{"podcast":{"title":"Twenty Thousand Hertz","slug":"twenty-thousand-hertz-1053394","podcast_index_feed_id":1053394,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/20k","website_url":"http://www.20k.org","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/055fe9c2-c3ce-11e7-a353-8f206a4d6ba7/image/170e41a42496782f20e8f69d0c5bda0f.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"Dallas Taylor","episode_count":240,"summary":"The stories behind the world's most recognizable and interesting sounds. Whether you're a professional audio engineer with decades of experience, a fourth grader who loves sound and music, or anyone in between, Twenty Thousand Hertz will help unlock your sonic world… from the sound design secrets of hit movies, to the sonic craft of jingles and device sounds, to the forgotten backstories of classic theme songs, to linguistic mysteries, psychoacoustics, video game music, animal communication, and beyond. With moving human stories, immersive sound design, and the guiding voice of host Dallas Taylor, Twenty Thousand Hertz has grown into the world’s leading podcast about sound. New to the show? Start here: • I'm Lovin' It: How “Ba da ba ba ba” took over the world • The Art of Foley: Bringing Slimer & Batman to life • Tudum! The story behind the iconic Netflix sound • The Legend of Zelda: A Beep to the Past • Inside Hans Zimmer’s Remote Control Studios • A sonic journey through the Solar System • Mind the Gap: NYC & London’s iconic transit voices","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/twenty-thousand-hertz-1053394"},"episode":{"title":"Butterfly in the Synth: Reading Rainbow’s Magical Theme Song","slug":"butterfly-in-the-synth-reading-rainbow-s-magical-theme-song","published_at":"2026-01-12T11:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/twenty-thousand-hertz-1053394/butterfly-in-the-synth-reading-rainbow-s-magical-theme-song","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/twenty-thousand-hertz-1053394","url":"https://www.20k.org/episodes/reading-rainbow","audio_url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/TTH9983306581.mp3?updated=1767906455","summary":"The theme song to Reading Rainbow has been delighting kids (and nostalgic grown-ups) for over 40 years. But how did this instantly iconic track come to be? In this episode, composer Steve Horelick reveals the unlikely story of its creation, from its empowering lyrics, to its “fluttering butterfly” synth sound, to how Chaka Khan and a mystery drummer helped shape one of its later versions. Support the show and get ad-free episodes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠20k.org/plus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by ⁠Defacto Sound⁠. Subscribe on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to see our video series. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mystery.20k.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow Dallas on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠Facebook⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Join our community on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Reddit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Explore Steve Horelick's work on his website and YouTube channel. Visit expressvpn.com/20k to find out how you can get 4 extra months of protection. Get 3 months of free payroll at ⁠gusto.com/20k⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices","meta_description":"The theme song to Reading Rainbow has been delighting kids (and nostalgic grown-ups) for over 40 years. But how did this instantly iconic track come to be…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1640,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/twenty-thousand-hertz-1053394/episodes/butterfly-in-the-synth-reading-rainbow-s-magical-theme-song/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/twenty-thousand-hertz-1053394/butterfly-in-the-synth-reading-rainbow-s-magical-theme-song.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}