The Latest Episode Of Twenty Thousand Hertz: Wondering What The Future Might Sound Like?

  Twenty Thousand Hertz Considers a Sonic Utopia in its latest episode

  Twenty Thousand Hertz continues its expanded fall season as part of the Ted Podcast Network. In the last four episodes, the podcast about sound has taken listeners on a historical journey to a 13th century funeral chant called "Dies Irae," then investigated the neuroscience of Perfect Pitch, and explored the real and synthetic sounds of dinosaurs in Tyrannosaurus FX  as well as Sound Of Silence, which explores how the world can be a vastly different auditory experience for each of us.

  Despite all of the overwhelming noise in the world, Twenty Thousand Hertz knows it's rare that we actually stop and think about the things we hear. Technology now has the power to transform the way our world sounds, and before we realize, it could give us entirely new experiences of our surroundings. This week's episode of the millions-downloaded TED podcast, host Dallas Taylor explores the sounds of the future and how we can use the tools we already have to collectively build a Sonic Utopia.

 

 Featuring Flash Forward creator/host Rose Eveleth, Acoustician Andrew Pyzdek, and Architect Chris Downey, host Dallas Taylor discusses developments like magnetic levitation and new types of concrete that could reduce the stress-inducing impact of subway screeches and roaring car tires. He also reveals that studying the shape of owl feathers could cut down the buzzing of Amazon's inevitable pivot to drone deliveries, and weighs the possibility that brands may be able to use ultrasound to force us to hear an ad every time we pass a billboard. 

In fact, even though the acoustics of most buildings are rarely factored into its design, and loud places like restaurants are more problematic than we think, the episode offers solutions like sound codes and more that can ultimately make the world sound better for everyone. 

Read about the episode at Popular Science and listen to "Sonic Utopia" HERE.

 

 Twenty Thousand Hertz is dedicated to telling the stories behind the world's most recognizable and interesting sounds and is produced by Defacto Sound, the go-to sound designers for brands like Disney, Google, HBO, National Geographic, Netflix, Nike and many others.

 

"Twenty Thousand Hertz is such a terrific podcast for several reasons," begins podcast consultant George Witt. "First, the topic, which is the sonic world, is perfect for podcasting because it uses audio to explore sound. Second, Dallas Taylor is clearly a grandmaster of the sonic world. He weaves a seamless narrative that draws in listeners and finally, Taylor uses the podcast to ask existential questions about the very nature of our physical universe and how we interact with it."

Special thanks to Greg Jakubik