Twenty Thousand Hertz

Today, virtually every streaming platform has a sonic logo, from HBO’s classic “Static Angel” to the iconic Netflix “Tudum.” For Hulu, standing out in such a crowded marketplace has been a process of experimentation and revision. In this episode, we chart the evolution of Hulu’s sonic branding across 5 unique sonic logos. Along the way, the creative team shares unused alternate versions for the first time, and breaks down how they used AI to test their latest sound. Featuring Dan Capstick of DixonBaxi, Matthew Wilcock of Zelig Sound, and Reid Thompson of Hulu. Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org. Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn. Watch our video shorts on YouTube, and join the discussion on Reddit and Facebook. Claim your $75 sponsored job credit at indeed.com/hertz. Get 50% off your first Factor order at factormeals.com/tth50. Get 55% off your Babbel subscription at babbel.com/20K. Go t

The world of sound is full of great stories. To get in touch with your sonic world, follow Twenty Thousand Hertz right here in your podcast player. If you’re already a listener, send this trailer to someone you know would love the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For our fourth annual Mystery Sound Game Show, we pitted the winners from the past three years against each other. The result? Chaos and hilarity. So unclog your ears, put on your listening cap, and get ready to play along. Featuring Travis McElroy, John Lagomarsino and Emily Jankowski. Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn. Watch our video shorts on YouTube, and join the discussion on Reddit and Facebook. Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org Subscribe to our guests’ podcasts, including My Brother, My Brother and Me, Underunderstood and Endless Thread. Get 15% off an annual MasterClass subscription at masterclass.com/20k. Claim your $75 sponsored job credit at indeed.com/hertz. Go to Zocdoc.com/20K and download the Zocdoc app for free. Get 55% off your subscription at Babbel.com/20K. Start your one-dollar-per month trial period at Shopify.com/20K.  Support us by supporting our sponsors at 20k.

From electric guitars to samplers to drum machines and beyond, the music we love is only possible thanks to the technology used to create it. In many ways, the history of popular music is really a history of technological innovation. In this episode, we partnered with BandLab to unpack four inventions that changed music forever. Featuring author and journalist Greg Milner. Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn. Watch our video shorts on YouTube, and join the discussion on Reddit and Facebook. Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org Visit bandlab.com/download to start creating and sharing music anytime, anywhere. Buy Greg’s book Perfecting Sound Forever: An Aural History of Recorded Music. Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/tunetech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The world of headphones is a deep rabbit hole. With thousands of options and endless technical jargon, it’s hard to know which factors really matter, and which ones are just marketing gimmicks. In this episode, we cut through all of the gobbledygook, and break down the ins and outs of headphones to help you find your perfect pair. Featuring Wirecutter’s resident headphone expert Lauren Dragan. Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn. Watch our video shorts on YouTube, and join the discussion on Reddit and Facebook. Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org Explore headphone recommendations from Wirecutter. Buy Dr. Chesky’s Ultimate Headphone Demonstration Disc. Go to Zocdoc.com/20K and download the Zocdoc app for free. Over at Liquid IV, use promo code 20K at for twenty percent off anything. Start your one-dollar-per month trial period at Shopify.com/20K.  Get fifty five percent off your subscription

Since the earliest days of commercial radio, companies have been using sound to worm their way into our brains. And over the decades, they’ve come up with all kinds of sonic tactics to make us want, crave and remember their products. In this episode, we take a whirlwind tour through the sounds of persuasion. This story was adapted from Under the Influence with Terry O’Reilly. Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn. Watch our video shorts on YouTube, and join the discussion on Reddit and Facebook. Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org Send us a message with your Bass Tape memories at hi.20k.org. Subscribe to Under the Influence with Terry O’Reilly wherever you get your podcasts. Enter to win a free Scarlett audio interface at focusrite.com/20khz. Listen and subscribe to Class of 88 on Wondery. Get 15% off an annual MasterClass subscription at masterclass.com/20k. Support us by supporting our spon

The sound of a roaring combustion engine is a fixture of modern life. But as electric vehicles become more and more common, these mechanical sounds will gradually be replaced with artificial tones that have been designed from scratch. And once self-driving cars start to take over, there will be an even bigger need for creative and intuitive sound design. In this episode, we explore the future of car sounds with Audio UX Co-Founder Dexter Garcia and Creative Consultant/Futurist John LePore. Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn. Watch our video shorts on YouTube, and join the discussion on Reddit and Facebook. Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org Check out Dexter Garcia’s work with AudioUX. Learn more about designing the Sounds of Rivian. Explore John LePore’s work designing the future. Go to indeed.com/hertz to start hiring today. Find the right doctor, right now with at zocdoc.com/20k. Visit

For more than seventy years now, filmmakers have been using and reusing a particular scream. Without a doubt, this is Hollywood’s most famous sound effect. Many people even know it by name. But despite how widely-known this sound is, lots of people still don’t know its surprising origin story. To set the record straight, we’ve remixed one of our classic, early episodes. Featuring Steve Lee, sound designer, film historian, and creator of the Hollywood Sound Museum. Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn. Watch our video shorts on YouTube, and join the discussion on Reddit and Facebook. Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org Download BandLab for free at bandlab.com/download. Get 15% off an annual MasterClass subscription at masterclass.com/20k. Get 20% off everything at liquidiv.com by using promo code 20k at checkout. Support us by supporting our sponsors at 20k.org/sponsors. Episode transcript, m

In recent years, the dialogue in movies and TV shows has gotten harder and harder to understand. No one seems to agree on who or what the main culprit is, much less how to fix the problem. In this episode, we wade into the murky waters of The Great Dialogue Debate, and maybe, just maybe, find a solution. Featuring Production Sound Mixer Tom Curley and Slashfilm Senior Writer Ben Pearson. Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn. Watch our video shorts on YouTube, and join the discussion on Reddit and Facebook. Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org Go to indeed.com/hertz to start hiring today. Find the right doctor, right now with at zocdoc.com/20k. Visit babbel.com/20k to get 55% off your subscription. Visit shopify.com/20k and sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period. Support us by supporting our sponsors at 20k.org/sponsors. Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https:

Mark Mangini is one of the most prolific sound designers of all time. He’s been credited on over 150 films, including Indiana Jones, Star Trek, Aladdin, Space Jam, The Green Mile, Anchorman, Mad Max: Fury Road, Dune, and tons more. In this episode, Mark joins us to count down six of our favorite sonic moments from his career, and reveals the secrets behind how these iconic sounds were made. This episode was made in partnership with Pro Sound Effects. Share your sound stories with us! Record a message at hi.20k.org or email us your recording at hi@20k.org. Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn. Watch our video shorts on YouTube, and join the discussion on Reddit and Facebook. Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org Visit prosoundeffects.com/20k to explore one of the world’s best sound effects libraries, and get your first five sounds for free. Subscribe to INDEPTH Sound Design on Youtube and Insta

Many of us talk to ourselves in our heads pretty much all day long. But it turns out that there are plenty of people who don’t. In fact, thinking comes in many shapes and sizes, and no two minds are exactly alike. In this episode, we explore the peculiar world of how we think, and consider the pros and cons of inner speech. Featuring psychologists Charles Fernyhough and Russell Hurlburt, and lots of 20K listeners. Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn. Watch our video shorts on YouTube, and join the discussion on Reddit and Facebook. Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org To learn more about this topic, check out Charles’ book The Voices Within, and Russell’s book Investigating Pristine Inner Experience. Go to indeed.com/hertz to start hiring today. Visit babbel.com/20k to get 55% off your subscription. Find the right doctor, right now with at zocdoc.com/20k. Visit shopify.com/20k and sign up fo

The original Zelda game featured three melodies that would come to define the franchise: the Secret Unlocked Sound, the Treasure Chest sound, and the classic Zelda theme. Throughout the series, these melodies have been transformed again and again. Each version reflects the hardware it was made for, and Nintendo’s evolving approach to these iconic games. Featuring Thomas of Thomas Game Docs, and Kirk Hamilton of Strong Songs. Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn. Watch our video shorts on YouTube, and join the discussion on Reddit and Facebook. Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org Get your super soft 20K tee and more at 20k.org/shop Subscribe to Thomas Game Docs on Youtube. Subscribe to Strong Songs wherever you get your podcasts. Enter to win a special edition 50th Anniversary Shure SM7B. Go to masterclass.com/20k for 15% off your annual subscription. Support us by supporting our sponsors at

Music is a quintessential part of the Zelda series. And some of Zelda’s most iconic melodies go all the way back to the original game, on the Nintendo Entertainment System. These tunes were born in an age of 8 bits, and 5 lo-fi channels of audio. But those limitations forced composer Koji Kondo to make them as distilled and powerful as possible. Featuring Thomas of Thomas Game Docs, and Kirk Hamilton of Strong Songs. Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn. Watch our video shorts on YouTube, and join the discussion on Reddit and Facebook. Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org Subscribe to Thomas Game Docs, on Youtube. Subscribe to Strong Songs wherever you get your podcasts. Check out more work by DragonDePlatino, who composed the 8-bit version of Boléro. Go to indeed.com/hertz to start hiring today. Visit babbel.com/20k to get 55% off your subscription. Find the right doctor, right now with at z

The history of recorded sound stretches back over a hundred and fifty years, starting with a device that could “record” a voice on a piece of paper. Today, we can enjoy lossless streaming anywhere we go… but getting here wasn’t easy. In this episode, we worked with Qobuz, the high quality music platform, to chart the history of audio mediums, from cylinders made of tin foil and wax, to vinyl, 8-track, cassette, CDs, and mp3s. Along the way, we explore the innovations and quirks of each format, with memories sent in from our listeners and the 20K team. Featuring Adam Tovell from the British Library Sound Archive. Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn. Watch our video shorts on YouTube, and join the discussion on Reddit and Facebook. Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org Rediscover music with Qobuz. Sign up for a 1-month trial period at qobuz.com. Episode transcript, music, and credits can be fou

Baseball fan or not, there’s one song that virtually every American knows… or at least, we think we do. “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” is one of the top three most recognizable songs in the country, next to “The Star Spangled Banner'' and “Happy Birthday.” But if you dig into the lyrics, you’ll find a forgotten message buried among the peanuts and Cracker Jack. This story comes from the Smithsonian’s Sidedoor podcast. Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn. Watch our video shorts on YouTube, and join the discussion on Reddit and Facebook. Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org Subscribe to Sidedoor wherever you get your podcasts. Find the right doctor, right now with at zocdoc.com/20k. Visit fastgrowingtrees.com/20k to get 15% off your entire order. Visit shopify.com/20k and sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period. Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.

Our vocal system is incredibly complex. What we call “the voice” starts with very precise movements of our vocal cords, and then goes through an entire “resonation system” that includes our throat, mouth, lips, tongue, and teeth. With enough control over these components, people can do some truly mind-bending things with their voices, creating sounds that feel out of this world—from rumbling lows to piercing highs, and even two notes sung at once. This episode features vocal coach Matt Ramsey and Tuvan musician and throat singer Albert Kuvezin. Check out our new store at 20k.org/shop. Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn. Watch our video shorts on YouTube, and join the discussion on Reddit and Facebook. Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org Subscribe to Matt’s Youtube channel, Ramsey Voice Studio. Explore Albert Kuvezin’s music with Yat-Kha on Spotify, Apple Music, or Youtube. Visit fastgrowin

Why do bugs make the sounds they do? And how do they make them? In this episode, we explore the un-bee-lievable world of insect sounds, including crickets who craft tools to make themselves louder, and moths who can jam the natural sonar of bats. By the time it’s over, you’ll never hear these buzzes and chirps the same way again. Featuring entomologists Natasha Mhatre and Nancy Mioreli. Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn. Watch our video shorts on YouTube, and join the discussion on Reddit and Facebook. Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org For more amazing bug facts, subscribe to Nancy’s Youtube channel, SciBugs. Follow Natasha’s research on insect communication at Mhatre Lab. Subscribe to Tumble, the science podcast for kids. Get your very own Clarett+ 2Pre audio interface from Focusrite. Check out headspace.com/20KHERTZ and use promo code 20KHERTZ60 to try Headspace free for 60 days. Get

In honor of Mental Health Awareness month, we’ve revamped one of the most personal episodes we’ve ever worked on. To create it, Dallas worked with the team from Meditative Story to tell a story from his former life as a musician. It’s about losing the thing that had defined his life for more than a decade, and finding something entirely different in the process. This remix concludes with an all-new segment where Dallas reflects on what it was like to finally share this story. Check out our new store at 20k.org/shop. Watch our video shorts on Youtube, Instagram, and TikTok. Follow us on Reddit, Twitter, and Facebook. Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org Go to indeed.com/hertz to start hiring today. Find the right doctor, right now with at zocdoc.com/20k. Subscribe to Meditative Story wherever you get your podcasts. Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/bre

 In the 1960s, stereo sound revolutionized the music industry. But it turns out, a pioneering engineer named Alan Blumlein had actually invented stereo a full three decades earlier. Due to tragic events in World War II, his innovations were forgotten for decades. In this episode, we worked with OnePlus to tell the story of how audio has evolved from mono, to stereo, to quadraphonic, to surround sound and beyond. Today, we even have immersive, three-dimensional systems that can simulate 128 speakers using just two. Featuring Alan Blumlein’s son Simon Blumlein, and sound engineer Robin Reumers from the Abbey Road Institute. Watch our video shorts on Youtube, Instagram, and TikTok. Follow us on Reddit, Twitter, and 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 Improve your personal sound world at oneplus.com. Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/

Have you ever seen something so cute that you just wanted to squeeze it? Have you ever felt sleepy after a big meal? Or enjoyed bouncing on a puffy cushion? There are words for all of these, just not in English. In this game show episode, 20K producer and resident linguist Grace East cooks up an “untranslatable” words quiz for Dallas and fellow producer Andrew Anderson. How many words can you guess? Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn. Watch our video shorts on YouTube, and join the discussion on Reddit and Facebook. Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org Improve your personal sound world at oneplus.com. Check out headspace.com/20KHERTZ and use promo code 20KHERTZ to try Headspace free for 30 days. Visit shopify.com/20k and sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period. Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/foundintranslation Learn more about