Twenty Thousand Hertz

We spend a lot of time curating for taste, touch, smell, and vision. But too often, sound gets overlooked. We forget that we can get rid of sounds that annoy us, and surround ourselves with sounds that we love. When we do, it can have huge benefits for our mood and wellbeing. In this episode, Dr. Laurie Santos of The Happiness Lab joins Dallas to create a Handbook for Sonic Happiness. Featuring auditory psychologist David Poeppel, psychology researcher Giulia Poerio, clinical psychologist Ali Mattu, sound scholar Mac Hagood and acoustician Trevor Cox.Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn.Join our community on Reddit and follow us on Facebook.Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to support the show & get our entire catalog ad-free.If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org.Listen to more episodes of The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos here.Visit athleticgreens.com/20k to get a one-year supply of vitamin D and 5 travel packs free with your first purchase.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/sonichappiness Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s a certain musical phrase that you’ve probably heard hundreds of times. It’s used to emphasize dramatic moments in movies, cartoons, commercials and musicals, most often as a gag. But while this little melody is everywhere today, the question is: Where did it come from? In this episode, we investigate the mysterious origins of a famous 3-note sting. Featuring Sound Historian Patrick Feaster and Composer Dick Walter.Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn.Join our community on Reddit and follow us on Facebook.Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to support the show & get our entire catalog ad-free.If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org.Read the original article that inspired this episode, by producer & journalist Amelia Tait.Download Overcast in the App Store for a powerful, simple podcast player.Try out Harry’s with a $3 starter set at harrys.com/20k.Visit athleticgreens.com/20k to get a one-year supply of vitamin D and 5 travel packs free with your first purchase.Get 10% off your first month of BetterHelp online therapy at betterhelp.com/20k.Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/shockhorrora Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does a sound designer do all day? How do noise canceling headphones really work? And why do modern movie trailers all sound the same? In this follow-up to our 150th episode, Dallas shares the secrets of sound design with Jordan Harbinger. They also discuss audio deepfakes, sonic branding, and the eternal argument over analog vs. digital. This interview comes from The Jordan Harbinger Show.Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn.Join our community on Reddit and follow us on Facebook.Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to support the show & get our entire catalog ad-free.If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org.Subscribe to The Jordan Harbinger Show wherever you get your podcasts.Download Overcast in the App Store for a powerful, simple podcast player.Visit athleticgreens.com/20k to get a one-year supply of vitamin D and 5 travel packs free with your first purchase.Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/slightofear Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn.Join our community on Reddit and follow us on Facebook.Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to support the show & get our entire catalog ad-free.If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org.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

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. 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.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

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.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.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

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.Apply for the full time Associate Producer position here. The application closes on May 11th.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.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

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.Apply for the full time Associate Producer position here. The application closes on May 11th.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.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

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.We’ve been nominated for 2 Webby Awards! Vote for Twenty Thousand Hertz in the Business and Television & Film categories.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.Click here to leave us a voice message about your experiences with movie dialogue.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

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.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.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