Twenty Thousand Hertz

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

Design
Arts
Music Commentary
201
Spooky Sounds: The secrets of horror sound design
How does Hollywood create the terrifying sounds in our favorite scary movies, and why does our brain react to those sounds with fear?
23 min
202
Acoustical Umbilical Cord: Why crying makes us ...
Why do we cry? ...and how do our tears in adulthood make us distinctively human?
20 min
203
Level Up: How video games tell an immersive sto...
Games are often defined by their graphics. How does sound for games work?
20 min
204
Watergate: How a tape recorder brought down a p...
How did an open reel tape recorder secretly planted in the White House basement lead to the demise of the 37th President of the United States?
23 min
205
Sonic Seasoning: Can sound affect our taste buds?
How does our sense of hearing affect our taste buds?
16 min
206
Fight or Flight: Why airplane sounds make us an...
Does flying make you nervous? You’re not alone. Dive into the psychological aspects of how sound can trigger these fears, and find out what all of those sounds really are.
23 min
207
Sound Firsts: Landmark recordings in history
What are the oldest sound recordings in history?
26 min
208
Noise Pollution: The hidden costs
Airplanes, construction, motorcycles - How have these everyday sounds affected our lives and what are the environmental and health repercussions?
17 min
209
Silent Sea: Whalesong & Undersea Noise Pollution
How has increased ocean traffic affected underwater life? ...and what can we do to reverse these effects?
21 min
210
Evolution of Accents: From Shakespeare to Valle...
You may not realize it, but your accent is a window to who you are and where you come from. How do accents evolve?
23 min
211
The Wilhelm Scream: Hollywood’s most iconic sou...
A history of the most iconic scream in movie history that you’ve definitely heard, but might not have heard of.
17 min
212
The voices behind Dragon Ball Z & Firewatch
Who are the voices behind our favorite cartoon characters and commercials? Take a look behind-the-scenes of voice acting.
16 min
213
Hearing Loss: What causes it and how to prevent it
As we age our hearing naturally diminishes, but what other factors are causing our hearing to disappear? Plus, take an informal hearing test.
17 min
214
From Screams to Serenity: How sound shapes us
Ever wonder why certain sounds make us cringe while others are soothing? Find out why we consider some sounds “good” and some “bad”.
17 min
215
Foley: Hollywood’s hidden sound heroes
What is Foley and how does it make our movie listening experience more realistic?
14 min
216
What do other planets sound like?
What do other planets in our solar system sound like to our ears?
19 min
217
Dolls That Talk (and some that listen)
Why have humans been so fascinated in re-creating toy versions of ourselves? Talking dolls have been around for over 100 years. Take a look at the evolution of how that came to be… and why they are so creepy.
14 min
218
Car Sounds: Crafting every click, rev, and beep
Discover how car companies are enhancing every aspect of your vehicle’s sound to provide the ultimate driving experience.
14 min
219
Audio Descriptions: Not just for the visually i...
Ever wonder how the visually impaired are able to enjoy their favorite movies? Discover how technology has been able to make this possible.
12 min
220
Inside Movie Soundtracks: How every layer tells...
What goes into making a movie soundtrack? Take a look behind the scenes with the sound designers that make your movies sound perfect.
14 min
221
From Analog to Digital (and back again)
What did we lose when we switched from analog to digital?
14 min
222
Sounds We've Lost: Echoes of the Past
We've grown accustomed to the everyday sounds we experience; cell phones ringing, cars idling, Facebook messaging. What about the sounds that we've forgotten about, the sounds we’ve lost?
14 min
223
The Windsor Hum: Canada’s Most Mysterious Sound
There’s a hum emanating from an island in Detroit that is so loud it disturbs the residents of Windsor, ON. The hum has caused so much discomfort and annoyance that a film crew decided to investigate the cause.
10 min
224
How 8-Bit sounds became iconic
8-bit audio defined countless childhoods. How did early sound artists and composers create such iconic sounds using the most primitive game technology?
12 min
225
The NBC Chimes: How three notes made history
The now iconic NBC Chimes were originally created to solve a small problem. Where did these three notes come from?
12 min