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

After months of speculation, the person behind TikTok’s current text-to-speech voice reveals her true identity. This is an update to... 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

The names of pop and rock stars are known by millions of people around the world, but the people who... more

In the forty years since The Joy of Painting first started airing, Bob Ross has become a cultural icon. His... more

In the 1960s, the BBC had a vise grip on British radio, and rarely played the pop and rock music... more

Your name is so much more than the sound that people call you by. It’s an entire human identity, distilled... more

When The Sims was first being developed, the creators faced a problem. They knew they wanted these characters to talk... more

A lovingly crafted podcast that reveals the stories behind the world's most recognizable and interesting sounds. Subscribe now. Learn more about... more

For our second annual Mystery Sound competition, we’ve rounded up the 20 best sounds from the past year, and invited... more

In part 2 of our series on HBO, we explore the tough questions that the company faced in the digital... more

In the 1980s, every movie that aired on HBO began with a truly epic theme song—a sweeping orchestral piece that... more

If you’re a human being, chances are, you know someone who is a big time snorer. You're falling asleep to... more

To give voices to the frightening monsters in movies, TV shows, and video games, sound designers often start with animal... more

In the past, video games were largely inaccessible to people with visual impairments. But these days, game makers are adding... more

Playing a sport without sight might sound impossible. But it turns out, there are blind athletes all around the world... more

When Matthew Shifrin was growing up, his blindness meant that trying to enjoy a movie or TV show was often... more

For over a century, humans have been using technology to shape our sonic environment. White noise machines, nature recordings, noise... more

Not long ago, our home appliances made nothing but abrasive beeps and harsh buzzes. In recent years though, these devices... more

In 2011, residents of Windsor, Ontario started experiencing a strange rumbling hum that rattled dishes and kept people awake at... more

Since World War I, countries around the world have been broadcasting mysterious numerical messages via shortwave radio. Though concrete evidence... more

Nearly a century after they first appeared, the Looney Tunes are back in an all-new series. To bring this iconic... more

In part 2 of our exploration of Foley, the Warner Brothers Foley team takes us into the all-important prop room.... more

When it comes to film sound, "Foley Artist" might be the most important job you've never heard of. These performers... more

In the late 80s, a small French company found a way to pair analog film with pristine digital audio. But... more

We live in a designed world, and alert tones are no exception. Every beep and ping that your phone or... more

There are a few specific chord progressions that show up again and again in popular music. Across hundreds of hit... more

Since their founding almost a century ago, Shure has created some of the most iconic microphones ever made. In this... more

Since its official release in 2011, Minecraft has grown from a small, experimental indie game into the best-selling video game... more

The melodic fanfare that introduces every 20th Century Fox movie was first composed almost a hundred years ago. Since then,... more

The Long-Range Acoustic Device, or LRAD, was developed for the military for long-range communication at sea. But this ear-splitting device... more

Since its introduction in 2003, the McDonald’s “I’m Lovin’ It” jingle has become one of the most recognizable melodies in... more

What is sound, on a fundamental level? How did animals evolve to hear? And what happens when you go faster than sound... more

Synesthesia is a neurological condition where one sensory experience gets combined with another, meaning someone might hear sounds when they... more

After composer Eric Whitacre finished Virtual Choir number 5 in 2018, he thought the project might be done for good.... more

Alan Lomax believed that the culture of poor Americans was important and worthy of saving. So he spent decades traveling... more

Sci-fi and fantasy creators often use constructed languages (or conlangs) to help us believe that the characters come from ancient... more

We've all heard the iconic recordings from the Apollo missions. But how exactly does NASA manage to run live audio... more

Technology has the power to transform the way our world sounds. It could even give us entirely new ways to... more

Sound surrounds us, even in the quietest moments. But depending on how we hear, the world can be a different... more

For hundreds of years, composers have been using a specific four-note melody to evoke death. It's appeared in dozens of... more

People with perfect or "absolute" pitch hear every single sound as precise musical notes. Is this extraordinary talent a blessing... more

When you imagine the sound of a dinosaur, you probably think of a scene from the Jurassic Park movies. How... more

In less than two years, Napster became a global sensation... and then record labels and multi-platinum artists brought it crashing... more

Musicians like Justin Timberlake, Adele, Björk and Rod Stewart have all had surgery to treat vocal nodes. Nodes are so... more

Using artificial intelligence, someone can make an algorithm that sounds just like you. And then they can say... whatever they... more

When writer Paige Towers moved to one of the loudest cities in the world, she found herself overcome with anxiety... more

The Netflix ta-dum sound has quickly become one of the most iconic sound logos of our generation. I bet you... more

Join Dallas and the McElroy brothers (hosts of My Brother, My Brother and Me) as they compete to see which brother... more

Broadway’s award-winning, record-breaking, smash hit, Hamilton, is a musical unlike any other. In this special episode, we have re-voiced, remixed, and... more

Can you steal from yourself? Can you copyright a mood? We look back on some important copyright cases that could... more

Most western music is built on the same 12 notes. Sometimes the arrangement of those notes sounds similar, which raises... more

Farts have been funny to humans for thousands of years. This basic bodily function has countless nicknames around the world,... more

When you think about Star Wars, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Lightsabers? Spaceships? Alien creatures? What about... more