and manipulate us.
25 min
140
4’33”: John Cage’s revolutionary “silent” music...
The story behind one of the most controversial, and influential, pieces of music of the 20th Century.
31 min
141
The Seinfeld theme song w/ Composer Jonathan Wolff
A theme song about nothing: how it was created, what makes it so unique, and how it became one of the most iconic theme songs in TV history.
26 min
142
Sonic Wonderland: The world’s most incredible s...
Take your ears on a mini vacation as we celebrate the sonic wonders of the world.
18 min
143
Historically Speaking: How language & accent sh...
How we shape language to our needs, and how it shapes us in return.
26 min
144
Vroom Vroom: The symphony of high-performance e...
A song of fuel and fire - what’s happening inside your car engine?
26 min
145
Baby Shark: From summer camp song to viral earworm
The history and future of one of the biggest viral sensations ever.
36 min
146
Virtual Choir: 8,000 Voices, One Song
The story of the internet choir connecting people from around the world to share the joy of singing.
25 min
147
The Price is Right: The drama behind TV’s catch...
The story behind one of the most recognizable TV show themes ever.
18 min
148
The Loudness War: Can streaming finally end it?
We take a deep dive into the Loudness War, and look for signs of hope in the modern age.
32 min
149
The [COMPRESSED] history of music mastering
A look at the mystical art of mastering from its analog beginnings to the digital world of today.
27 min
150
You’ve Got Mail: The voice behind AOL
The most recognizable 3 words of the early internet age + the birth of a whole new musical instrument.
20 min