Alan Lomax believed that the culture of poor Americans was important and worthy of saving. So he spent decades traveling the American South and recording obscure musicians on their front porches, in churches, even in prisons. Today, he's considered an American icon, but the road to becoming a legend wasn't an easy one. Featuring Southern Historical Collection archivist Chaitra Powell, American Folklife Center curator Todd Harvey, and filmmaker Rogier Kappers.

Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by Defacto Sound.

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Archival recordings in this episode came from the Alan Lomax Collection at the American Folklife Center, courtesy of the Association for Cultural Equity.

Check out Rogier's documentary "Lomax the Songhunter" on Amazon.

For more information on the crowdsourcing project for transcribing Alan Lomax's notes, visit https://crowd.loc.gov/campaigns/alan-lomax/

Subscribe to The Wind where ever you get your podcasts.

Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/soundsworthsaving

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Sci-fi and fantasy creators often use constructed languages (or conlangs) to help us believe that the characters come from ancient times or distant galaxies. But what happens when a fictional language jumps off the screen and into the real world? This story comes from the Imaginary Worlds podcast.

Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by Defacto Sound.

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Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/conlang

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We've all heard the iconic recordings from the Apollo missions. But how exactly does NASA manage to run live audio between Earth and the moon? And how might we chat with astronauts on Mars and beyond? Featuring Astronaut Peggy Whitson, NASA Audio Engineer Alexandria Perryman, and Astrophysicist Paul Sutter.

Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by Defacto Sound.

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Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/spaceaudity

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Technology has the power to transform the way our world sounds. It could even give us entirely new ways to experience our surroundings. In this episode, we explore the sounds of the future, and how we can use the tools we already have to build a better sounding world. Featuring Rose Eveleth, Creator and Host of the podcast Flash Forward, Acoustician Andrew Pyzdek, and Architect Chris Downey.

Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by Defacto Sound.

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Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/sonicutopia

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Sound surrounds us, even in the quietest moments. But depending on how we hear, the world can be a different auditory experience for each of us. This episode features four stories from the TED Radio Hour.

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Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/soundandsilence

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For hundreds of years, composers have been using a specific four-note melody to evoke death. It's appeared in dozens of famous movies, and you probably never even realized it. But once you hear it, you'll start noticing it everywhere. Featuring musicologist Alex Ludwig and Strong Songs Host Kirk Hamilton.

Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by Defacto Sound.

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Check out Alex’s list of Dies Irae examples at alexludwig.net.

Subscribe to Strong Songs where ever you get your podcasts. 

Check out The Graduale Project’s Youtube page for more Latin chants. 

Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/diesirae

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People with perfect or "absolute" pitch hear every single sound as precise musical notes. Is this extraordinary talent a blessing or a curse? In this episode, we dive into the neuroscience, pluses and pitfalls of absolute pitch. Featuring neuroscientist Daniel Levitin and Grammy-winning musician Jacob Collier.

Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by Defacto Sound.

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Check out Barnaby Martin’s YouTube channel, Listening In.

Order Daniel Levitin’s book, This Is Your Brain On Music.

Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/perfectpitch

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When you imagine the sound of a dinosaur, you probably think of a scene from the Jurassic Park movies. How do sound designers make these extinct creatures sound so believably alive? And what does modern paleontology tell us about what dinosaurs REALLY sounded like? Featuring Jurassic World sound designer Al Nelson, and paleontologist Julia Clarke.

Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by Defacto Sound.

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Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/tyrannosaurusfx

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In less than two years, Napster became a global sensation... and then record labels and multi-platinum artists brought it crashing down. But in its short lifespan, Napster transformed our ideas about how we consume music, and how much we're willing to pay for it. This story comes from the podcast Spectacular Failures.

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Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/napster

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Musicians like Justin Timberlake, Adele, Björk and Rod Stewart have all had surgery to treat vocal nodes. Nodes are so widely discussed, they've almost become a boogeyman in the singing community. But is this condition really as common as people fear? And when nodes do develop, is all hope truly lost? Featuring vocal coach Katie Talbot and Professor and Chairman of the Ear, Nose, and Throat Department at Drexel University of Medicine Dr. Robert Sataloff.

Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by Defacto Sound.

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Learn how you can protect your voice at nidcd.nih.gov.

Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/vocaldiscords

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