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Twenty Thousand Hertz — Arts
Twenty Thousand Hertz

The stories behind the world’s most recognizable and interesting sounds. Whether you’re a professional audio engineer with decades of experience, a fourth grader who loves sound and music, or anyone in between, Twenty Thousand Hertz will help unlock your sonic world… from the sound design secrets of hit movies, to the sonic craft of jingles and device sounds, to the forgotten backstories of classic theme songs, to linguistic mysteries, psychoacoustics, video game music, animal communication, and beyond. With moving human stories, immersive sound design, and the guiding voice of host Dallas Taylor, 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

• Super Mario Bros: Koji Kondo’s 8-Bit Masterpiece

• Inside Hans Zimmer’s Remote Control Studios

• A sonic journey through the Solar System

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

Latest Episodes:

Breathe: My Unexpected Journey Jun 22, 2022

Show notes

What if you woke up one day, and found that you could no longer do the thing that gave you the most joy in your life? The thing that gave you purpose? The thing that defined your past, and was supposed to define your future? For our 150th episode, Dallas tells the personal story of how he lost something that meant the world to him… and how that loss eventually led him to become the person he is today. This story comes from the podcast Meditative Story.

Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by ⁠Defacto Sound⁠.

Subscribe on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to see our video series.

If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mystery.20k.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Support the show and get ad-free episodes at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠20k.org/plus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Follow Dallas on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠Facebook⁠⁠, and⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Join our community on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Reddit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Subscribe to Meditative Story wherever you get your podcasts.

Offset your carbon footprint at wren.co. Select "Podcast" at checkout and type “Twenty Thousand Hertz” to get 10 extra trees planted in your name.

Hiring? Sign up at Indeed.com/Hertz and get a $75 credit to sponsor your first job post for better visibility, more applications, and quicker hiring times.

Visit zocdoc.com/20k to download the Zocdoc app and sign up for free.

Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/breathe

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Relearning Boléro: How our brains rewrite the sounds we hear Jun 08, 2022

Show notes

In the same way that optical illusions can trick our eyes, auditory illusions can trick our ears. This raises a serious question: what is hearing, and how much of it is actually made up by our brains? In this story from the Unexplainable podcast, we explore how our brains create the sonic world around us, and what it takes to harness that mysterious power. Featuring psychologist Diana Deutsch, hearing researcher Matthew Winn and author Mike Chorost.

Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by ⁠Defacto Sound⁠.

Subscribe on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to see our video series.

If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mystery.20k.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Support the show and get ad-free episodes at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠20k.org/plus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Follow Dallas on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠Facebook⁠⁠, and⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Join our community on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Reddit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Subscribe to Unexplainable wherever you get your podcasts.

Visit sonarworks.com to get a free 21 day trial of SoundID Reference.

Get 10% off your first month of BetterHelp online therapy at betterhelp.com/20k.

Visit shopify.com/20k to get a free 14-day trial with Shopify’s entire suite of features.

Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/relearningbolero

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ghosts in the Hit Machine: The secrets of musical ghostwriters May 25, 2022

Show notes

Many of today’s biggest songs are written and produced by people whose names don’t appear anywhere in the credits. They’re called ghostwriters and ghost producers, and they’re a huge part of the music industry. So what’s it like to watch your song become a hit when you can’t legally talk about it? And how do you get in the mindset of a legendary rap star, in order to write verses for them? Featuring rapper and ghost songwriter Skyzoo and producer Dame Taylor.

Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by ⁠Defacto Sound⁠.

Subscribe on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to see our video series.

If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mystery.20k.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Support the show and get ad-free episodes at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠20k.org/plus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Follow Dallas on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠Facebook⁠⁠, and⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Join our community on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Reddit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Explore music education classes with Monster Sessions.

Hiring? Sign up at Indeed.com/Hertz and get a $75 credit to sponsor your first job post for better visibility, more applications, and quicker hiring times.

Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/ghostsinthehitmachine

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why Windows Got Rid of Startup Sounds May 11, 2022

Show notes

Part 2 of our series on the Windows startup sounds picks up when Microsoft made the radical decision to kill the startup sound in Windows 8. In this episode, we explore the forces that led to that decision, unpack how Microsoft channeled the music of language into their new UI sounds, and reveal 2 secret startup sounds that were nearly lost to time. Featuring former Microsoft Lead UI Designer Jensen Harris and Sound Designer Matthew Bennett.

Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by ⁠Defacto Sound⁠.

Subscribe on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to see our video series.

If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mystery.20k.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Support the show and get ad-free episodes at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠20k.org/plus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Follow Dallas on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠Facebook⁠⁠, and⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Join our community on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Reddit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Subscribe to Jensen Harris’ Youtube channel.

Learn about Matthew Bennett’s latest work here.

To check out full sets of default Windows sounds, visit winsounds.com.

Offset your carbon footprint at wren.co. Select "Podcast" at checkout and type "Twenty Thousand Hertz" to get 10 extra trees planted in your name.

Get 10% off your first month of BetterHelp online therapy at betterhelp.com/20k.

Visit zocdoc.com/20k to download the Zocdoc app and sign up for free.

Visit shopify.com/20k to get a free 14-day trial with Shopify’s entire suite of features.

Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/windowslogonwav

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ta-da! The history of Windows’ classic startup sounds Apr 27, 2022

Show notes

Over the years, Microsoft has made at least ten iconic startup sounds for Windows—from the triumphant “Ta-da!” of Windows 3.1, to the ambient chime that Brian Eno crafted for Windows 95, to the orchestral sweep of Windows XP. In this episode, we explore the creation of the classic Windows startup sounds through Windows 7, and what each one says about Microsoft’s evolving technology. Featuring former Microsoft Lead UI Designer Jensen Harris and Sound Designer Matthew Bennett.

Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by ⁠Defacto Sound⁠.

Subscribe on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to see our video series.

If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mystery.20k.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Support the show and get ad-free episodes at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠20k.org/plus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Follow Dallas on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠Facebook⁠⁠, and⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Join our community on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Reddit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Subscribe to Jensen Harris’ Youtube channel.

Learn about Matthew Bennett’s latest work here.

To check out full sets of default Windows sounds, visit winsounds.com.

Sign up for a MEL Science subscription at melscience.com/sBGX to get 60% off your first month. This limited offer is available for 1 month only.

Hiring? Sign up at Indeed.com/Hertz and get a $75 credit to sponsor your first job post for better visibility, more applications, and quicker hiring times.

Visit zocdoc.com/20k to download the Zocdoc app and sign up for free.

Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/tadaitswindows

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Waterphone: Hollywood’s spookiest sound effect Apr 13, 2022

Show notes

For nearly half a century, one eerie sound has been showing up again and again in movies and TV shows. It’s typically used when something spooky or mysterious happens—and it can be heard in Poltergeist, The Matrix, Let the Right One In, and countless episodes of Unsolved Mysteries. So where did this strange sound come from, and how did it spread across Hollywood? This story comes from the podcast Every Little Thing.

Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by ⁠Defacto Sound⁠.

Subscribe on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to see our video series.

If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mystery.20k.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Support the show and get ad-free episodes at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠20k.org/plus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Follow Dallas on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠Facebook⁠⁠, and⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Join our community on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Reddit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Subscribe to Every Little Thing in Spotify.

Get 10% off your first month of BetterHelp online therapy at betterhelp.com/20k.

Visit zocdoc.com/20k to download the Zocdoc app and sign up for free.

Get one month free of Headspace at headspace.com/20k.

Find coupon codes on over 30,000 sites with Honey. Sign up for free at joinhoney.com/20k.

Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/liquidterror

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mind the Gap: NYC & London’s iconic transit voices Mar 30, 2022

Show notes

The voices of subway and train announcements are deeply ingrained in peoples’ lives. Many of us hear them every day, for years on end. And yet, hardly anyone knows who those voices belong to. In this episode, we uncover the human stories behind two of the most iconic transit systems in the world: the New York City Subway, and the London Tube. Featuring NYC Subway announcer Charlie Pellett and Tube announcer Elinor Hamilton.

Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by ⁠Defacto Sound⁠.

Subscribe on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to see our video series.

If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mystery.20k.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Support the show and get ad-free episodes at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠20k.org/plus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Follow Dallas on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠Facebook⁠⁠, and⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Join our community on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Reddit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Subscribe to Tales from the Tannoy wherever you get your podcasts.

Get 10% off your first month of BetterHelp online therapy at betterhelp.com/20k.

Hiring? Sign up at Indeed.com/Hertz and get a $75 credit to sponsor your first job post for better visibility, more applications, and quicker hiring times.

Get 83% off Surfshark VPN plus an extra 3 months free at surfshark.deals/20k, or use promo code 20K.

Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/mindthegap

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hidden Hitmakers: The unsung heroes behind pop’s biggest hits Mar 16, 2022

Show notes

The names of pop and rock stars are known by millions of people around the world, but the people who actually write their music often stay in the shadows. In this episode, we peel back the curtain on the songwriters behind some of the biggest hits of the last forty years, and find out how this unseen part of the industry really works. Along the way, we’ll get the inside scoop about working with KISS, Bon Jovi, Ricky Martin, Snoop Dogg, Puff Daddy, and more. Featuring songwriter Desmond Child and rapper/songwriter Gizzle.

Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by ⁠Defacto Sound⁠.

Subscribe on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to see our video series.

If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mystery.20k.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Support the show and get ad-free episodes at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠20k.org/plus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Follow Dallas on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠Facebook⁠⁠, and⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Join our community on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Reddit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Get 10% off your first month of BetterHelp online therapy at betterhelp.com/20k.

Visit zocdoc.com/20k to download the Zocdoc app and sign up for free.

Get one month free of Headspace at headspace.com/20k.

Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/hiddenhitmakers

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy Little Episode: The soothing voice of Bob Ross Mar 02, 2022

Show notes

In the forty years since The Joy of Painting first started airing, Bob Ross has become a cultural icon. His gentle, soothing voice is instantly recognizable, and still gives comfort to millions of people around the world. But despite his unshakably cheery demeanor, Bob’s life wasn’t always easy. This is his story. Featuring Sarah Strohl, Executive Assistant at Bob Ross Inc., and Kristin Congdon, author of Happy Clouds, Happy Trees: The Bob Ross Phenomenon.

Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by ⁠Defacto Sound⁠.

Subscribe on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to see our video series.

If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mystery.20k.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Support the show and get ad-free episodes at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠20k.org/plus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Follow Dallas on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠Facebook⁠⁠, and⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Join our community on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Reddit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Hiring? Sign up at Indeed.com/Hertz and get a $75 credit to sponsor your first job post for better visibility, more applications, and quicker hiring times.

Get 10% off your first month of BetterHelp online therapy at betterhelp.com/20k.

Find coupon codes on over 30,000 sites with Honey. Sign up for free at joinhoney.com/20k.

Get 83% off Surfshark VPN plus an extra 3 months free at surfshark.deals/20k, or use promo code 20K.

Watch The Sounds of Space, a collaboration between Twenty Thousand Hertz and melodysheep.

Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/happylittleepisode

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pirate Radio: Britain’s AM rebels of the ’60s Feb 16, 2022

Show notes

In the 1960s, the BBC had a vise grip on British radio, and rarely played the pop and rock music that was all the rage. So a group of rebellious radio DJs decided to give the people what they wanted, and started broadcasting popular music from boats stationed in international waters. Soon enough, these young DJs became national superstars… until the British government decided it was time to sink these pirates once and for all. This story comes from the History This Week podcast.

Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by ⁠Defacto Sound⁠.

Subscribe on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to see our video series.

If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mystery.20k.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Support the show and get ad-free episodes at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠20k.org/plus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Follow Dallas on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠ ⁠Facebook⁠⁠, and⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Join our community on⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Reddit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Get 10% off your first month of BetterHelp at betterhelp.com/20k.

Get 83% off Surfshark VPN plus an extra 3 months free at surfshark.deals/20k, or use promo code 20K.

Get your free business banking account at banknovo.com/hertz.

Listen to Songs That Shook the Planet at audible.com/songs

Subscribe to History This Week wherever you get your podcasts.

Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/pirateradio

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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