Twenty Thousand Hertz

The stories behind the world’s most recognizable and interesting sounds. Hosted by Sound Designer Dallas Taylor, Twenty Thousand Hertz unlocks the stories, secrets and science behind what you hear. Whether you’re a professional audio engineer with decades of experience, a fourth grader who loves sound and music, or anyone in between, you’ll find something to love: the sound design secrets of hit movies, the forgotten backstories of classic theme songs, the sonic craft of jingles and device sounds, linguistic mysteries, psychoacoustics, video game music, animal communication, and beyond. With moving human stories, immersive sound design, and non-stop ear candy, Twenty Thousand Hertz has grown into the world’s leading podcast about sound. 


New to the show? Start here:

• I'm Lovin' It: How “Ba da ba ba ba” took over the world

• The Art of Foley: Bringing Slimer & Batman to life

• Tudum! The story behind the iconic Netflix sound

• The Legend of Zelda: A Beep to the Past

• Inside Hans Zimmer’s Remote Control Studios

• A sonic journey through the Solar System

• Mind the Gap: NYC & London’s iconic transit voices

Design
Arts
Music Commentary
176
Dining on Decibels: Why are restaurants so noisy?
The story behind how restaurants became so darn loud.
21 min
177
Do Not Disturb: The unseen impacts of alarms an...
The story of how alarms and alerts came to rule, and endanger, our lives.
24 min
178
Blue! 42! How helmet radio changed the NFL
How headsets revolutionized American football.
23 min
179
Silence: Dispatches from the quietest place on ...
Dallas is locked into an anechoic chamber to experience how our brains process complete silence.
21 min
180
A sonic journey through the Solar System
A completely remixed version of our favorite episode, where we explore what other plants sound like.
19 min
181
Boots ’n Cats: The scientific secrets of beatbo...
The evolution & science of beatboxing.
21 min
182
Being George Clooney: Dubbing Hollywood celebri...
Explore how Hollywood films are adapted for foreign languages.
30 min
183
The Xbox Startup Sound: Crafting a console classic
How the designers of the Xbox startup sounds overcame tight parameters to come up with an iconic audio logo.
21 min
184
Theater for the Mind: The Golden Age of radio d...
The stories behind the golden age of sci-fi and horror radio dramas.
29 min
185
Theremin: The instrument that defined classic s...
The story behind this infamous, spooky-sounding instrument.
25 min
186
Cartoon Sound Effects: From Steamboat Willie to...
How were old cartoon sounds made, and how did they become so iconic?
27 min
187
Behind the Mic: The making of Twenty Thousand H...
A behind the scenes look at the inspiration and creation of Twenty Thousand Hertz.
31 min
188
Jingles: How they hooked us and why they vanished
What is the story behind these unforgettable earworms?
28 min
189
“Intel Inside” and other sonic branding brilliance
The story behind audio logos and what makes them so powerful.
24 min
190
Loop Groups: The art of movie background chatter
We go behind the scene with the actors responsible for bringing your TV and film backgrounds to life.
25 min
191
Slot Machines: The addictive power of sound
The sound design and science behind today's slot machines.
16 min
192
Misophonia: Why we can't stand certain sounds
The hatred of sound.
16 min
193
THX Deep Note Part 2: How a lost file shaped mo...
What happened after THX lost its iconic "Deep Note"?
25 min
194
The THX Deep Note: From chaos to cinematic legend
What was the point of the THX "deep note" and why do we love it so much?
23 min
195
Amen Break: The world’s most sampled drum beat
The history of what might be the most sampled piece of music ever.
21 min
196
Ultrasonic Tracking: Are our phones really list...
Your phone might be eavesdropping on you.
21 min
197
ASMR: Why certain sounds give you tingles
We explore the autonomous sensory meridian response, a phenomenon where certain sounds can trigger a pleasant physical reaction.
22 min
198
Broadway to Cirque du Soleil: Sound design for ...
Sound design's critical role in theater and concerts.
20 min
199
Hidden Melodies: Discovering the music in our s...
Your voice is an instrument, and the way you choose to sing your words can communicate a lot.
15 min
200
Epileptic Symphonies: Turning seizures into music
Brant Guichard hears music every time he has a seizure.
26 min