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
1
Harry Potter and the Sound Designer’s Stone
The sound design sorcery of the new Harry Potter audiobooks.
29 min
2
When Everything Stopped, He Started Listening
How David Jeffers rebuilt himself, one sound at a time.
25 min
3
The State of the 20K Multiverse™
Mics, camera, action!
34 min
4
Doctor Who & The BBC Radiophonic Workshop
From TARDIS to tape loops, the story of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.
35 min
5
Butterfly in the Synth: Reading Rainbow’s Magic...
The birth and evolution of Reading Rainbow’s iconic theme music.
24 min
6
Auld Lang What? The surprising origins of the N...
Why do we sing “Auld Lang Syne” on New Years?
20 min
7
Guess That Sound 2025: Youtube Channel Champs
Three guests from our video series go head to head in our annual Mystery Sound competition.
44 min
8
The Sound of Fallout: From Iconic Games to Pres...
Crafting the immersive sonic world of Fallout.
39 min
9
Defying Gravity: The Audio Wizardry of Wicked's...
How Wicked’s audio team captured the astounding vocals live on-set.
29 min
10
The Secret Soundtracks of Movies & TV
The vintage grooves behind modern hits.
42 min
11
Inside Imagineering: How Sound Powers Disney Magic
The sonic secrets of Disney Imagineers.
23 min
12
Live from New York, I’m Retired! SNL’s Sound Le...
The chaos & craft of mixing SNL
33 min
13
The Nursery Rhyme That Ruined a Rock Band
30 min
14
Listener Stories 2025 (Gold): Transit Tunes & ...
The winning stories from our listener-produced Sound Off competition.
25 min
15
Yahoo! The Yodel Heard Around the World
How a cowboy’s yodel became Yahoo’s signature sound.
23 min
16
Super Mario Bros: Koji Kondo’s 8-Bit Masterpiece
30 min
17
Listener Stories 2025 (Silver): Pinball Pings &...
The second collection of listener-produced stories from our Sound Off competition.
27 min
18
Mixing Madison Square Garden for Vulfpeck’s Big...
Behind the faders at a legendary music venue.
36 min
19
The Music of Jeopardy! From a Lullaby to $100,0...
The evolution of Jeopardy’s unforgettable theme song.
22 min
20
Listener Stories 2025 (Bronze): Siren Calls & M...
The first collection of listener-produced stories from annual competition.
28 min
21
I interviewed 5 other Dallas Taylors and things...
An odyssey into the power of names.
41 min
22
Mix Notes: Dumb Farts, Alien Crickets & Junkyar...
Hollywood’s sound masters share their best sonic stories.
26 min
23
The Deaf Composer: How Beethoven wrote music he...
The fact and fiction around one of the greatest composers in history.
26 min
24
The Sonic Brand Makeover We Didn’t Know We Needed
How Switched on Pop changed their theme music after 400 episodes.
39 min
25
Inside Apple: Sonic Accessibility
How accessible design benefits everyone.
30 min