Twenty Thousand Hertz
{{Short description|Podcast about sound design}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox podcast
| title = Twenty Thousand Hertz
| image = Twenty Thousand Hertz.jpg
| host = Dallas Taylor
| began = 2016-10-31
| website = {{URL|https://20k.org/}}
| updates = Biweekly
| production = Defacto Sound
| num_episodes = 159
}}Twenty Thousand Hertz is a podcast about "the world’s most recognizable and interesting sounds".{{Cite web|url=https://www.thedailystar.net/shout/news/whats-sound-1854490|title=What's that sound?|date=2020-01-16|website=The Daily Star|language=en|access-date=2020-02-13|archive-date=2020-02-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213193740/https://www.thedailystar.net/shout/news/whats-sound-1854490|url-status=live}} Episodes are published every other Wednesday {{where?|date=March 2025}}.
Overview
The show's title refers to highest frequency that can be perceived within the human hearing range (without hearing loss). It grew out of host Dallas Taylor's admiration for the podcast 99% Invisible and a desire to hear more stories like the ones they produced about audio design.{{Cite web |url= https://discoverpods.com/twenty-thousand-hertz-sound-design-podcast-20k-dallas-taylor/|title=Twenty Thousand Hertz mixes sound design and storytelling for a fantastic podcast |last=|first= |date=2017-08-16|website=Discover Pods|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200212201405/https://discoverpods.com/twenty-thousand-hertz-sound-design-podcast-20k-dallas-taylor/|archive-date=2020-02-12|access-date=2020-02-12}} The show is hosted and produced by Dallas Taylor and the writer of the episode, with help from Sam Schneble.
Though the audio production company Defacto Sound, which is owned by Taylor, is the production headquarters for Twenty Thousand Hertz, he has said that the podcast is not intended as content marketing. Instead of focusing on the industry of sound design exclusively, episodes focus on a variety of topics related to sound. The podcast has covered topics such as the THX Deep Note, misophonia, the Voyager Golden Record,{{Cite web|url=https://boingboing.net/2019/04/22/the-voyager-golden-record-deco.html|title=The Voyager Golden Record deconstructed on the Twenty Thousand Hertz podcast|date=2019-04-22|website=Boing Boing|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190617154219/https://boingboing.net/2019/04/22/the-voyager-golden-record-deco.html|archive-date=2019-06-17|url-status=live}} the Shure SM7 microphone, ASMR, and advertising jingles.
"Theater of the Mind", a crossover episode with the podcast Imaginary Worlds, was produced in 2018.{{Cite web|url=http://imaginaryworldspodcast.org/theater-for-the-mind.html |title=Theater for the Mind|website=Imaginary Worlds|language=en|access-date=2020-02-12|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190415041038/https://www.imaginaryworldspodcast.org/theater-for-the-mind.html|archive-date=2019-04-15|url-status=live}} The episode explored the history of radio dramas. Episodes of Twenty Thousand Hertz have also been featured on the Radiotopia productions 99% Invisible{{Cite web| url= https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/nbc-chimes-behind-scenes-first-trademarked-sound/|title=NBC Chimes: Behind the Scenes with the First Trademarked Sound|website=99% Invisible |date=29 November 2016 |language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-12| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191019131427/https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/nbc-chimes-behind-scenes-first-trademarked-sound/|archive-date=2019-10-19|url-status= live}}{{Cite web|url=https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/classic-cartoon-sound-effects/|title=Classic Cartoon Sound Effects! |website=99% Invisible |date=12 March 2019 |language= en-US|access-date=2020-02-12|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190508083809/https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/classic-cartoon-sound-effects/|archive-date= 2019-05-08|url-status=live}} and The Allusionist.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theallusionist.org/allusionist/evolution-of-accents|title=Allusionist 63: Evolution of Accents| website=The Allusionist|date=15 September 2017 | language= en-US |access-date=2020-02-12|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200212201401/https://www.theallusionist.org/allusionist/evolution-of-accents|archive-date=2020-02-12|url-status=live}}
In May 2020, host Dallas Taylor delivered a TED Talk, "What silence can teach you about sound."{{Cite web|url=https://www.ted.com/talks/dallas_taylor_what_silence_can_teach_you_about_sound|title=What silence can teach you about sound|date=May 2020|website=TED.com|language=en|access-date=2020-10-23|archive-date=2020-11-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113161652/https://www.ted.com/talks/dallas_taylor_what_silence_can_teach_you_about_sound|url-status=live}} The talk discussed John Cage's composition 4'33", a topic which had previously been explored in an episode of Twenty Thousand Hertz.{{Cite web|url= https://www.20k.org/episodes/433|title= 4'33|date= 2020-01-22|website= 20k.org|publisher= Defacto Sound|language= en|access-date= 2020-10-23|archive-date= 2020-10-26|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201026065543/https://www.20k.org/episodes/433|url-status= live}} In August 2020, the podcast joined the TED podcast network, but left due to unexplained reasons.{{Cite web|title=r/20k – After 4 years, 99 episodes, multiple Webby Awards, and over 18 million downloads... we're joining TED! AMA!|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/20k/comments/i4ebvq/after_4_years_99_episodes_multiple_webby_awards/|access-date=2020-08-09|website=reddit.com|date=5 August 2020 |language=en-US|archive-date=2022-05-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220503193413/https://www.reddit.com/r/20k/comments/i4ebvq/after_4_years_99_episodes_multiple_webby_awards/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|title= Twenty Thousand Hertz Joins TED Family of Podcasts|url= https://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/ShoreFireMedia/view/221623/|website= Pressparty.com|language= en|access-date= |archive-date= 2022-05-03|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220503193411/https://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/ShoreFireMedia/view/221623/|url-status= live}} In October 2020, host Dallas Taylor was featured in "Sound and Silence," an episode of the TED Radio Hour, drawn from his TED Talk.{{Cite web|title=Sound And Silence|date=2020-10-16|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/10/15/923958093/sound-and-silence|access-date=2020-10-23|website=NPR.org|language=en|archive-date=2020-10-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022182354/https://www.npr.org/2020/10/15/923958093/sound-and-silence|url-status=live}}
Following a Twenty Thousand Hertz episode about audio deepfakes, host Dallas Taylor was featured in a September 2020 segment of NPR's Here & Now, discussing the topic.{{Cite web|url=https://www.20k.org/episodes/deepfakedallas|title=Deepfake Dallas|date=2020-09-02|website=20k.org|language=en|access-date=2020-10-23|archive-date=2020-10-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027050223/https://www.20k.org/episodes/deepfakedallas|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|title=Can We Believe Our Ears? Experts Say To Heed Caution As Audio Deep Fake Technology Advances|date=2020-09-28|url=https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/09/28/deep-fake-video-audio|access-date=2020-10-23|website=wbur.org|language=en|archive-date=2020-10-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021195922/https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/09/28/deep-fake-video-audio|url-status=live}} Taylor was featured in a November 2020 episode of the Popular Science podcast The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week, discussing the use of animals noises in sound design.{{Cite web|title=Imagine traveling to the moon only to realize you're allergic to it. One astronaut did.|date=2020-11-25|url=https://www.popsci.com/story/science/weirdest-thing-moon-dust-singing-colossi-netflix-goat/|website=popsci.com|language=en|access-date=|archive-date=2020-11-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126002537/https://www.popsci.com/story/science/weirdest-thing-moon-dust-singing-colossi-netflix-goat/|url-status=live}}
Reception
The podcast was featured in Esquire magazine's list of "The 63 Best Podcasts You Can Listen To In 2020," as well as Discover Pods "The 71 Best Podcasts of 2020."{{Cite web|url=https://www.esquire.com/uk/latest-news/a26086091/best-podcasts/|title=The 63 Best Podcasts You Can Listen To In 2020|last=Nicholson|first=Tom|date=2020-12-07|website=esquire.com|language=en|access-date=2020-10-23|archive-date=2020-10-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022205553/https://www.esquire.com/uk/latest-news/a26086091/best-podcasts/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://discoverpods.com/best-podcasts-2020/|title=The 71 Best Podcasts of 2020|date=2020-12-15|website=discoverpods.com|language=en|access-date=2020-12-17|archive-date=2020-12-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201216153353/https://discoverpods.com/best-podcasts-2020/|url-status=live}}
In 2017, OZY listed Twenty Thousand Hertz as one of "4 Podcasts that'll Make You Wish Your Commute Were Longer."{{Cite web|url=http://www.ozy.com/good-sht/4-podcasts-thatll-make-you-wish-your-commute-were-longer/80255|title=4 Podcasts That'll Make You Wish Your Commute Were Longer|last=Pathak|first=Sushmita|date=2017-09-10|website=OZY|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190904012410/https://www.ozy.com/good-sht/4-podcasts-thatll-make-you-wish-your-commute-were-longer/80255|archive-date=2019-09-04|url-status=live}}
Doug Fabrizio of KUER-FM says the show "challenges listeners to refine their sense of hearing."{{Cite web|url=https://radiowest.kuer.org/post/twenty-thousand-hertz-0 |title= Twenty Thousand Hertz|last=Fabrizio|first=Doug| website=radiowest.KUER.org|date= 2 November 2018|language=en|access-date=2020-02-13|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181102075958/http://radiowest.kuer.org/post/twenty-thousand-hertz-0|archive-date=2018-11-02|url-status=live}} In a review for 34th Street Magazine, reviewer Caylen David writes, "Twenty Thousand Hertz presents the stories of iconic sound designs in a creative way that keeps listeners wanting more. Give it a listen—you might find that the journey to create pop culture's greatest sounds is more interesting than the finished product."{{Cite web|url=https://www.34st.com/article/2020/12/twenty-thousand-hertz-podcast-sound-design-importance-dallas-taylor-ted-netflix-jurassic-park|title=Sound Design Matters: A Review of the 'Twenty Thousand Hertz' Podcast|last=David|first=Caylen|date=2020-12-11|website=34st.com|language=en|access-date=2020-12-17|archive-date=2020-12-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201212161150/https://www.34st.com/article/2020/12/twenty-thousand-hertz-podcast-sound-design-importance-dallas-taylor-ted-netflix-jurassic-park|url-status=live}}
The show's "I'm Lovin' It" episode was chosen as one of Spotify's "Best Podcast Episodes of 2021."{{Cite web|url=https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DXdvutuKKNQUZ?si=329ce6eb059f48b4|title=Best Episodes of 2021|website=Spotify|language=en|access-date=2021-12-01|archive-date=2021-12-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201175532/https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DXdvutuKKNQUZ?si=329ce6eb059f48b4|url-status=live}}
= Awards =
References
External links
- {{official website}}
- {{URL|https://www.defactosound.com/|Defacto Sound website}}
{{Podcast platform links}}