20K Hertz
20k.org · Group blog · on HN since 2016
The site of 20,000 Hertz, a podcast telling stories about sound and sound design, with episodes on Bluey, the Windows logon sound, and Netflix's ta-dum.
What HN saysHN commenters recommend the podcast as a well-made show about sound, and link its episodes when sound design in TV, film or software comes up.
29HN people shared it
24linked it in comments
6stories submitted
7story points
1 year agolast shared
2016people per year2026
Most-shared posts
- 1Thesoundofbluey5 people · first shared 2025
- 2Homepage4 people · first shared 2016
- 3Thevoicesofbluey3 people · first shared 2025
- 4Tadaitswindows3 people · first shared 2022
- 5Windowslogonwav3 people · first shared 2022
- 6Thxdeepnote2 people · first shared 2018
- 7Ta-dum It's Netflix (2020)1 people · 2 points · first shared 2022 · discussion on HN
- 8What do other planets sound like? (Podcast) “Space” on 20K Hertz1 people · 1 points · first shared 2019 · discussion on HN
- 9The Sound of Apple1 people · 1 points · first shared 2024 · discussion on HN
- 10(314)914-60931 people · 1 points · first shared 2018 · 1 comments on HN
- 11Ultrasonic Tracking1 people · 1 points · first shared 2018 · discussion on HN
- 12Voyager Golden Record1 people · 1 points · first shared 2019 · discussion on HN
- 13Voiceinside1 people · first shared 2023
- 14Levelup1 people · first shared 2020
- 15Silence1 people · first shared 2020
What HN people wrote when they linked it
n8cpdx · 2021-10-29
I first learned about this through Twenty Thousand Hertz, a great podcast about sound that I highly recommend. I don’t think about sound very often, so I find I learn a lot from every episode.
https://www.20k.org/
eddyg · 2017-06-23
I listen to the SANS Internet StormCast ("daily 5-10 minute information security threat updates") every morning:
https://isc.sans.edu/podcast.html
Many of my other favorites have already been mentioned, but I also listen to:
Twenty Thousand Hertz ("stories behind the world's most
recognizable and interesting sounds")
https://www.20k.org
and have started listening to this new NPR podcast:
Wow in the World ("a new way for families to connect, look up and discover the wonders in the world around them. Every episode, hosts Mindy and Guy guide curious kids and their grown-ups away from their screens and on a journey. Through a combination of careful scientific research and fun, we'll go inside our brains, out into space, and deep into the coolest new stories in science and technology")
http://www.npr.org/podcasts/510321/wow-in-the-world
Amorymeltzer · 2025-08-04
As a companion to this, I'd recommend the podcast 20 Thousand Hertz: their two-party on the sounds of Bluey was excellent, and as a parent immersed in Bluey, really enjoyable. Seems like they put a lot of thought and care into nearly every aspect of the show.
https://www.20k.org/episodes/thesoundofbluey
https://www.20k.org/episodes/thevoicesofbluey
billti · 2025-03-22
The sound designer goes over their use of this type of music in this excellent podcast. You'd really enjoy it. (Available Apple Podcasts, which is where I listened to it, but linking directly here).
The next one about the voices is excellent too, so linking both. The care they put into both the show and the people involved is almost as touching as the show itself.
https://www.20k.org/episodes/thesoundofbluey https://www.20k.org/episodes/thevoicesofbluey
brechmos · 2021-02-07
20-Thousand Hertz did a great podcast on this:
https://www.20k.org/episodes/wilhelmscream
MengerSponge · 2020-04-05
This is a great episode about Bose's life and gift:
https://www.20k.org/episodes/thegift
legopelle · 2020-01-08
It's a great podcast! I can also recommend the episode on the THX sound.
https://www.20k.org/episodes/thxdeepnote
brownbat · 2020-01-08
The 20,000 Hz podcast provided a full history of this, discussing various samples along the way:
https://www.20k.org/episodes/loudnesswars
It's pretty standard for that podcast, which features lots of stories about sound and sound engineering. There's another interesting article on creating the most silent possible room, and how eerie it feels to be in it.
https://www.20k.org/episodes/silence
Another on how restaurants got louder and louder over time, that deep bass sound that's taken over film, another on scientific experiments trying to measure if the Stradivarius is as great a violin as everyone insists, another on the tangled history of the iconic Price is Right theme song... so many really.
Great podcast, lots of range given the topic.
MegaDeKay · 2020-01-06
This episode of the 20,000 Hz podcast talks about blind gamers able to play Killer Instint solely by listening to the audio. Players gave input to Microsoft on how they could make the game even more accessible by tweaking the audio cues, and Microsoft patched the game in response. Amazing.
https://www.20k.org/episodes/levelup about 16 minutes in.
hawktheslayer · 2018-02-20
One of my favorite podcasts, Twenty Thousand Hertz, did a whole episode on this:
https://www.20k.org/episodes/mystery
crftr · 2016-12-06
Somewhat related, Twenty Thousand Hertz. Stories behind interesting sounds.
https://www.20k.org/
unsnap_biceps · 2025-05-03
Semi Related 20khtz episodes that are delightful:
The Voices of Bluey w/ Uncle Stripe https://www.20k.org/episodes/thevoicesofbluey
The Organic Sound of Bluey w/ Sound Designer Dan Brumm https://www.20k.org/episodes/thesoundofbluey
rasjani · 2025-03-22
Twenty Thousand Hertz (sound design podcast) had episode about Bluey with its sound designer Dan Brumm last year.
https://www.20k.org/episodes/thesoundofbluey
hackbuildroam · 2025-03-21
20k hertz did some interviews with the Bluey creators,
https://www.20k.org/episodes/thesoundofbluey
Neet to see something start from a idea and grown to be so big and still manage to keep humble.
EvanAnderson · 2024-11-08
The Twenty Thousand Hertz podcast had a episode featuring Mr. Edwards: https://www.20k.org/episodes/youvegotmail
harywilke · 2024-05-10
There are efforts to attack the car tyre noise problem by grinding groves into the surface of the road. it's called "Next Generation Concrete Surface" I remember hearing about it on the "Twenty Thousand Hertz" podcast [0] [0] https://www.20k.org/episodes/sonicutopia
ProAm · 2022-12-15
This was a good podcast about birth of the synth built by Bob Moog and Don Buchla on each coast of the US.
part 1: https://www.20k.org/episodes/synthwar
part 2: https://www.20k.org/episodes/digitaldoom
disillusioned · 2022-05-31
Ha, the podcast Twenty Thousand Hertz just did TWO whole episodes on this:
https://www.20k.org/episodes/tadaitswindows
https://www.20k.org/episodes/windowslogonwav
csnover · 2022-05-30
The podcast Twenty Thousand Hertz recently did a two-part series on all of the Windows startup sounds[0][1]. They interviewed some of the Microsoft employees who worked on the various sounds, and included archival tape of Eno being interviewed by the BBC about the Windows 95 sound. (It looks like the BBC interview may be the primary source for this SF Gate Q&A.)
[0] https://www.20k.org/episodes/tadaitswindows
[1] https://www.20k.org/episodes/windowslogonwav
fimdomeio · 2022-05-30
There's two pretty interesting podcast episodes about windows startup sounds at Twenty Thousand Hertz:
https://www.20k.org/episodes/tadaitswindows
https://www.20k.org/episodes/windowslogonwav
Also All Apple startup sounds. Really interesting how one could describe the two companies complete approach to design just from the startup sounds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLEupC2OWUU
loganmarchione · 2022-04-11
AWS Morning Brief podcast - <10min summary of AWS-related news (host is hilarious)
https://www.lastweekinaws.com/podcast/aws-morning-brief/
Twenty Thousand Hertz - Stories about famous sounds
https://www.20k.org/
2.5 Admins - Two sysadmins (one is Jim Salter from Ars) share their knowledge with one non-sysadmin
https://2.5admins.com/
Darknet Diaries - True stories about hacking/security/etc...
https://darknetdiaries.com/
ISC Stormcast - <5min daily podcast about IT security news
https://isc.sans.edu/podcast.html
nucleardog · 2020-11-02
The podcast Twenty Thousand Hertz did an episode on deepfake voices[1], which is my only real exposure to the audio side of this that I know about. Certainly wouldn't say it didn't work or was terrible.
[1]: https://www.20k.org/episodes/deepfakedallas
sien · 2018-09-27
That's really neat.
There is a very good 20 000 Hz podcast on the creation of the THX Deepnote:
https://www.20k.org/episodes/thxdeepnote
https://www.20k.org/episodes/thxdeepnote2
jagged-chisel · 2023-08-25