Twenty Thousand Hertz+

The stories behind the world's most recognizable and interesting sounds.

Design
Arts
Music Commentary
151
Sound Escapes
Sound Tracker Gordon Hempton gives us a masterclass on how to listen.
28 min
152
Voyager Golden Record
The most epic album of all time isn’t even on Earth. It’s over 11 billion miles away.
31 min
153
Birdsong
The story of how birdbrains produce the most complex sounds in the natural world.
24 min
154
Phone Tones
The touch tone sounds from our phones might be slowly going extinct.
22 min
155
The Booj
The story of the sounds you always hear in movie trailers, but never noticed... until now.
22 min
156
Dining on Decibels
The story behind how restaurants became so darn loud.
21 min
157
Do Not Disturb
The story of how alarms and alerts came to rule, and endanger, our lives.
24 min
158
Blue! 42!
How headsets revolutionized American football.
23 min
159
Silence
Dallas is locked into an anechoic chamber to experience how our brains process complete silence.
21 min
160
Space Remix
A completely remixed version of our favorite episode, where we explore what other plants sound like.
19 min
161
Boots 'n Cats
The evolution & science of beatboxing.
21 min
162
Being George Clooney
Explore how Hollywood films are adapted for foreign languages.
30 min
163
Xbox Startup Sound
How the designers of the Xbox startup sounds overcame tight parameters to come up with an iconic audio logo.
21 min
164
Theater for the Mind
The stories behind the golden age of sci-fi and horror radio dramas.
29 min
165
The Theremin
The story behind this infamous, spooky-sounding instrument.
25 min
166
Classic Cartoon Sound Effects!
How were old cartoon sounds made, and how did they become so iconic?
27 min
167
Twenty Thousand Hertz
A behind the scenes look at the inspiration and creation of Twenty Thousand Hertz.
31 min
168
Jingles
What is the story behind these unforgettable earworms?
28 min
169
Sonic Branding
The story behind audio logos and what makes them so powerful.
24 min
170
Loop Groups
We go behind the scene with the actors responsible for bringing your TV and film backgrounds to life.
25 min
171
Slot Machines
The sound design and science behind today's slot machines.
16 min
172
Misophonia
The hatred of sound.
16 min
173
THX Deep Note, Part 2
What happened after THX lost its iconic "Deep Note"?
25 min
174
THX Deep Note, Part 1
What was the point of the THX "deep note" and why do we love it so much?
23 min
175
Amen Break
The history of what might be the most sampled piece of music ever.
21 min