The last few decades have seen amazing improvements in cochlear implant technology. Professor Michael Dorman reveals what they really sound like, and how they can help out with more than just our hearing. But should we be advocating cochlear implants at all? We chat with deaf graphic designer Brandon Edquist about why he chooses not to use his implant, and why the Deaf community is up in arms against them.  
Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced out of the studios of Defacto Sound, and hosted by Dallas Taylor. 
Follow the show on Twitter & Facebook.  
Become a monthly contributor at 20k.org/donate. 
If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org. 
Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/deafgain 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Deaf Gain

A lovingly crafted podcast that reveals the stories behind the world's most recognizable and interesting sounds.

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

Arts

Literature

Performing Arts

Design

Food

Fashion & Beauty

Visual Arts

Music

TikTok’s sonic logo is one of the fastest growing sonic logos in history. Today, that little sound is being heard millions of times a day on apps like Instagram, Reddit and Youtube… but creating it wasn’t easy. To make it, the creative team went through thousands of iterations, executed a covert marketing strategy, and fought through a final debate about a single note. Featuring Roscoe Williamson and Aifric Lennon from MassiveMusic.

Apply for the Associate Sound Designer/Mixer position at Defacto Sound at jobs.defactosound.com.
Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free.
If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org.
Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn.
Watch our video shorts on YouTube, and join the discussion on Reddit and Facebook.
Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial at shopify.com/20k.
Claim your $75 sponsored job credit at indeed.com/hertz.
Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/tiktoksboombling
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TikTok’s Boom-Bling

The sound of Late Night television is a complex beast with many moving parts. In this episode, we step inside the daily hustle of Broadcast Mixer Fred Hedemark as he and his team bring the sound of Late Night with Seth Meyers to life. Along the way, Fred reveals the highs and lows of working on a high-adrenaline, live-to-tape TV show, and shares some never-heard recordings from his years on the show.

Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free.
If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org.
Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn.
Watch our video shorts on YouTube, and join the discussion on Reddit and Facebook.
Learn more about Fred Hedemark’s work at audiofred.com.
Find the right doctor, right now at zocdoc.com/20k.
Learn a new language with fifty-five percent off at babbel.com/20k.
Find the right candidates with a seventy-five dollar sponsored job credit at indeed.com/hertz. 
Get a FREE Netsuite KPI Checklist at netsuite.com/20k.
Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: www.20k.org/episodes/latenight
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Late Night

What do you call it when you’re homesick for a place you’ve never been? Is there a word for letting books pile up in your house without reading them? How about weather that looks beautiful out the window, but that you wouldn’t want to go out in? For this episode, we worked with Babbel to bring you our second annual Untranslatable Words challenge. In it, resident linguist Grace East pits the Twenty Thousand Hertz crew against each other in a hilarious and enlightening multilingual game show.

Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free.
If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org.
Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn.
Watch our video shorts on YouTube, and join the discussion on Reddit and Facebook.
Learn a new language with Babbel. Get 55% off your subscription at babbel.com/20k.
Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/untranslatablewords
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Untranslatable Words

Hans Zimmer is responsible for some of the most iconic film scores of the last 35 years. So how does one person create so much amazing music? It turns out, he doesn’t do it alone. In this episode, Hans Zimmer’s incredible team pulls back the curtain to reveal their extraordinary creative process, and uncover the secrets behind the otherworldly music of Dune. Featuring Raul Vega, Taurees Habib, Suzanne Waters, Tina Guo, and Steve Mazarro.

Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free.
If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org.
Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn.
Watch our video shorts on YouTube, and join the discussion on Reddit and Facebook.
Listen to NASA's Curious Universe at nasa.gov/podcasts/curious-universe
Find the right doctor, right now at zocdoc.com/20k.
Find the right candidates with a seventy-five dollar sponsored job credit at indeed.com/hertz. 
Try America's #1 ready-to-eat meal kit with fifty percent off using promo code TTH50 at factormeals.com/tth50.
Learn a new language with fifty-five percent off at babbel.com/20k.
Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/hans-zimmers-remote-control
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hans Zimmer's Remote Control

All over the world, there are unique and breathtaking sounds that you can only hear in one specific place. In this episode, we travel to two of the most astounding sonic wonders in the United States. The first is a hidden sound installation in Times Square that might be the most visited art exhibit on Earth. The second is an enormous organ built right into the rock of an ancient Virginian cave. These stories originally aired on the Atlas Obscura podcast.

Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free.
If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org.
Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn.
Watch our video shorts on YouTube, and join the discussion on Reddit and Facebook.
Subscribe to Atlas Obscura wherever you get your podcasts.
Get a FREE Netsuite KPI Checklist at netsuite.com/20k.
Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial at shopify.com/20k.
Claim your $75 sponsored job credit at indeed.com/hertz.
Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/auralobscura
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Deaf Gain

Download our free app to listen on your phone