Podcasting is all about the audio—usually a reporter or narrator or storyteller. Then there’s Twenty thousand Hertz where the podcast is all about sound.
Yes, you’ll find narrators and storytellers, too. Their mission is to provide the background, insight and information about all the sounds around us.
The Title
The title of the podcast, Twenty Thousand Hertz, references sound frequencies. The hertz is a measure of frequency—the number of times something cycles in one second. It is used to measure electromagnetic waves, computer “clock” speeds, and the operation of other electrical devices. But for our purposes, it is one of the two critical dimensions for measuring sound.
Frequency in sound is a measure of its pitch. Middle C on a piano is measured at about 256 hertz (abbreviated as Hz). The A above middle C, frequently used by music ensembles for tuning, is 440 Hz. . The lowest string that a string bass is tuned to about 41 Hz. The highest not played by a piccolo is about 4,186 hertz.
The highest pitch that humans can perceive is 20,000 hertz—the high limit of sound perception and the reference for the name of the podcast.
Dallas Taylor
The host of the podcast, Dallas Taylor, guides the biweekly podcasts with a wide-ranging, thoughtful vision. Taylor is is owner of an audio production company, Defacto Sound. He has done many episodes on topics related to commercial sound projects such as movie sound effects, audio “branding,” and specially created sounds. For example, did you know that modern electric vehicles are being designed with a sound track? Here’s a description of an episode titled: Auto-Tone.
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.
But Taylor goes great distances outside the world of commercial sound, exploring art, psychology, medicine, and other dimensions of the human auditory experience.
The Sound of Silence
The sound of silence is more than the title of a Simon and Garfunkel hit. In the absence of sound, typically there is more sound; quieter sound. Taylor did a TED Talk about silence that focuses on the work of composer John Cage. It’s a very thoughtful discussion of the composer’s radical vision. You can hear it here.
And then, there is silence that is absolute; the true absence of sound. Here’s an episode of the podcast that explores total silence.
Here’s a link to the podcast homepage.
Here’s a link to the episodes if you want to see more about topics.
Twenty Thousand Hertz: Highly recommended.
Anon.
Ridge
Really interesting podcast!