Twenty Thousand Hertz

I'm (Still) Lovin' It: The McDonald's Jingle Saga Continues

The “I’m Lovin’ It” jingle is one of the most recognizable melodies on Earth. But the story behind it involves a global competition, thousands of mixes, a Trojan Horse po

Listener Stories 2026 (Silver): Keyboard Clicks & Singing Forests

Our 2026 Listener Story competition continues with five more incredible listener-made pieces. In this Silver collection, you’ll hear the surprising craft behind mechanica

Colbert & Fallon: Mixing Music for Late Night TV

Mixing music for Late Night television means working fast, putting artists at ease, and delivering polished mixes under immense pressure. In this episode, the Music Mixer

Listener Stories 2026 (Bronze): AI Music & Coral Crackles

Twenty Thousand Hertz proudly presents the first five selections from our 2026 Listener Story competition. From AI-generated music, to the hidden crackle of coral reefs,

Eurovision Song Contest: Inside the Gimmicks & Glamour

For millions of people, Eurovision is a cultural institution, and one of the biggest live television events on Earth. But for many Americans, it remains a complete myster

John Williams: A Composer’s Legacy

In our last episode, we followed composer John Williams from his childhood to his 1970s run with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. Now, we pick up the story as John ente

John Williams: A Composer’s Life

John Williams has written some of the most famous film scores ever, from Star Wars to Indiana Jones to Jurassic Park. But before the blockbuster success, there was a kid

Age of Audio: The Future of Podcasting (and 20k)

After making Age of Audio, a feature documentary about the history of podcasting, filmmaker Shaun Michael Colón sat down with Dallas for a revealing conversation about th

Age of Audio: The Inside Story of Podcasting

The history of podcasting has rarely been told. But in this episode, the brightest minds in podcasting reveal the inside story of this medium: from the invention of RSS f

The Poop Song Conspiracy

One day, Ethan had an unfortunate bathroom incident. Then, he found an entire collection of songs online with his name in the title… and they all seemed to be about that

The Heartfelt Music of Bluey w/ Composer Joff Bush

What makes the music of Bluey feel so warm and alive? In this episode, Dallas travels to Brisbane, Australia to visit the studio of Bluey’s composer Joff Bush. There, Jof

The Acoustic Worlds of Radiolab Creator Jad Abumrad

Before Radiolab became a cultural phenomenon, it was an experiment… one that Jad Abumrad built voice by voice, sound by sound. In this episode, Jad walks Dallas through h

He was deaf for 35 years + Listener Stories kickoff

Last year, we ran three full episodes of listener-produced stories. But one beautiful story was just a little too long for the final cut… and we couldn’t leave it behind.

Harry Potter and the Sound Designer’s Stone

Harry Potter has been brought to life on page and screen. But what would it take to make the wizarding world come alive using sound alone? In this episode, we go behind t

When Everything Stopped, He Started Listening

David Jeffers has always understood the world through sound. As a kid, he bounced beats between tape decks and built speaker boxes from spare parts. After college, he fou

The State of the 20K Multiverse™

What happens when a podcast about sound gets into video? In this special behind-the-scenes episode, producer Grace East flips the script and interviews Dallas about his l

Doctor Who & The BBC Radiophonic Workshop

What does a time machine sound like? Or a magic carpet? For the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, that was just another day at the office. For 40 years, this oddball collective o

Butterfly in the Synth: Reading Rainbow’s Magical Theme Song

The theme song to Reading Rainbow has been delighting kids (and nostalgic grown-ups) for over 40 years. But how did this instantly iconic track come to be? In this episod

Auld Lang What? The surprising origins of the New Year’s song

Every New Year’s at midnight, we raise our voices to sing a song that few of us understand: “Auld Lang Syne.” So when and why did this become the anthem of the holiday? I

Guess That Sound 2025: Youtube Channel Champs

For our sixth annual Mystery Sound game show, we’ve invited three guests from our video series to test their sonic knowledge on 18 sounds, including production logos, vid