A lovingly crafted podcast that reveals the stories behind the world's most recognizable and interesting sounds.
From electric guitars to samplers to drum machines and beyond, the music we love is only possible thanks to the... more
The world of headphones is a deep rabbit hole. With thousands of options and endless technical jargon, it’s hard to... more
Since the earliest days of commercial radio, companies have been using sound to worm their way into our brains. And... more
The sound of a roaring combustion engine is a fixture of modern life. But as electric vehicles become more and... more
For more than seventy years now, filmmakers have been using and reusing a particular scream. Without a doubt, this is... more
In recent years, the dialogue in movies and TV shows has gotten harder and harder to understand. No one seems... more
Mark Mangini is one of the most prolific sound designers of all time. He’s been credited on over 150 films,... more
Many of us talk to ourselves in our heads pretty much all day long. But it turns out that there... more
The original Zelda game featured three melodies that would come to define the franchise: the Secret Unlocked Sound, the Treasure... more
Music is a quintessential part of the Zelda series. And some of Zelda’s most iconic melodies go all the way... more
The history of recorded sound stretches back over a hundred and fifty years, starting with a device that could “record”... more
Baseball fan or not, there’s one song that virtually every American knows… or at least, we think we do. “Take... more
Our vocal system is incredibly complex. What we call “the voice” starts with very precise movements of our vocal cords,... more
Why do bugs make the sounds they do? And how do they make them? In this episode, we explore the... more
In honor of Mental Health Awareness month, we’ve revamped one of the most personal episodes we’ve ever worked on. To... more
In the 1960s, stereo sound revolutionized the music industry. But it turns out, a pioneering engineer named Alan Blumlein had... more
Have you ever seen something so cute that you just wanted to squeeze it? Have you ever felt sleepy after... more
For decades, the jingle was king. But in the last twenty years, jingles have nearly gone extinct. Many brands have... more
“Soundalikes,” also called “voice doubles,” are voice actors who perform as characters that were originally played by someone else. They’re... more
In a noisy, tumultuous world, how can we find inner peace? This episode features two stories about the transformative power... more
The voices inside our navigation systems are with us nearly every day. They frustrate us when they lead us astray,... more
In our third annual Mystery Sound Game Show, the crew from Endless Thread compete to guess the most sounds from... more
In the 1960s, Bob Moog and Don Buchla built synthesizers that changed the world. But by the early 80s, they... more
In the United States, the East Coast and West Coast have rivalries across food, sports, music and more. But there’s... more
Audio description allows you to enjoy a movie or TV show without the need for any visuals. But how do... more
In the 80s and 90s, movie trailers were ruled by “voice-of-God” narrators who used stock phrases like, “In a world…”... more
In the late 80s and early 90s, 900 numbers were all the rage. For a couple bucks a minute, you... more
In World War II, the Japanese military operated a propaganda station called Radio Tokyo. Along with jazz music, the station... more
In 2018, voiceover artist Bev Standing recorded 10,000 sentences for the Chinese Institute of Acoustics. Bev was told the recordings... more
Ted Lasso is about more than just an incompetent soccer coach—it’s about overcoming challenges by working together. And that’s exactly... more
We spend a lot of time curating for taste, touch, smell, and vision. But too often, sound gets overlooked. We... more
There’s a certain musical phrase that you’ve probably heard hundreds of times. It’s used to emphasize dramatic moments in movies,... more
What does a sound designer do all day? How do noise canceling headphones really work? And why do modern movie... more
What if you woke up one day, and found that you could no longer do the thing that gave you... more
In the same way that optical illusions can trick our eyes, auditory illusions can trick our ears. This raises a... more
Many of today’s biggest songs are written and produced by people whose names don’t appear anywhere in the credits. They’re... more
Part 2 of our series on the Windows startup sounds picks up when Microsoft made the radical decision to kill... more
Over the years, Microsoft has made at least ten iconic startup sounds for Windows—from the triumphant “Ta-da!” of Windows 3.1,... more
For nearly half a century, one eerie sound has been showing up again and again in movies and TV shows.... more
The voices of subway and train announcements are deeply ingrained in peoples’ lives. Many of us hear them every day,... more
In the same way that optical illusions can trick our eyes, auditory illusions can trick our ears. This raises a serious question:... more