Twenty Thousand Hertz

Recalculating

The voices inside our navigation systems are with us nearly every day. They frustrate us when they lead us astray, and guide us through our most memorable adventures. But who are the people behind those voices? In this episode, an Australian musician discovers she is the voice inside millions of GPS units, and the Polish voice of Google Maps goes head to head with a robot. Featuring “The GPS Girl” Karen Jacobsen and “Głos Google Maps” Jarosław Juszkiewicz.Watch our new video shorts on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.Follow the show on Twitter, Facebook, & Reddit.Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free + our bonus show MicroHertz.If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org.Watch Jarek’s farewell video that inspired the online protest.To learn more about Karen's work, visit thegpsgirl.com.Find the right doctor, right now with at zocdoc.com/20k.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/recalculating Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Endless Hertz

In our third annual Mystery Sound Game Show, the crew from Endless Thread compete to guess the most sounds from this year’s batch. Get ready to listen along and test your knowledge of classic sci-fi movies, strange animal calls, video game themes, UI sounds, and more. One thing is certain: It’s gonna get toasty.Watch our new video shorts on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok!Vote for Twenty Thousand Hertz in the Listener’s Choice Signal Awards!Follow the show on Twitter, Facebook, & Reddit.Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free + our bonus show MicroHertz.If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org.Use promo code 20k to get $20 off your next purchase over $100 at American Musical Supply.Find the right doctor, right now with at zocdoc.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/endlesshertz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Update: Jessie Unmasked

After months of speculation, the person behind TikTok’s current text-to-speech voice reveals her true identity. This is an update to episode #155, TikTalk.Follow the show on Twitter, Facebook, & Reddit.Subscribe to our Youtube channel.Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free + our bonus show MicroHertz!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/tiktalk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Synth War II: Digital Doom

In the 1960s, Bob Moog and Don Buchla built synthesizers that changed the world. But by the early 80s, they faced a new challenger who threatened to bring it all crumbling down: the digital synthesizer. To defeat this opponent, they’d have to recruit a new ally… and maybe even join forces. Featuring Bob’s daughter Michelle Moog-Koussa, Don’s collaborator Ami Radunskaya, and journalist Ryan Gaston.Watch Welcome to Synth, our first original Youtube video.Follow the show on Twitter, Facebook, & Reddit.Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free + our bonus show MicroHertz.If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org.Read Ryan Gaston’s tech & music articles on Perfect Circuit’s SIGNAL blog.Find out more about Robert Moog’s work at the Moogseum.To start hiring now, visit indeed.com/hertz.Find the right doctor, right now with at zocdoc.com/20k.Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/digitaldoom Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Synth War

In the United States, the East Coast and West Coast have rivalries across food, sports, music and more. But there’s another rivalry that’s less well known, but just as important. This standoff created sounds that were unlike anything that had been heard before. It redefined what a musical instrument could be. And it changed the sound of pop music forever. Featuring journalist Ryan Gaston and composer David Rosenboom.Watch Welcome to Synth, our first original Youtube video.Follow the show on Twitter, Facebook, & Reddit.Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free + our bonus show MicroHertz!If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org.Read Ryan Gaston’s tech & music articles on Perfect Circuit’s SIGNAL blog.Listen to David’s Rosenboom’s Buchla music via Black Truffle Records.Twenty Thousand Hertz is sponsored by Better Help. Try online therapy at betterhelp.com/20k and get on your way to being your best self.Use promo code 20k to get $20 off your next purchase over $100 at American Musical Supply.Subscribe to Björk's Sonic Symbolism show wherever you get your podcasts.Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/synthwar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Thousand Words

Audio description allows you to enjoy a movie or TV show without the need for any visuals. But how do these narrators strike the right tone for a scene? How do the writers decide what needs to be described? And what’s in store for the future of described audio? In honor of Blindness Awareness Month, this is a brand new story about the world of Audio Description. Featuring AD Narrator Roy Samuleson and AD experts Thomas Reid and Melody Goodspeed. Follow the show on Twitter, Facebook, & Reddit.Subscribe to our Youtube channel here.Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free + our bonus show MicroHertz.If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org.Subscribe to Thomas’ podcast Reid My Mind Radio, and Roy’s podcast, The ADNA Presents.Subscribe to Björk's Sonic Symbolism show wherever you get your podcasts.To start hiring now, visit indeed.com/hertz.Find the right doctor, right now with at zocdoc.com/20k.Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/athousandwords Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Booj Strikes Back

In the 80s and 90s, movie trailers were ruled by “voice-of-God” narrators who used stock phrases like, “In a world…” Today, movie studios have a different trick up their sleeves: epic sound design. In this episode, Professor James Deaville explains the history of trailers, and Youtuber Craven Moorhaus crafts a hilarious takedown of the overused clichés of modern blockbuster trailers. We’ve remixed one of our most popular episodes for your listening pleasure.Follow the show on Twitter, Facebook, & Reddit.Subscribe to our Youtube channel.Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free + our bonus show MicroHertz!If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org.Use promo code 20k to get $20 off your next purchase over $100 at American Musical Supply.Get 10% off your first month of online therapy with our sponsor BetterHelp at betterhelp.com/20k.Subscribe to Björk's Sonic Symbolism show wherever you get your podcasts.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/boojstrikesback Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1-900-20K-HRTZ

In the late 80s and early 90s, 900 numbers were all the rage. For a couple bucks a minute, you could call and hear from Hulk Hogan and Freddy Kreuger, have a psychic predict your future, and even find true love. In this episode, we dig into the wild world of 900 numbers, and explore why they came about, what made them so appealing, and why they ultimately faded away. Featuring Doug Fraser of the Curious State podcast, 900 number experts Bob Bentz and David Wood, and a surprise guest…Follow the show on Twitter, Facebook, & Reddit.Subscribe to our Youtube channel here.Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free + our bonus show MicroHertz.If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org.Subscribe to Björk's Sonic Symbolism show wherever you get your podcasts.To start hiring now, visit indeed.com/hertz.Find the right doctor, right now with at zocdoc.com/20k.Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/1-900  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tokyo Rose

In World War II, the Japanese military operated a propaganda station called Radio Tokyo. Along with jazz music, the station featured several English-speaking female announcers, who became collectively known as Tokyo Rose. But who was Tokyo Rose? And was she really the treacherous villain that the US government made her out to be? This story comes from the History Daily podcast.Follow the show on Twitter, Facebook, & Reddit.Subscribe to our Youtube channel.Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free + our bonus show MicroHertz.If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org.Subscribe to History Daily wherever you get your podcasts.To learn more about immersive audio production, visit pro.focusrite.com.Get 10% off your first month of online therapy with our sponsor BetterHelp at betterhelp.com/20k.Visit shopify.com/20k to get a free 14-day trial with Shopify’s entire suite of features.Try out Harry’s with a $3 starter set at harrys.com/20k.Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/tokyorose Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TikTalk

In 2018, voiceover artist Bev Standing recorded 10,000 sentences for the Chinese Institute of Acoustics. Bev was told the recordings would be used for a translation app, but three years later, she was shocked to discover that she had become the default voice of TikTok in North America. On TikTok, Bev heard herself saying all kinds of wild and inappropriate things. So, she decided to sue. In this episode, Bev tells her story, and we hear from the voice who replaced her.Follow the show on Twitter, Facebook, & Reddit.Subscribe to our Youtube channel here.Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free + our bonus show MicroHertz.If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org.Listen to Ahead of Its Time, a new podcast by Setapp, on all of your favorite platforms.Get a $75 credit to upgrade your job post at indeed.com/hertz.Find the right doctor, right now with at zocdoc.com/20k.Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/tiktalk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices