
Twenty Thousand Hertz
The stories behind the world’s most iconic and fascinating sounds.
Latest episodes

Jun 3, 2019 • 26min
Sonic Illusions: Can you really trust your ears?
What we hear is incredibly personal and we all hear things differently. Sometimes our ears can even play tricks on us. Sonic illusions put a spotlight on the unique function of our hearing and how our backgrounds and biology affect how we process sound. Psychologist Dr. Diana Deutsch and neuroscientist Dana Boebinger explain why our hearing is a unique sense and why sonic illusions can fool us. Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced out of the studios of Defacto Sound, and hosted by Dallas Taylor. Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn.Join our community on Reddit and follow us on Facebook.Become a monthly contributor at 20k.org/donate. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org. Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/sonicillusions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 20, 2019 • 25min
Mother of Dragons(sounds): Game of Thrones’ bittersweet sounds
Game of Thrones is a global phenomenon that has redefined the fantasy genre. Viewers from around the world gather every week to anxiously watch what will happen next. The actors, writers, directors, and visual artists have all received well-earned recognition for their role in the show. But some heroes’ work goes largely unnoticed. Paula Fairfield is the sound designer behind the more fantastical elements in Game of Thrones. She’s given a voice to dragons, direwolves, white walkers, and more. But the story behind these voices goes much deeper than you might think. Hear how Paula’s personal journey played a part in creating some of the most iconic fantasy sounds of the day, and how Game of Thrones helped restore her spirit. Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced out of the studios of Defacto Sound, and hosted by Dallas Taylor. Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn.Join our community on Reddit and follow us on Facebook.Become a monthly contributor at 20k.org/donate. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org. Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/mother-of-dragonsounds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 6, 2019 • 34min
Sound Escapes: Nature’s untouched soundtrack
Over his long career, Gordon Hempton has mastered the art of truly listening. He’s known as the Sound Tracker. Some people call him an acoustic ecologist. His recordings and books have made him an international expert on the beauty and importance of undisturbed, natural soundscapes — and the ways human beings have changed them.Now, Gordon Hempton is losing his hearing. But with that loss has come an intense urgency to share his life’s work — and his passion — with as many people as are willing to listen. Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced out of the studios of Defacto Sound, and hosted by Dallas Taylor. Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn.Join our community on Reddit and follow us on Facebook.Become a monthly contributor at 20k.org/donate. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org. Check out the whole Sound Escapes series at BirdNote.org/SoundEscapes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out Gordon’s work and buy recordings on his website soundtracker.com. Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/soundescapes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 22, 2019 • 37min
The Voyager Golden Record: Humanity’s message to the cosmos
In the late '70s, NASA launched Voyagers 1 & 2 to explore the furthest reaches of our solar system and beyond. But something amazing was included on those space probes... a 90-minute time capsule of sounds, language, and music from Earth called The Golden Record. Its intended recipient? Any intelligent extraterrestrial life that might stumble upon it. What did Carl Sagan and his team put on the record to represent all of humanity? How would aliens decode it?For the first time ever, the album will be deconstructed track-by-track. Featuring Tim Ferris and Linda Salzman Sagan, two pioneers behind the record.Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced out of the studios of Defacto Sound, and hosted by Dallas Taylor.Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn.Join our community on Reddit and follow us on Facebook.Become a monthly contributor at 20k.org/donate.If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org.Get your copy of the Voyager Golden Record at ozmarecords.com.Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/voyagergoldenrecord Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 8, 2019 • 30min
Bird Translation Guide: Decoding Tweets, Hoots, & Warbles
When was the last time you stopped and really listened to birdsong? Ever wonder what they’re singing about? We chat to Kenn Kaufman and Dr. Irene Pepperberg about the extraordinary complexity to the avian arias, how they’re produced, what they mean, and how vocal acrobatics can reveal a surprising hidden intelligence. Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced out of the studios of Defacto Sound, and hosted by Dallas Taylor. Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn.Join our community on Reddit and follow us on Facebook.Become a monthly contributor at 20k.org/donate. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org. Check out The Growth Show wherever you get your podcasts. Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/birdsong Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 25, 2019 • 28min
Phone Tones: The hidden language of phone number beeps
We unpack how touch tone dialing changed communication forever. Join us on a deep, quirky dive into telephone history. We’ll also deconstruct these sounds and reveal their hidden brilliance. Featuring author Annabel Dodd and telephone aficionado Jim Hebbeln of the Telecommunications History Group. 20K is produced out of the studios of Defacto Sound and hosted by Dallas Taylor. Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn.Join our community on Reddit and follow us on Facebook.Become a monthly contributor at 20k.org/donate. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org. Check out Pessimists Archive wherever you get your podcasts. Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/phonetones Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 11, 2019 • 28min
The Booj: The secret sound formula behind blockbuster trailers
Movie trailers have undergone a huge evolution. They’ve gone from those cheesy voice-of-God narrators in the ‘80s and ‘90s, to boojes and bwaas. Professor James Deaville delivers the history of trailers, and Youtuber Craven Moorhaus offers a hilarious takedown of the sounds and dialogue that are common in the modern trailer style. After you hear this episode, you’ll never be able to watch a blockbuster trailer the same way again. Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced out of the studios of Defacto Sound and hosted by Dallas Taylor. Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn.Join our community on Reddit and follow us on Facebook.Become a monthly contributor at 20k.org/donate. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org. Check out more videos from the Auralnauts at youtube.com/Auralnauts. Check out Song Exploder wherever you get your podcasts. Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/thebooj Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 25, 2019 • 27min
Dining on Decibels: Why are restaurants so noisy?
Have you noticed how loud it gets in restaurants these days? Have you found yourselves shouting just to keep a conversation going? Architecture critic Kate Wagner explains how changing design trends have led to dining experiences that aren’t just antisocial, but are negatively impacting our health as well. Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced at the studios of Defacto Sound and hosted by Dallas Taylor. Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn.Join our community on Reddit and follow us on Facebook.Become a monthly contributor at 20k.org/donate. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org. Contribute your local restaurant noise to the SoundPrint app at soundprint.co Check out Hi-Phi Nation at hiphination.org or wherever you get your podcasts. Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/diningondecibels Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 11, 2019 • 30min
Do Not Disturb: The unseen impacts of alarms and alerts
Alarm sounds have been around almost as long as humans themselves. But as our world has transformed, so have they. Today’s alarms are having an unexpected effect on our minds and bodies, and can even be putting our lives at risk when we’re at our most vulnerable. Dr Judy Edworthy and Yoko Sen talk to us about our alarming sound environment, and how it can be improved. 20K is hosted by Dallas Taylor and made out of the studios of Defacto Sound. Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn.Join our community on Reddit and follow us on Facebook.Become a monthly contributor at 20k.org/donate. Visit mystery.20k.org to enter this week's mystery sound. You can find HowSound at transom.org/topics/howsound or wherever you listen to podcasts. Check out Moonshot at moonshot.audio or wherever you listen to podcasts. Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/donotdisturb Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 28, 2019 • 29min
Blue! 42! How helmet radio changed the NFL
For decades, NFL strategy slowly evolved from each team running a dozen different plays, to rigid schemes with coaches sending in orders through codewords and secret signals. Then, one piece of audio technology revolutionized the game. Beginning in the early 1990's, the NFL allowed coaches to speak directly to their quarterbacks through radios in their helmets. What followed was an instant increase in excitement for the nation's most popular sport, spawning a high-scoring era of fast paced offenses. Featuring former Super Bowl winning coach, Dick Vermeil, current LA Rams Head Coach Sean McVay, Bose Senior Project Manager Matt Ruwe, and Bose Distinguished Engineer Dan Gauger.Twenty Thousand Hertz is hosted by Dallas Taylor and produced out of the studios of Defacto Sound.Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn.Join our community on Reddit and follow us on Facebook.Become a monthly contributor at 20k.org/donate.Visit mystery.20k.org to enter this weeks mystery sound.Subscribe to The Truth wherever you get your podcasts. Or go to the truthpodcast.com. Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/blue42 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices