PRX · Science

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

Episodes

The production process and mission of the sound design podcast Twenty Thousand Hertz revolve around transforming technical audio work into accessible, immersive storytelling. The Defacto Sound team dedicates over 150 hours to each episode, balancing rigorous research, script refinement, and precise sound design to ensu...

Jingles: How they hooked us and why they vanished

04 Sep 2018

30m

“Intel Inside” and other sonic branding brilliance

20 Aug 2018

26m

Loop Groups: The art of movie background chatter

06 Aug 2018

28m

Slot Machines: The addictive power of sound

23 Jul 2018

18m

Misophonia: Why we can't stand certain sounds

09 Jul 2018

18m

THX Deep Note Part 2: How a lost file shaped movie history

25 Jun 2018

27m

The THX Deep Note: From chaos to cinematic legend

11 Jun 2018

26m

Amen Break: The world’s most sampled drum beat

29 May 2018

24m

Ultrasonic Tracking: Are our phones really listening to us?

14 May 2018

23m

ASMR: Why certain sounds give you tingles

30 Apr 2018

24m

Broadway to Cirque du Soleil: Sound design for the stage

16 Apr 2018

22m

Hidden Melodies: Discovering the music in our speech

02 Apr 2018

17m

Epileptic Symphonies: Turning seizures into music

19 Mar 2018

28m

Hamilton: Crafting the sound of the Broadway smash hit

05 Mar 2018

29m

False Alarm: How the Emergency Alert System went wrong

19 Feb 2018

25m

Muzak: How background music took over the world

05 Feb 2018

18m

AI processed

The evolution of Muzak, originally developed by Major General George Squire using World War I signal technology, transformed public environments by introducing the concept of "elevator music" to calm nervous passengers and influence behavior. Joseph Lanza, author of Elevator Music, and sound expert Julian Treasure expl...

Six O'Clock Soundtrack: The art of TV news music

22 Jan 2018

26m